Cockroach flavored murtabak shock

SHAH ALAM, Oct 23 -- A simple meal ordered from a nearby Indian Muslim restaurant this morning has left Selangor Information director, Saptuyah Senson, with a bitter taste in her mouth when she found a cockroach in her food.

Recounting the incident, she said she had asked her personal assistant to buy murtabak (a type of pancake) from the restaurant but found a baby cockroach after a few bites.

"I found the cockroach while I was separating the onion slices from my murtabak. Imagine my shock when I saw the pest with one of its legs gone.

"I think I may have eaten its leg and I immediately vomitted. I brought the murtabak back to the restaurant for an explanation, but a worker there had the cheek to say that the cockroach must have been from my office and not the food," she told reporters when met at the restaurant.

Saptuyah, 53, said she went into the restaurant's store room and found more than 10 cockroaches crawling on sacks of flour and onions, despite the eatery being graded Category A (excellent) for cleanliness.

"I asked the restaurant owner for an explanation, but he blamed the pest controller, who he said did not come during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. He (restaurant owner) did not cooperate, and when I said I would talk to the media, he told me to get out saying that she could not talk to the media in the restaurant.

"I immediately contacted the Shah Alam Municipal Council (MBSA) Health Department to complain, and what disappointed me was that MBSA took such a long time until I had to contact Shah Alam Mayor, Mazalan Md Noor, regarding the matter," she said.

Saptuyah's call prompted the mayor to see the restaurant's condition for himself.

Commenting on Saptuyah's report, Mazalan apologised for the delay in action and assured that a detailed investigation would be conducted on the restaurant's cleanliness and would direct the restaurant owner to clean the premises.

"Although this is an isolated case, it is not an excuse to not conduct checks because we need to stress on restaurant cleanliness at all times. An MBSA Food Sanitation Unit will conduct periodic checks to monitor the cleanliness of each restaurant. "If this restaurant does not comply to the orders to clean up its premises, we will issue a compound under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1988 and review the grade system because grades given are not static, it can rise or fall. This restaurant has been compounded before and it should be in clean condition at all times," he said.

-- BERNAMA