Seth described the incident in a sarcastic post on X.
In June 2026, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration suspended the licences of six food establishments after inspections found violations including poor hygiene, cockroach infestations, foul odour, leaking refrigerators and expired food products.
A dinner at a luxury hotel in Mumbai took an unexpected turn after Padma Bhushan AND cardiologist Dr Ashok Seth said he spotted a baby cockroach crawling on his table. He said attempts to make the cockroach leave did not work. The incident affected his appetite, and he said he and his companions eventually left the restaurant without finishing their dinner. This shows the restaurant’s extremely casual attitude towards hygiene,” he told NDTV. Seth also said he had been dining with foreign delegates and described the incident as “an embarrassment for the country. ” “This is a five-star hotel. They must do better,” he said. The incident has since drawn attention online because of Seth’s unusual description of the cockroach as “Roachie” and his reference to pizza and pasta in the social media post.One user wrote, “80 years on since independence, we are yet to learn the significance of health and hygiene, civic sense, cleanliness, sincerity, dedication and moral values! ” A third user wrote, “Yes.
Seth described the unexpected guest in a sarcastic post on X. “Look who came for dinner unexpectedly. ‘Roachie’ – a baby cockroach was on our table wanting to share our dinner at the Romano restaurant at JW Marriott, Sahar, Mumbai, Saturday night!!!” he wrote. “Despite our persuasion, ‘Roachie’ refused to leave. Maybe wanted pizza and not pasta,” Seth wrote. “But he (the cockroach) really took our appetite away. We left,” he wrote. “We spotted one cockroach on the table, I am sure there will be more in the kitchen. They charge so much for the food. Sick! For now, we need Tukaram Mundhes in every city … but sadly, corruption rules the roost! Another user wrote, “If you have the visitor on your table, I can only dread what party is going on in the kitchen. In all hotels, kitchen hygiene is of very low standards. The workers in the kitchen also lack hygiene and do not follow proper hand-washing techniques. It all starts in the kitchen, and it is one area that should be audited by hotel managers regularly. The incident comes at a time when food-safety checks in Mumbai have already brought several establishments under scrutiny. Among the establishments named were Flint & Waarsa at the NCPA in Nariman Point, M.K. Bakery in Borivali East and Hotel Shree Krishna in Bhandup West.
Seth was dining at the Romano restaurant at JW Marriott, Sahar, Mumbai, on Saturday evening when he noticed the cockroach moving around the dishes. Later, on Sunday he posted a video of the incident on X and tagged Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and JW Marriott. Speaking to NDTV on Monday, Seth said he viewed the incident as a hygiene concern rather than simply an unpleasant experience during dinner.
Mundhe has been involved in food-safety inspections and enforcement action in Maharashtra since taking charge as FDA commissioner in May 2026.
“Thankfully we are in Mr Mundhe’s territory and he most likely will look into this also,” he wrote. He also tagged FSSAI and JW Marriott.