'As thick as a safety pin': Diner nearly swallows metal wire in nasi padang at Tan Tock Seng Hospital food court

The best part of a meal is often savoured last.

But one diner got an unpleasant surprise when she bit on something hard at the final bite.

Immediately spitting her food out, the 60-year-old woman discovered a metal wire embedded in her chicken wing.

Luo, a healthcare professional, told Shin Min Daily News that she bought a plate of nasi padang for lunch from the Kopitiam outlet at Tan Tock Seng Hospital last Friday (May 10).

"The wire is as thick as a safety pin; I don't dare to imagine what would've happened if I swallowed it. This is a hospital; wouldn't it be even worse if a patient accidentally swallowed it?" She questioned.

Luo later returned to the stall where a staff member apologised to her. The employee reportedly said that the wire did not come from the stall, and that food ingredients are provided by their supplier.

Stall offers refund

When contacted by Shin Min, the owner of the nasi padang stall explained that they rarely use steel scourers and guessed that the wire might have been hidden the curry chicken which Luo had ordered.

"The chicken meat provided by suppliers is sometimes tied up in bags using metal wires, we have notified the suppliers and told our employees to be more careful in the future."

The owner apologised again and stressed that he has always been mindful of food hygiene and has never encountered such situations in the over 10 years that he has been running the stall.

"This was an oversight on our part, and I will not allow the same thing to happen again," he said.

He added that he had forgotten to refund Luo that day as the stall was too busy: "I hope she can return, and we will issue a full refund."

ALSO READ: 'Thought it was fish bone': Woman finds 'metal string' in Korean food from Yishun Park Hawker Centre

lim.kewei@asiaone.com