'Mickey Mouse is bigger than Donald Duck': Diner spots rat scuttling next to roast ducks at Ang Mo Kio coffee shop

It's a scenario unlikely to be shown in our favourite cartoons.

A diner at an Ang Mo Kio coffee shop recently encountered the stomach-churning scene of a rat scuttling next to roast ducks hung up to dry at a food stall.

The man surnamed Pan told Shin Min Daily News that he was eating at Block 339 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 at 8pm when he saw it.

"I noticed a black shadow flashing around in the roast meat stall, and realised it was a rat. I immediately picked up my mobile phone to take a video," the 42-year-old said.

He recalled the critter as being around 15 centimetres long, climbing up the pipes behind the stall with four roast ducks hanging next to it.

Pan joked: "It feels like Mickey Mouse is bigger than Donald Duck."

On a more serious note, he noticed that the stall was closed at the time and believed that the roast ducks were to be sold the next day, raising health concerns.

"Rats are running up and down the pipes, and the exposed ingredients could easily be contaminated with bacteria, which is very unsanitary," Pan said.

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Worried that other stalls might be affected too, Pan added that he would not be patronising the coffee shop in the meantime.

Upon visiting the eatery, reporters spoke to an employee of the roast meat stall, who refused to be named.

They said that it was the first time rats had been spotted in the two years they are operating there and moving on, all food would be stored after closing time to assure customers who have raised concerns about hygiene.

Other employees at the coffee shop revealed that they had seen rats in the garbage chute behind the coffee shop and that, after closing hours, one or two rats would come out to look for food at night.

Currently, the coffee shop is being cleaned "every few months" and the situation monitored.

'Remy is just sourcing his ingredients, relax'

Last year in July, rats were spotted at a mookata place in Boon Lay, alarming patrons.

One woman revealed in an interview with AsiaOne that a rat "touched" her husband's foot while they were having dinner at Siam Square Mookata.

In videos she shared, several rats can be seen scurrying along the pipes.

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"They were bigger than my palm. It was horrible," she said, adding that they had chosen to eat elsewhere after staff told her the rat issue was "normal."

Rats don't just grab bites at eateries, it seems, but head to supermarkets as well.

Earlier in June, one was spotted munching on an ear of corn at a Giant supermarket in Hougang.

In the video, a female voice can be heard saying: "Looks like it's very delicious" in Mandarin while the animal continued to feast.

Netizens were tickled by the video, despite the health concerns.

One comment referred to the popular Disney movie Ratatouille, reading: "Remy is just sourcing his ingredients, relax."

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drimac@asiaone.com