Singapore, July 23, 2009 - The Chinese hotpot war in Geylang resulted not only in tactics like undercutting and endless rounds of meat dumplings but also a brawl between rivals.
A territorial dispute over the location of dining tables boiled over, triggering a violent fight between owners of two popular hotpot restaurants.
Madam Soong Gui Li, owner of Ya Le Ju Dong Bei Huo Guo restaurant, who suffered injuries was admitted to hospital. She sued Mr Liu Ming, owner of 99 Chongqing Yuan Yang Huo Guo restaurant, and his wife, Madam Tan Shao Jie.
This morning, the couple was found guilty of causing hurt to Madam Soong and fined $500, reported Lianhe Wanbao.
The rivals are next-door neighbours at Geylang Road, between Lorong 1 and Lorong 3. They also use the backlane of their restaurants to place dining tables.
Madam Tan (above) called Madam Soong (below) "a prostitute", scratched her face and pulled her hair.
Madam Soong was admitted to hospital after sustaining injuries to her face and neck.
A day before the big brawl involving the three on January 9, 2007, the two women had already started Round One. A verbal war exploded into a cat fight with both clawing each other's face.
At one point, Madam Tan even called Madam Soong "a prostitute who waits in the streets".
The next day, Madam Soong caught Mr Liu taking pictures of her shop with his handphone. She tried to prevent him from doing so, and in the struggle, the handphone fell to the ground.
He then punched her on her right brow as well as her cheek and neck. His wife joined in and scratched Madam Soong's face and pulled her hair.
Madam Soong suffered scatches and a severe 1.5cm cut on her right brow area which bled profusely. She was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
A doctor said she had bruises on the cheek and neck but what was more serious was the cut on the brow. It could only be caused by a very strong blow, he said.
Mr Liu and his wife were lucky. They were spared the maximum sentence of a jail term of up to a year and/or fine up to $1,000.
The two restaurants, popular with Chinese nationals working in Singapore, are among the hotpot restaurants set up by Chinese nationals in Geylang.
Ya Le Qu Dong Bei Huo Guo in well-known for its cheap hotpot buffet. Priced at $12.80, it also offers unlimited servings of Beijing meat dumplings. One foodie rated the food three out of five stars on a food site.
99 Chong Qing Yuan Yang, which also offers buffet, seems to enjoy more fame after it was featured on TV. It got a rating of 7.5 for its split hotpot which can hold two different types of stock.
