Restaurant Caught Selling Horsemeat As Zebra

A U.K. restaurant trying to put itself on the map with a menu full of exotic-to-the-U.K. dishes like zebra and wildebeest has been embarrassed in court when investigators proved the meat was actually just horse and venison in disguise.

According to Gizmodo U.K., The Steakhouse restaurant in Watford dressed up plain old horsemeat as zebra and sold steaks of venison as wildebeest.

Investigators ascertained that the chef and servers knew the meat was not what was advertised, because two officers ordered the zebra and wildebeest, but the ticket sent to the kitchen reportedly read, "1 venison, chips and salad; 1 horse, chips and salad."

It is not illegal to sell venison or horsemeat in a restaurant in the U.K., but misleading customers to believe they were eating different types of meat earned proprietor Kunal Soni a fine of £3860, or about $6,000.