Ealing restaurant gets zero hygiene rating

An article called 'My London' by Lisa Haseldine

Ealing restaurant gets zero hygiene rating after inspector finds food so mouldy they didn't know what it was.

A Pakistani restaurant has been given a shocking hygiene rating after inspectors found a can of food so mouldy they couldn’t tell what it was. Akaya Palace in Ealing was given a hygiene rating of zero after an Ealing Council inspector visited the restaurant on November 25, 2021.

The inspector was forced to give the Pakistani restaurant the lowest possible food hygiene rating after finding a can of “unidentifiable food” in the fridge that was “very mouldy”. On the inspector’s orders the can of mouldy food was thrown away.
Akaya Palace offers a menu of Pakistani and Turkish-inspired dishes, including salad wraps, curries, milkshakes and deserts.

During the council’s visit, the inspector also discovered that the restaurant did not have any hot water, meaning staff were not able to properly wash their hands after handling raw food. According to the food hygiene report, the inspector said there was a “very serious risk of cross-contamination” between raw and cooked food which would increase the risk of diners getting food poisoning.

The inspector wrote: “At the time of the inspection, staff were seen preparing raw meat and Ready-to-Eat foods (salads) using the same gloves. Staff did not wash their hands or change their gloves throughout the inspection.”

As a result, Akaya Palace was told to throw away a large amount of chopped vegetables that might have come into contact with raw meat.

The inspector also discovered mouse droppings near the cooking hobs in the restaurant’s kitchen and stated that the restaurant’s standard of cleanliness was “very poor”, observing that surfaces in the restaurant were dirty and greasy.

The environmental health officer ordered Akaya Palace to fix the hot water supply in the restaurant within 24 hours of the visit.

The restaurant was also ordered to train its staff in food hygiene within two weeks of the inspection. Akaya Palace has been contacted for comment.