Peach Garden at Thomson Plaza has been suspended after 43 people fell ill with gastroenteritis symptoms.

"Two were hospitalised and are in stable condition," the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a media release on Apr. 24.

Those who were affected consumed food prepared by the Chinese restaurant between Apr. 17 and 18.

The authorities are investigating eight incidents of gastroenteritis.

The operations at the Thomson Plaza outlet has been suspended since Apr. 22 until further notice, in view of the "suspected ongoing transmission".

Peach Garden operates six outlets in Singapore that includes fine dining and casual dining concepts.

Customers share experience

Some of those affected told Mothership about their experiences.

They said the food served at the buffet was cold when they were there.

One customer, in his 30s, who visited the outlet with friends for dinner on Apr. 18, said "about 80 per cent of the food was served cold".

All eight persons in his group subsequently fell ill, he claimed.

For another customer, Angelia, 25, she had dinner there with her family on the same day to celebrate her father's birthday.

It was also their first time at the Thomson Plaza outlet.

She said the food at their buffet tasted normal, but some tasted "cold" and "hard"

More than half of the group had food poisoning, she claimed, including her nine-year old niece and her 60-year-old father.

In an email sent to customers that was seen by Mothership, Peach Garden said it would be "conducting an internal investigation".

The email requested customers to send in their medical bills and doctor's memo to "aid in the investigation".

"The health and satisfaction of our customers are of utmost importance to us. Please be assured that we take this matter seriously and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and customer satisfaction," the email read.

Mothership has reached out to Peach Garden for comment.

Suspended until further notice

"SFA will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone found to be in violation of the Environmental Public Health Act," the agency said.

The statement added that the licensee is required to clean and sanitise the premises, including equipment and utensils, and dispose of all ready-to-eat food and perishable food items, SFA and MOH said.

All food handlers working at the Thomson Plaza outlet are also required to re-attend and pass the Food Safety Course Level 1 and test negative for foodborne pathogens before they can resume work.

The appointed food hygiene officer working at the restaurant must re-attend and pass the Food Safety Course Level 3 before resuming his or her role.

Meanwhile, members of the public concerned about food safety practices by food operators are advised not to patronise such outlets but to report to SFA via the online feedback form (www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback).

Top image via Google Maps.