Luxury noodles cause a stir in Hebei

A bowl of noodles at a restaurant in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, with a price tag of 20,198 yuan ($2,925), has caught a lot of attention.

Rare ingredients such as sea cucumber, abalone, truffle and others are included in the noodles, driving up the price. Customers need to make a reservation 10 days in advance to purchase the dish, with a down payment of 10,000 yuan.

Besides this bowl of luxurious delicacies, most dishes, served at Guimianzu Banmian — a chain restaurant with multiple subbranches in Shijiazhuang — carry typical prices according to Red Star News, a news outlet in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

As for how many bowls of the luxury noodles were sold, wait staff were not forthcoming.

The high price intrigued many netizens who thought it was a marketing ploy to sell more regular dishes. However, others saw it as a scam.

In response to many people calling for the intervention of the local government, the development and reform commission of Shijiazhuang told ThePaper.cn the restaurant can price its products however it chooses as long as the price and information about the product are clearly indicated to customers.

However, the customer may report to the department if the meal does not match the establishment's advertising.