'Medium-sized' rat visits popular Vietnamese food stall at Ang Mo Kio, stall apologises for incident

Another kind of rat-ing.

Yen Zhi Yi | May 21, 2023, 03:50 PM

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Imagine hearing some rustling sounds while eating, only to find out another little creature is also tucking into its food.

This was what TikTok user @vinnography came across while eating at Bánh Mì Saigon, a popular Vietnamese food stall located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8.

@vinnography 🐀🐀Rata-Banh-Mi #ratatouille ♬ French music style, accordion, waltz - arachang

The videos were taken on the evening of May 19 and uploaded a day later.

According to the caption, the user saw a “medium sized rat” among the packages of instant noodles on the shelf after hearing some sounds coming from the plastic packaging.

Image via TikTok/@vinnography

Image via TikTok/@vinnography

“At least one packet was bitten and torn open,” he wrote.

He said that he informed the staff about the situation but they did not act on the feedback promptly. After waiting for 15 minutes, he decided to leave.

Image via TikTok/@vinnography

The user said that they have alerted the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

Image via TikTok/@vinnography

SFA investigating case

In response to Mothership's queries, a SFA spokesperson said that they were investigating the incident.

"Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food establishments must play their part by adhering to the food safety requirements and ensure their premises is clean and well-maintained."

They also advised members of the public who come across any potentially errant food establishment to report to SFA via the online feedback form.

"SFA will not hesitate to take enforcement action if we have obtained sufficient evidence," the spokesperson added.

Similar experiences

As of the time of writing, the video had garnered over 100,400 views and 2,900 likes.

A few commentators pointed out that they had good food at Banh Mi Saigon but later experienced diarrhoea.

Some others noted that they had intended to go, but were thankful they had not done so.

And of course, the Ratatouille jokes.

A search on Google maps showed that Bánh Mì Saigon had largely positive reviews, with a 4.6 star rating.

Apology from Bánh Mì Saigon

In response to the incident, the Vietnamese food stall posted an apology statement on their Facebook page on May 21, noting that they have since engaged pest control, cleaning and sanitising services.

In a later post, Bánh Mì Saigon said that they would continue to engage regular pest control services in line with SFA’s directions and “maintain high food hygiene [standards]”.

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Top images via TikTok/@vinnography & Facebook/Bánh Mì Saigon