A Michelin-starred restaurant and a banquet kitchen, both in The Regent Hotel, had their food hygiene rating downgraded from "A" to "C" after scores of patrons came down with suspected food poisoning after a wedding lunch.
Summer Palace, which serves Cantonese cuisine, had its rating lowered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), although the hotel's spokesman said the diners did not eat in the restaurant, but in a hotel function room.
A total of 43 people came down with stomach flu symptoms following the wedding lunch on Nov 11 last year, the NEA said on Monday in an advisory when it revealed the rating downgrades.
A spokesman for Regent Singapore told The Straits Times yesterday that the patrons had dined at a lunch wedding banquet held at the hotel, and not Summer Palace, which is known for its dim sum and had received one Michelin star last year.
She said the food was prepared by staff from both the restaurant and the hotel's banquet kitchen. But the authorities could not pinpoint the exact source of the suspected food poisoning incident.
NEA inspections, however, revealed lapses in the kitchens of both the restaurant and the banquet kitchen, the spokesman said.
"It is unfortunate that this incident happened," she said. All 43 guests were contacted by the hotel, and it apologised for what happened.
The spokesman said the hotel also compensated the banquet organisers, but declined to reveal details. Regent Singapore also invited the 43 guests for a complimentary meal.
The spokesman said that since last November, the hotel has implemented weekly food hygiene meetings, as well as walk-through inspections by the management team. This is in addition to holding monthly training sessions with food handlers.
"We will continue working hard in this area to restore confidence in the hotel," she said.
Regent Singapore said this was the first time Summer Palace and the banquet kitchen had received a downgrade.
Eating establishments are graded according to their hygiene, cleanliness and housekeeping standards. Those that have a score of at least 85 per cent receive an "A" grade, while those that score between 40 per cent and 49 per cent get the lowest "D" grade. The "C" score ranges from 50 per cent to 69 per cent.
NEA said the rating for both Summer Palace and the banquet kitchen could be revised in 12 months. The premises of both will be kept under surveillance in the meantime.
