Wall tile falls at Tonkatsu by Ma Maison branch at Westgate, narrowly misses diner

SINGAPORE - A 28-year-old woman got a nasty shock while dining at the Westgate branch of Tonkatsu by Ma Maison on Sunday (Sept 16), when a wall tile fell and narrowly missed her.

Ms Teng X.T., a bank employee, was finishing a meal with her friend at the casual Japanese eatery at around 5pm that day, when the large, rectangular wall tile fell.

She was just centimetres away from where it hit. She took photos and videos after the incident and sent them to citizen journalism website Stomp.

Going by the images and Ms Teng's description, the tile appeared to be as large as a food tray.

Ms Teng told The Straits Times: "I was playing with my phone when I suddenly heard something fall beside me really loudly.

"The noise was so loud that, for a short while, I couldn't hear anything in my right ear."

She was alone at the table when the tile fell, as her friend was settling the bill for the meal.

A ceramic tile fell onto a diner's table at Tonkatsu by Mai Maison restaurant in Westgate mall

Ms Teng was in a state of shock and moved away from the table only after several patrons approached her to help.

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison said in a statement that it was "deeply sorry" for the incident and that it has "inspected the entire outlet to make sure that there are no more loose tiles and cordoned off the affected area until the problem is fully rectified by our contractor".

The outlet said it removed all the tiles and replaced them with paint by Tuesday.

Ms Teng said the management apologised and offered her and her friend a waiver of the meal's cost, which they accepted.

She added that she was not upset by the staff and management of Tonkatsu by Ma Maison.

"I don't blame them. I don't think this happens a lot, which is why they probably didn't know how to handle the situation."

Recalling the narrow escape, Ms Teng said: "I was so lucky, there was not even a scar on me. One of the really sharp tiles fell right on my plate. If I sat any closer to the wall, it would have been so dangerous."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.