Haymarket’s The Eight forced to close pending investigation into food safety

A well-known yum cha institution has been forced to shut its doors as an investigation unfolds following reports of customers falling seriously ill.

A well-known yum cha institution in Sydney’s inner-city Haymarket has been forced to shut its doors as an investigation unfolds following multiple reports of customers falling seriously ill after a Chinese New Year banquet.

The Eight, located in Market City, has been in business since 2013 and has has attracted a stream of business from being in Sydney’s bustling Chinatown quarter.

But diners arriving at the restaurant over the weekend were greeted by a simple sign reading: “Sorry, we’re not open today”.

At least a dozen people have come forward claiming they became ill after dining on a special Lunar New Year menu.

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said a group of her friends were vomiting through the night after dining at the popular restaurant.

“I was just vomiting the entire night. I felt out of breath... it just got worse and worse. Actually, five of my other friends that dined there with us got the same symptoms as me,” the woman told 9News.

Her table had spent over $1000 on a spread that included salmon, oysters, lobster, fish, soup, rice, and fruit.

Another customer said their group of eight, who spent $1293, also fell ill.

A nine-month-old baby was rushed to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead after profusely vomiting.

The Eight, located in Market City, has been in business since 2013 has has attracted a stream of business from being in Sydney’s bustling Chinatown quarter.

One diner described experiencing muscle pain and severe gastro symptoms.

Another diner described experiencing muscle pain and severe gastro symptoms, while her husband suffered from a fever.

A 24-year-old man from a third table was treated at the Prince of Wales Hospital, where doctors confirmed food poisoning.

Several angry patrons voiced their frustrations on Google reviews, with several accounts of diners feeling sick after their meals.

“Five people dined, three of them claim to have been poisoned,” one person wrote.

Another said they were “crook as hell for two days”.

Diners arriving at the restaurant over the weekend were greeted by a simple sign reading: ‘Sorry, we’re not open today’.

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said a group of her friends were vomiting through the night after dining at the popular restaurant.

“All six of us suffered from food poisoning, experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhea,” one review read.

“Two of us even had to go to the emergency room. Absolutely unacceptable. We will never come back and strongly do not recommend this place.”

Food safety officials from NSW Health have swabbed surfaces and are investigating the cause of the outbreak.

The restaurant staff maintain that they are unaware of what caused the issue.

A cleaning team has reportedly been brought in to address the situation, and the source of the contamination remains under investigation.

“We issued a prohibition order just to mitigate the risk of further cases,” NSW Food Safety Spokesperson Greg Vakaci said.

The department has been contacted for further comment.

Originally published as Haymarket’s The Eight forced to close pending investigation into food safety