Netizens shocked by $650 Malaysian spring roll

In an Instagram video posted on Nov. 8, popular food guide KL Foodie unveiled this extravagant creation, a collaboration between Bibi's Popiah and Nimbus Restaurant, crafted with five premium ingredients: Alaskan king crab, 24-karat edible gold leaf from Italy, cordyceps flower, Ossetra caviar from France, and the in-season Ibaraki Keisui pear.

Thanks to its preminum ingredients sourced globally, it has been crowned the most expensive popiah in Malaysia, according to The Independent Singapore.

This "most expensive popiah" is assembled with meat from two meticulously steamed crab legs, carefully layered on a freshly made popiah skin prepared daily by Bibi’s Popiah. The filling is slathered with a "secret sauce" and topped with sprigs of torched spring onions for a final touch of flair, 8Days news site reported.

Customers must order the dish at least a week in advance.

The Instagram video quickly went viral, garnering over 13,000 likes and 500 comments just after one week, with many netizens expressing skepticism over whether it's worth spending too much money on a single popiah.

"This isn’t popiah anymore. The only authentic part left is the popiah skin," one user commented.

"I’d rather spend that money on multiple meals for a month than on one dish," another remarked.

"The 24-karat gold leaf is unnecessary, just a gimmick to justify the markup," another critic wrote.

Popiah, also known as Malaysian spring rolls, is traditionally made with thin spring roll skins and filled with a variety of ingredients such as grated vegetables, seafood, meat, omelet, tofu, rice, sausages, and noodles.