CCTV shows Mellben Seafood staff cutting crabs on dishcloth
Mellben Seafood’s Ang Mo Kio outlet came under scrutiny after a customer leaked CCTV footage of its kitchen online.
The restaurant has since garnered criticism for its hygiene practices after the video was shared on the Singapore Stuff Facebook group.
In the clip, a kitchen staff cuts a crab on a white dishcloth — which he later admitted is also used to wipe dishes.
Source: Singapore Stuff on Facebook
The footage also shows another worker wiping the counter with the same cloth.
Source: Singapore Stuff on Facebook
Owner admits lapse, says staff acted near closing time
According to 8world, restaurant owner Sun Dewei said that the incident happened at around 10pm on 16 Nov, shortly before the kitchen closed.
He explained that the dishcloths were freshly washed and used for plates, not dirty surfaces.
Still, Sun acknowledged that what viewers saw did not follow Mellben’s standard operating procedures.
He said the kitchenware had already been washed for the night, and so, the staff “decided to use the cloth instead”.
Sun described the lapse as an isolated oversight. The employees have been verbally warned and will undergo additional food-hygiene training.
Source: Singapore Stuff on Facebook
“We are not speaking out to clarify our reputation, nor to deny or cover up the facts,” he said.
“We just want the public to know that we are aware of the problem and are taking corrective measures, and we apologise to our customers for this kind of incident happening in our store.”
Clip emerged after customer accused restaurant of ‘changing crabs’
Sun revealed the video surfaced only because of an earlier disagreement.
The customer claimed Mellben had swapped out the shell of a large Sri Lankan crab he ordered.
Source: Singapore Stuff on Facebook
To settle the dispute, the restaurant allowed the customer to review the CCTV footage, but did not grant permission to film it.
Sun later discovered the customer had recorded the screen and posted it online.
Source: Singapore Stuff on Facebook
The customer only raised the complaint after almost finishing the meal, Sun said.
“If we really had something to hide, we wouldn’t have let him watch the CCTV footage,” he added.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
According to Shin Min Daily News (SMDN), Sun said that the restaurant had only one crab left at that time. They would not switch the customer’s crab or substitute an inferior one.
“We had a clear conscience, so we let him check the CCTV footage, but he didn’t find what he was looking for and then started looking for other problems.”
MS News has reached out to Mellben Seafood but they declined further comment.
Also read: Live crabs found crawling in Taman Jurong carpark, believed to have escaped from van
Live crabs found crawling in Taman Jurong carpark, believed to have escaped from van
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Singapore Stuff on Facebook.
