Just days after Filipinos across the UAE celebrated the return of their favorite bihon brand to store shelves, the mood has shifted to sticker shock over how much some sellers are charging for it online.
Following an earlier report by The Global Filipino Magazine on the community’s frantic hunt for Super Q Golden Bihon, some shoppers who turned to e-commerce were stunned by the prices. A listing on Amazon.ae priced a 500g pack of three (3 x 16oz) at AED 129.10 — a figure many found hard to swallow for a noodle that sells for a few dirhams a pack in physical stores. Adding to the amusement, the listing was filed under the site’s pet supplies section.
The steep online figure stands in sharp contrast to other platforms. On Talabat, the same Super Q Golden Bihon appears at competitive prices ranging from around AED 7.20 to AED 19.90 across various grocers, including Super Live Baqala, Airfresh Baqala, and LuLu Hypermarket.
Limited stock, limited quantities
Part of the pricing frenzy stems from lingering scarcity. While supermarkets across the UAE have begun restocking the noodle, several outlets are capping purchases at one or two packs per customer to spread limited supply across shoppers. Others noticed the shelf price itself creeping up — from around AED 4 to roughly AED 7 per pack in some stores.
The squeeze has kept the community trading tips on where to buy, how much stock is left, and which branches still have it.
It’s not just the bihon
Amid the bihon buzz, many Filipinos flagged that two other pantry staples have grown just as hard to find: Datu Puti soy sauce and vinegar, the twin condiments at the heart of countless Filipino dishes.
“Suka at toyo naman ang wala hahahaha” (“It’s the vinegar and soy sauce that are missing now”), one commenter wrote. Another lamented the impact on home cooking: “Suka at toyo nmn ang wala… kaya no adobo for now.” One even joked about going the DIY route, describing plans to make homemade vinegar from fresh tamban left to sit overnight in salt and dried under the sun.
For a community that measures home in flavors, the shortages have become a running joke and a genuine inconvenience in equal measure. As one member put it, capturing the sentiment of many: “i miss bihon ano ba nangyari at nagkaubusan” (“I miss bihon — what happened, why did it run out?”).
