These shocking pictures show the body of a dead rodent mixed up in a soup. Horrified Eunice Lucero-Lee claims to have spooned out the rodent in a sogogi gukbap she was sharing with her husband. The traditional Korean dish is a spicy beef soup with rice.
However, the restaurant she says it originated from – Gammeeok in New York – has denied the allegation, branding it “nonsense”.
But Ms Lucero-Lee remains adamant, describing it as “the most disgusting thing in our food”.
In the pictures posted on Instagram, a dark grey rodent is visible.
“We ordered sogogi gukbap, which is a kind of hearty Korean beef soup,” she said.
“We have been going to this restaurant for a decade and (are) otherwise proud supporters of Asian cuisine and culture.
“This incident is in no way to fuel race-based hate or prejudice, and I will have an issue with anyone who uses these posts to fit that narrative.”
She said a lawsuit has officially been filed against the restaurant.
However, Gammeeok fired back online in a series of posts denying the allegation. They wrote: “If there was a mouse that big, there’s no way I wouldn’t have missed it.
“We checked the whole process of making the soup, but we couldn’t find any problems.”
Gammeeok wrote in an Instagram post along with a kitchen surveillance video showing workers prepare the soup.
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“We are open 24 hours, and there are at least three or four people in the kitchen at all times,” the restaurant wrote.
“As you can see in the video, it doesn’t make sense for a rat to avoid people and enter a pot on a hot fire.”
Gammeeok added: “When we transferred the soup, we served it four times with a ladle while the staff watched it with their eyes.
“If there was a mouse that big, there’s no way I wouldn’t have missed it. There is also a video recording of the recording process.
“We checked the whole process of making the soup, but we couldn’t find any problems.”
Yelp reviews of the restaurant are mixed, with some calling it “a solid casual spot that has a reasonable price and good food,” and “extra good”.
Others referred to it as a “place for late-night eats when other stuff is closed and you’re not ready for bed”.
Express.co.uk has approached Gammeeok for comment.
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