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A Malaysian restaurant on Auckland’s North Shore was given a D grade by Auckland Council after customers found rats “distressing”

Broadcast United News Desk
A Malaysian restaurant on Auckland’s North Shore was given a D grade by Auckland Council after customers found rats “distressing”

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“They then contacted a pest control company which came to the restaurant on Wednesday,” Amu said.

Langkawi Malaysian Restaurant was rated D by Auckland Council. Photo/Sylvie Whinray
Langkawi Malaysian Restaurant was rated D by Auckland Council. Photo/Sylvie Whinray

Henry Hew, co-owner of the Langkawi restaurant, said they took over the restaurant more than a year ago with the plan to offer customers affordable Malaysian cuisine.

The restaurant is known for its $9.99 Hainanese chicken rice combo and other cheap and delicious Malaysian noodles and rice dishes.

But one customer had a less pleasant experience, saying she found a live rat in the restaurant’s bathroom.

The customer described his experience as “the most miserable restaurant experience of my life” in posts on Facebook and Google Review.

Langkawi Restaurant is located in Milford on Auckland's North Shore. Photo/Sylvie Whinray
Langkawi Restaurant is located in Milford on Auckland’s North Shore. Photo/Sylvie Whinray

She said a Malaysian colleague recommended Langkawi, saying it had the best Malaysian food on the coast.

“My friend and I decided to have lunch there. Everything was going well until I went to the bathroom and stepped on a live rat,” she wrote.

“I only realised what I was standing on when it started to scream really loudly. I shooed it away as fast as I could but it tried to drag itself away. I tried to alert staff but they couldn’t understand my English.”

The customer said that when she saw the rat, the first staff member screamed and quickly left, and then a kitchen staff member came in and she guessed that he wanted to kill the rat.

“I felt sick all afternoon,” she said.

“I’ve spent over a year in Latin America, seven months or so in Africa, been to Asia multiple times in my life, and eaten in many ethnic restaurants in Oakland that had very poor hygiene, but I’ve never seen a rat in a restaurant.”

Henry Hew, owner of Milford Langkawi Restaurant, said the restaurant was doing its best to deal with the pest problem. Photo/Sylvie Wheenley
Henry Hew, owner of Milford Langkawi Restaurant, said the restaurant was doing its best to deal with the pest problem. Photo/Sylvie Wheenley

When contacted, the client told The Herald The experience traumatized her.

“I wish I had my phone to go back and film it. But I was really shocked,” she said.

“I didn’t feel well the rest of the day and even into Saturday.

“I was traumatized by stepping on a live rat. The screams were heartbreaking. I suspect it was a dying animal and I then hurt it.”

Hugh said he was deeply sorry for what happened to his customers and that the restaurant was doing everything it could to deal with any possible infestations.

“We’ve had several businesses in the neighborhood tell us they’re also having issues with rats, so we’re not the only ones experiencing this,” Hew said.

“But until the afternoon of the incident, we only saw feces but no rats.”

Langkawi Malaysian Restaurant is famous for its $9.99 Hainanese chicken rice combo.
Langkawi Malaysian Restaurant is famous for its $9.99 Hainanese chicken rice combo.

Hew said they have been working to keep the restaurant and kitchen clean to make them less attractive to these pests.

It also implements programs for waste management, garbage disposal and safe storage practices.

He said the business has spent thousands of dollars on pest control products and is working with a pest controller recommended by the council.

A grade of D means the business requires enforcement from a food inspector and that problems need to be corrected.

“Operating a restaurant in this economy is difficult to say the least and it certainly hurts our reputation and puts a strain on our staff,” Hew said.

“I hope everyone can see that we are doing our best to resolve this matter and restore the A grade, and we hope that customers will continue to support our business.”

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