A customer who was saved by a waiter at the Bangor Tandoori when he choked on his food, has left the restaurant a five-star TripAdvisor review.

 

Jake Snelling visited the restaurant on Bangor High Street last week after a day out in the Snowdonia mountains. All was going well until Jake started to choke on a piece of chicken from his Korma, he began struggling to breathe although his friends initially thought he had indigestion.

Restaurant worker Sheakh Rifat quickly realised the situation was much more serious. He stood Jake up and began to perform the ‘Heimlich manoeuvre’ to remove the food blocking Jake’s airway. After a few attempts the food was dislodged and Jake began to breathe again.

The whole sequence of events was recorded on the restaurant’s cctv and the video has gone viral after being posted on social media. After the incident Jake can be seen taking big gulps of air and bending over his chair. He later pats Rifat on the shoulder and can be seen mouthing “thank you”. The other customers in the restaurant can be seen clapping as Jake thanked Rifat for saving his life.

Speaking about the incident to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Jake said: “We just went up to the mountains for the weekend to do some exploring, we were feeling quite proud of ourselves and thought we’d treat ourselves to a curry.

“It was going well, the food was lovely, and then disaster struck.

“I guess I didn’t chew properly, I don’t know, something just got stuck.

“I did know as soon as it happened, I couldn’t breathe at all. I think my friends just didn’t quite understand the severity of the situation.”

“I think at first they thought it was a bit of indigestion but that wasn’t the case.

“I think there definitely was a point of realisation, initially they’re trying to pat me on the back and it wasn’t working and you can see their faces just fall.” He added that he wanted to thank Rifat for saving him.

Jake also posted a review on Trip Advisor about his experience saying: “Food was perfect, service was even better. We were greeted upon arriving and the food came extremely quickly. About halfway through the meal I started choking on my food and the waiter had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre which saved my life! Can’t recommend this restaurant enough. 10/10″.

A friend of Jake that also attended the restaurant with him posted a review: “Great curry. Great atmosphere. The best service! One of my close mates started choking on his food and one of the workers (can’t remember his name!) didn’t hesitate to help him. Can’t recommend this place enough! And to the worker I am taking about, if your reading this you’re a legend.”

Talking about the incident Rifat said: “I could see the guest was turning red and struggling and I wanted to help. His friend had been patting him on the back.

“I’ve had no formal training in this, to be honest I remember something like this happening to me and my dad did the same to me.”

Rifat said his actions were also inspired by a cartoon he saw when he was little, he added: “I don’t think really have time to think, I am just so glad he was okay after.

“To me, helping him was one of the greatest moments in my life.”

Restaurant owner Mustakim Raza told North Wales Live: “The customer was choking and what Rifat did was a fantastic act.”

Photos: Sheakh Rifat and Mustakim Raza outside the Bangor Tandoori (2) The reviews from TripAdvisor