If you thought finding a stray hair in your meal was bad, just wait until you hear this story.

A restaurant in Sydney, Australia, has had to issue a significant apology to a woman who made the unsettling discovery of a dead rat in her salad - definitely not the kind of protein you'd expect.

Tatsuya West Ryde, known for its Japanese cuisine, issued the apology following a Google review by a user named 'DO', who reported the shocking find of a deceased rodent in her food order.

In her review, she wrote: "Halfway through my katsu don set, I found a dead rat in my side salad. By then, I had already eaten half of it. Absolutely disgusting and unacceptable."

The reviewer continued, "Everyone who was present at the time stood up and left the restaurant. What’s even more shocking is that they continued serving food to new customers who were unaware of the incident, when they should have shut down immediately."

A restaurant in Australia has come under fire after allegedly serving a salad with a dead rat in it (9 News)

According to the understandably confused customer, her one-star review was 'generous' given the stomach-turning situation.

Tatsuya West Ryde has since addressed the serious mishap, responding to the woman’s review with a detailed apology, describing the situation as 'an unexpected and deeply concerning issue' and admitting to 'a serious lapse in our internal processes'.

The apology read: "While we prefer not to delve into graphic details out of respect for those involved, we fully acknowledge that the incident occurred within our operations and may have caused distress to the customers involved, as well as to the broader community that trusts us."

The statement continued, "Regardless of rumors or online commentary, our stance is clear: the incident happened at our restaurant, and we take full responsibility."

"We are not focused on assigning blame or debating the source. Our priority is to implement strong corrective and preventative actions to ensure such an incident never happens again."

Not ideal... (Google Reviews)

Following the incident, the restaurant assured customers of its 'utmost seriousness' in response, explaining that they had reported the issue to the NSW Food Authority and the City of Ryde, quarantined all related ingredients for investigation, engaged professional pest control services, closed the restaurant for cleaning, retrained staff, and initiated internal reviews of procedures.

"We recognize that words alone are insufficient," Tatsuya West Ryde wrote. “Our responsibility now is to act decisively, improve our standards, and rebuild the trust that this community has placed in us. That is our commitment—openly, sincerely, and with lasting improvements."

The restaurant concluded their response by offering a 'heartfelt apology' for the situation.

"At Tatsuya, we hold ourselves to high standards. When we fall short, we take it seriously, and we are committed to doing better," they wrote. "Thank you for your patience and understanding."

In a separate comment, the eatery suggested that the dead rat 'originated from a delivered salad box which we are currently investigating with our supplier and local food authorities'.