A British couple were horrified after they were charged £106 for five prawns on holiday in Lanzarote.
During their idyllic holiday in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Dean Cadywould and his wife Kerry stumbled upon an unexpected and jaw-dropping experience at a seafront restaurant.
Their seemingly romantic meal turned into a gastronomic shock when they received a bill of £106 for what seemed like a modest order: five king prawns, eight Canarian potatoes, two drinks, and a bread basket.
He said: “We asked for the bill, they brought it over and it’s for €137. My wife’s face dropped. I said “what’s wrong?” She said “it’s €137”. The prawns weren’t worth €25, never mind €125.”
To make things worse, the prawns, once meticulously de-shelled by the couple, turned out to be far from the gastronomic delight they had anticipated. Dean described them as having “hardly any meat” on them, leaving them with a sense of dissatisfaction.
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“[The owner] came over and said “yes, I know, sorry they’re expensive,” he added.
Dean reluctantly paid the substantial bill. However, his sense of being “ripped off” and “conned” was so intense that he couldn’t let the matter rest.
He said: “I went marching back there, I was that incensed. I was furious. I just felt cheated, he knew exactly what he was doing. It just takes advantage of tourists. We’d had an amazing day, an amazing holiday, and it 100 percent ruined our night.”
Upon confrontation, the owner acknowledged the high price, attributing it to the expensive nature of Carabineros prawns – a prized variety that is known for its flavours reminiscent of lobster.
Despite the restaurant’s attempt to rectify the situation by offering a €40 refund, Dean remained dissatisfied, convinced that tourists were being taken advantage of.
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He explained: “My wife loves prawns, so I just mentioned king prawns. They went ‘oh hang on, let me go to the kitchen and see if we have any’. They came out with these prawns and we looked at them and thought ‘lovely’.
“So they bring it out [the prawns] on a silver tray, five king prawns all in their shell, about eight Canarian potatoes and a few slices of tomato and lettuce. That is it.”
The couple has vowed to never return to the restaurant after the incident.
Dean said: ”We love Lanzarote, Playa Blanca. We love it and we’ve been there many times over the last few years. My wife and I want to move out there eventually but we’d never go back there.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
