A loaded Chinese buffet was hammered into a hygiene report. . . a year after disgruntled staff announced cooking practices.
An inspector rushed to the Beijing banquet at Renfrew and unmasked a litany of problems.
They found 24 separate areas of concern at the Arkleston Road restaurant in October and gave patrons four weeks to clean up their act, before issuing a certificate of achievement earlier this month.
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The file’s complaints catalog included:
* Flies were buzzing in the kitchen and worried that insect pieces would fall into the food
* Refrigerated food was too hot, raising concerns about bacteria growth
* The baking sheet was encrusted with old sauce and the refrigerators had not been cleaned thoroughly
* The larva was stored on the floor of a shipping container and kitchen sink tarnished with grease and food debris
* Raw beef was stored next to cooked chicken and cutting boards posed a risk of food poisoning
* The chef had a lack of allergen awareness
The food law compliance inspection resulted in the sanction of an official notice of improvement required.
The restaurant has had four weeks from the report’s October 22 date to clean up its house.
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And this week, the Beijing banquet revealed that it received an official Renfrewshire Council hygiene ‘pass’ on December 14 after resolving the issues.
Last November, the owners of the 250-seat buffet said they were unaware of staff’s concerns about what was going on.
Images then showed trays of food were left in the kitchen when they shouldn’t have been.
And a large pot of what looked like a chicken dish was lying on the floor.
The claims by ex-employee Declan Bryson sparked a torrent of vile comments and the restaurant shut down its Facebook site.
(Image: Andrew Neil)
Owner Rui Lin promised a full investigation and then said, “No staff came to us to tell us something was wrong.
“Of course we would have taken action, as any responsible company would.
“These allegations were new to us and the reaction to them was deeply hurtful.
The damning food inspection was carried out by the Renfrewshire Council.
Among the points uncovered by the inspection were that refrigerated foods that should not have been hotter than 5 ° C were consistently higher, some often above 6.5 ° C, and nothing was was made to sort them.
And the inspector notes: “It was found during the visit that you are thawing beef and duck at room temperature. This practice could lead to the growth of bacteria in food, making it unsafe.
“The gravy cooker gas stove was encrusted with dried sauce and it was evident that it was not cleaned regularly. All food equipment must be carefully cleaned and disinfected and kept in a good state of cleanliness.
“The floor area around and under the cooker had a buildup of food debris and it was evident that this area was not cleaned regularly. “
The report continues: “The shipping container in the parking lot was used for food storage. It was noted that food was stored on the floor at the time of the inspection. Food should be stored off the ground where it could be contaminated.
“The floor of the shipping container was observed to have a buildup of food debris and was generally unclean. It was obvious that this area is not cleaned regularly.
“Flying insects, especially flies, have been observed in the kitchen area. These parasites carry bacteria that cause food poisoning and can contaminate foods and food surfaces they land on. The back kitchen door and associated screen door have been left open and provide easy access to these pests.
“It was noted that an electric fly control unit was located directly above a food preparation area. The presents a risk of insect fragments contaminating the surface below and all food prepared on the surface.
The restaurant confirmed that all identified issues have now been resolved.
A spokesperson said: “There was an environmental visit this year in October, we took it very seriously and have since rectified every item noted.
“The environment office has since revisited and issued us a calling card.”
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