*Fob Sushi Bar has temporarily closed its Seattle-area locations following food safety concerns. This decision comes after fans of popular TikTok food critic Keith Lee spotted a worm moving in a piece of sushi in a video he shared from his visit to the Bellevue location.
Lee posted the content on November 10 and said Fob Sushi Bar was one of the most recommended places in town. “[This is] sushi done in the most unique way I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said in the video before explaining that Fob sells sushi by the pound. About halfway through his review, many claim they saw a worm sticking out of sashimi that Lee held up with his chopsticks before eating it.
“Your favorite one had a worm on it,” one viewer commented, The Blast reports. Another said, “At 1:50, the end of your sushi was moving.”
A third person added, “The piece that moved, who else saw the piece with the worm out the tail end?” another viewer chimed in to say. One other viewer wrote, “Keith please tell us you’re okay this is my biggest fear.”
Lee later responded to concerns about his health, posting, “I’m healthy, thank you,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “God bless y’all.”
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@keith_lee125 Fob Sushi taste test ? would you try it ? #foodcritic ♬ original sound – Keith Lee
In an Instagram post, FOB Sushi Bar initially denied claims that Lee ate a paradise in one of their sushi rolls.
“We were honored to recently welcome Keith Lee to FOB Sushi and are incredibly grateful for his visit and the support from everyone who has stopped by,” the restaurant said in a statement.
“Recently a video has been circulating online that claims worms were found in our sashimi. We want to address this claim directly and assure you that it is entirely false.”
Fob Sushi noted that they follow “stringent safety standards” and blamed the mysterious moving sushi roll on Lee’s chopsticks.
“Regarding the video, the movement observed in the fish may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure,” the statement continued. “We want to assure our customers that this is not indicative of worms or any health concerns.”
Lee made a response video to Fob Sushi’s statement, saying, “It did appear that something moved.”
He added, “For the restaurant to post a statement indicating that me holding the sushi or me holding the chopsticks a certain way is why the sushi moved — I personally don’t agree with it,” Lee said. “Because I’ve had sushi a thousand times, and I’ve held sushi a thousand different ways, and never once have I seen sushi behaving that way.” He goes on to clarify that he is not saying there was a worm or parasite in his food, but that the sushi moving was not his fault.
On November 18, Fob Sushi further addressed the controversy in a post to Instagram, announcing that its locations in Bellevue and Seattle will close “until further notice” while conducting a “thorough investigation” into the incident.
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