KUALA LUMPUR: Just when you thought it was safe to eat out again, a video has surfaced online illustrating that some eateries should consider including ‘cholera’, ‘salmonella’ and ‘leptospirosis’ in their menus.
Days after Raj’s Banana Leaf restaurant’s ingenious soap-free cleansing methods were exposed – employees were filmed “washing” dishes in what might as well have been raw sewage – footage has emerged of a food outlet where kitchen staff don’t give a rat’s a** about rats.
The widely-shared 41-second video clip – believed to have been taken by a revolted restaurant-goer as he probably wept – opens with a plus-sized/body positive rat perched on the edge of a bucket filled with noodles soaked in water, primly nibbling on a noodle.
As if someone shouted “par-tay!”, a toe-curling riot of rats suddenly bursts into view.
Members of the in-crowd promptly take their place at the bucket (there were probably place cards); while the less peckish bide their time, with some content to lounge on a pile of chopped lettuce in an adjacent basket.
Judging by the unhurried, relaxed movements of the rodent gourmands, it can be deduced that their presence has long been tolerated or overlooked (by severely sight-impaired employees).
As for the restaurant’s identity, some netizens “ratted out” an eatery in Taman Tun Dr Ismail – but the poster of the video and the restaurant denied the claim; and DBKL, which sprang into action, gave the outlet a clean bill of health.
This afternoon, a local portal reported that the video may in fact have been shot in China – much to the relief of maligned local rats.
Malaysian diners may still smell a rat, but for the time being, they can feel confident about venturing beyond their own kitchens once again. And maybe watch Ratatouille a second time.