Silver Pearl Chinese restaurant issues grovelling apology to influencers after accusing them of faking food poisoning to get out of paying for lobster dinner

EXCLUSIVE

A family of glamorous food influencers wrongly accused of faking food poisoning and failing to pay $364 for a Christmas Day lobster dinner has received an apology from the restaurant.

Jennifer Do and her two daughters Belinda and Julie Nguyen dined at Cabramatta’s chic Silver Pearl eatery in Sydney’s west on December 25, 2020.

The three social media influencers, accompanied by Ms Do’s partner, ordered a live lobster served sashimi style, along with a bottle of red wine.

But after the group complained that the lobster was not tasty and only left money for the wine, the restaurant then accused them of being ‘completely classless’, claiming they had invented food poisoning to avoid the high bill.

A photo of the women at their table, shared on the restaurant’s social media pages three days later, incorrectly labeled them as “fraudulent diners” after discovering their names on social media.

“Belinda, Julie and Jennifer, we are disappointed with your dishonest and fraudulent behavior,” the accompanying caption read.

‘We’ve hosted many food bloggers and none have ever behaved like this.

“This is completely classless behavior and we hope that for $364 your reputation was worth tarnishing.”

The three women sued the restaurant and the case ended up in federal court.

Now a very different picture of the evening has emerged after the restaurant issued a lengthy apology on Thursday.

“Jennifer’s partner has expressed dissatisfaction with the lobster, a complaint to which we respectfully disagree, stating that our food consistently meets the highest quality standards, and we strongly deny any suggestion that our seafood is or is not fresh.” , the restaurant’s statement said.

‘We do accept, however, that we published a notice about Jennifer, Julie and Belinda on December 28, 2020.

“We now recognize that none of them ate any of the lobster and that only Jennifer’s partner did so. We acknowledge that they paid for the wine.

‘We are aware that the messages have received a lot of attention and have caused Jennifer, Belinda and Julie pain and embarrassment.

“It was never our intention for matters to escalate to this extent, and we sympathize with them for any harm our post may have caused.”

The brief apology marks a moment of vindication for the family, who claim the allegations prompted death threats and vicious beatings, with one of the daughters losing her job as a result.

“Every time I go out, I feel unsafe because people call me a prostitute and a scammer,” Ms Do said. 7News in November.

Belinda Nguyen revealed that her employer fired her two weeks after the restaurant’s allegations went viral.

“I have been harassed online and in public… I have been stalked and I have received rape threats,” she said.

“We want to raise awareness of the truth of events so that we can walk the streets safely without fear of being attacked or followed.”

The case was scheduled to be heard in federal court on October 31, 2024.

While the outcome is unclear, it is believed the restaurant has been ordered to issue a public apology.

The Silver Pearl previously said it would “vigorously” defend its position.

Daily Mail Australia approached the restaurant for comment.

The restaurant had accused the family of going to another seafood restaurant across the road, where they allegedly ordered lobster and wine again.

At a case management hearing last year, Judge Robert Bromwich suggested the case would be better handled in a lower court or through mediation.

Judge Bromwich noted that the Federal Court typically considers more high-stakes defamation cases, such as those brought by litigants including acclaimed actor Geoffrey Rush and alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith.

Attorney Roger Rasmussen, on behalf of Sisters Nguyen and Ms. Do, responded that it would be a shame if the Federal Court became a jurisdiction only for celebrities.

“I responded that it would be a shame if this court were converted into a neighborhood dispute court, and that this case would fall somewhere between the two, but more on the neighborhood dispute end of the spectrum,” Judge Bromwich said in an verdict.

Judge Bromwich also noted that he would be “surprised” if the Nguyen sisters and Ms. Do received any “substantial damages” if they were successful in their case.

Daily Mail Australia approached the family for comment.