MUMBAI: A Saturday night dinner at the Romano restaurant at JW Marriott took an unexpected turn after cardiologist Dr Ashok Seth spotted a baby cockroach on his table and said the sight forced him and his companions to leave without finishing their meal.Seth shared the incident on social media, tagging Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and the hotel.Seth said the cockroach, which he jokingly named “Roachie”, was on their table at Romano’s, the Italian restaurant at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, on Saturday night.“Look who came for dinner unexpectedly. ‘Roachie’ – a baby cockroach was on our table wanting to share our dinner at the Romano restaurant at JW Marriott , Sahar , Mumbai, Saturday night!!!” he wrote in his post.Seth said the diners tried to persuade the insect to leave but it refused to move. Taking a humorous dig at the situation, he added, “Despite our persuasion ‘ Roachie’ refused to leave . Maybe wanted Piazza and not Pasta.”The incident, however, ended up taking away the diners’ appetite. “But he really took our appetite away. We left,” Seth wrote.Seth also tagged Mundhe, FSSAI and JW Marriott in his post, adding, “Thankfully we are in Mr Munde’s , territory and he most likely will look into this also.”Marriott Bonvoy Assist responded to Seth’s post, saying it took the matter seriously and wanted to look into the incident. “Hello Dr. Ahok, thank you for letting us know. We take this matter seriously. We would like to look into it for you. Could you please DM us your first, last name, and your confirmation number?” the account replied.The incident comes as Maharashtra’s FDA, under Mundhe, has been carrying out an intensified food-safety enforcement drive across the state.FDA teams had conducted many raids and taken action against food establishments over alleged hygiene and food-safety violations, including pest infestations.Mundhe’s name has also figured in several recent social-media complaints involving alleged food-hygiene lapses.In August, actor Shweta Tiwari tagged the FDA chief after claiming she found a cockroach following a cold-drink delivery.The latest incident also comes shortly after FSSAI issued notices to two five-star hotels in Delhi’s Aerocity, including JW Marriott, over reported food-safety and hygiene deficiencies.At JW Marriott in Aerocity, inspectors recorded 59 deficiencies, including pest activity, improper food storage and other issues.
