SOME 170 restaurants, cafes and take-aways in Edinburgh failed health and hygiene inspections last year – including Gordon Ramsay's favourite Chinese restaurant.
The eateries were all rapped after strict council inspections found them in breach of safety standards. The culprits range from small carry-outs to high-profile businesses with one restaurant even using an apple pie to store dirty cutlery.
Inspectors working for Edinburgh City Council found a range of disgusting conditions in the offending kitchens, including raw sewage dripping into a restaurant cellar, filthy toilets, dirty utensils and food that was months out of date being served to unsuspecting customers.
Council chiefs said the figures should act as a warning to other food businesses who are thinking about cutting corners on food hygiene and safety.
One of the restaurants shamed in a report is Chop Chop, a Chinese restaurant described by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in his F Word TV programme as one of the best in the country.
Inspectors visited the restaurant twice last year and were shocked to find large quantities of mouse droppings as well as dirt, grease and food debris.
A hygiene enforcement officer for the council said: "The food hygiene standards at the time of my inspection were very poor, with a lack of pest control and poor staff training."
Roy King, manager of Chop Chop, admitted there had been weaknesses, but said inspectors had since been back and were thoroughly satisfied at cleanliness levels in the restaurant.
He said: "I welcome these inspections and they do a good job. People need to be held to standards and there were improvements which we had to make, but the inspection was eight months ago and that is a long time to put these things right. I'm a great believer in keeping standards high and that is what we are doing."
Another popular restaurant in the capital that featured in the report was the curry house Omar Khayyam.
Inspectors noted dirt and mouse droppings inside the restaurant, and most worryingly noted: "Cooked rice was being stored in a hot water bath for long periods of time."
Restaurant manager Mohammed Hussain, said: "The inspector visited a couple of months ago and there were a few issues that had to be looked at, but everything is sorted now and it's all hunky-dory.
"I have a Health and Hygiene Pass certificate."
The inspectors found mouse droppings to be rife across venues in Edinburgh and beetles were also discovered in numerous kitchens.
The report, which covered the period from October 2010 to October 2011, contained a list of restaurants, cafes, pubs and other businesses selling food who scored less than 15 on a scale of one to 20, when inspected by officers.
Some breaches were for minor offences, such as staff training records not being kept up to date or some kitchen equipment being unsafe.
Others included more bizarre revelations, such as dirty cutlery being stored within an apple pie, and one takeaway placing a broken fridge directly in front of the kitchen's only sink.
Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, said: "These cases send a strong message to all food business operators in the city that we will not hesitate to take immediate action in order to safeguard the health and wellbeing of Edinburgh's residents and visitors."
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