Thomas Ong Finds Dead Cockroach in Curry Yong Tau Foo at Johor Bahru Restaurant

Singapore actor Thomas Ong has shared how a meal at a restaurant in Johor Bahru took an unpleasant turn after his friend discovered a dead cockroach in a bowl of curry yong tau foo.

The 57-year-old said the incident happened last week while he was dining with friends at an unnamed restaurant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

According to Ong, his friend was halfway through the meal when they scooped out the cockroach from the bowl. The discovery left everyone at the table silent.

Rather than becoming angry, Ong joked about his friend’s sharp eyesight, telling them: “Your eyesight is too good!”

The restaurant subsequently waived the charge for the affected bowl, although Ong said the issue was no longer about the cost of the meal.

He explained that the incident had left him checking his food more carefully in the days that followed. Whenever he ordered noodle soup, he would first use his spoon to inspect the bowl before eating.

Ong said he found himself looking out for cockroaches, mice or any other unexpected “protein” that might be hiding in the food.

While he acknowledged that he did not expect every restaurant kitchen to be completely free of pests, he said there was a significant difference between knowing pests might exist somewhere in a kitchen and having a customer discover one in their own food.

He described the experience as something that had changed the way he viewed bowls of soup, joking that each one had become a kind of treasure hunt.

Ong later asked his followers how they would have responded in the same situation, including whether they would have contacted the restaurant manager, refused to eat, asked for a refund or simply checked their food more carefully afterwards.

The post prompted other social media users to share their own experiences of finding unwanted items in meals, while some tried to identify the Johor Bahru restaurant from the limited details Ong provided.

Ong did not reveal the restaurant’s name, and the incident has since become a reminder of how an unexpected discovery in a meal can leave a lasting impression on diners.