Last year we’ve heard of an Asian
restaurant in central London shut down due to extraordinary filth. In case
you’re wondering how bad it was, health inspectors found mice inside food bags and
cockroaches on the kitchen floors of Malaysia Kopi Tiam. It must have been terrible
news for those who ate in this diner, and it won’t be a surprise if any of them
made a trip to the nearest doctor.
None of us want to eat or even set foot on
a mice-infested diner, whether it’s indoor or outdoor catering London. So
to help youknow if you’re in good hands, here are seven ways
to tell if the restaurant is clean or not:
Check
out the bathroom. This is the most basic principle
in Restaurant Cleanliness 101: if the bathroom is filthy and lacks basic hand-washing
necessities,chances are the owners or managers don’t think much of basic
hygiene. Check if the bathroom has soap, hand air dryer or paper towels, and
hot water. Also observe if the floor and wall tiles are clean.
Check
out the kitchen.Kitchen staff should be wearing
hair nets, caps, and gloves at all times inside the kitchen.
Peek
at the back door. Sometimes back doors are left
open and you can sneak a little peek to the condition inside. Trash bins and
dumpsters should be neat and covered, and if they’re not, odds are the kitchen
and other hidden areas of the place look like that too.
Observe
waiters and food runners. These people are the ones
who handle and deliver your food, so their hygiene should be top priority.
Check if they have clean clothes, well-kempt hair, neat and trimmed finger
nails, and if they are in perfect shape (no sneezing or coughing). Any restaurant in Ealing
that prioritizes cleanliness will keep its front men presentable at all times.
Scrutinise
the menu and silverware. It’s basic to check if the
cutleries don’t smell of soap or food or have remains of food, grime, and
grease. Also check if the menus are not smeared with grease or caked in food.
Watch
how staffshandle silverware. If workers grab
cutleries by the part you put inside your mouth that should tell you that they
are not properly trained on basic food serving sanitation. It’s also better if
the silverware is wrapped so there will be no cross-contamination.
Make
a food temperature check. It goes without saying
that fresh meals are served hot, except of course if you ordered a medium-rare
steak. If your meal is not hot, and if the menu does not specifically say that
food is to be served in room temperature, it may mean that the time interval
between when the plate was made and served is too long.
Whether
it’s Western or Indian
catering Ealing, make sure to size up the place first before taking your
first bite. As the saying goes, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. 