We were publicly shamed and berated for eating £190 worth of lobster – but we didn’t touch it… our lives are hell

THREE food bloggers say they fear for their safety after a row broke out over a £190 lobster.

Mother Jenifer Do and her two daughters Belinda and Julie Nguyen were publicly outed by a restaurant after they allegedly refused to pay for their food.

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They claimed the lobster was spoiled so they spoke to the manager who said it was fresh and they would “never do that”.

An argument then broke out, so the group left £30 ($40) on the table to pay for the wine and stormed out, leaving the lobster untouched by everyone – except Jenifer’s partner Son.

He said the lobster smelled “really unpleasant,” tasted “bitter,” and he “didn’t feel so good” after eating it.

According to Belinda, my son dipped a few pieces into the sauce to confirm that it was inedible and could not be improved by the relish.

Sydney restaurant Silver Pearl claimed the group falsely accused the chef of serving them frozen lobster and that they “completely ate” their food, refused to pay and left.

The three women were still hungry – they said they hadn’t eaten – so they all went to a bar across the street to order another lobster.

Sohn said he “still felt a little weird in his stomach, but not too bad at this point” and “ate a little bit of that lobster, but not as much as he normally would.”

The restaurant criticized the guests in a social media post that read “Beware of cheating guests” and described the women as “dishonest, demanding and classless.”

The trio is now embroiled in a dispute in federal court, suing the restaurant for defamation over the social media post.

The women said the post had resulted in them suffering vile abuse and being shunned by the local community.

Belinda said she was on “high alert” and had been feeling stressed and anxious ever since.

And in the weeks that followed, she allegedly received private messages that were “aggressive and threatening” and people in the Vietnamese community told her they had disowned her.

She claimed she went to the shops a week after the disastrous dinner and noticed a group of people pointing and laughing at her.

They allegedly shouted words like “scammer,” “shit,” “can’t pay your bills,” and “go die.”

Belinda’s mother Jennifer also claimed she was abused.

She said outside her home, particularly at Vietnamese grocery stores, she was called a “slut,” “scum,” a “fraud” and a “coward.”

The court documents state: “In 2020, Jennifer stopped doing many of the things she loved.

“Before, she felt respected and admired in the Vietnamese community.

“But after she felt mocked, hurt and ridiculed.”

The Silver Pearl restaurant strenuously denies that it falsely accused patrons of finishing their dinner and not paying.

No criminal charges were filed over the incident as police determined it was a civil matter.

The trial will be heard in October next year before Judge Robert Bromwich.

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