A busy Chinese buffet was hammered in a hygiene report . . . a year after disgruntled staff slated kitchen practices.
An inspector swooped on the Beijing Banquet in Renfrew and unmasked a litany of problems.
They found 24 separate areas of concern at the Arkleston Road eatery in October and gave bosses four weeks to clean up their act, before issuing a pass certificate earlier this month.
The dossier’s catalogue of complaints included:
*Flies were buzzing about the kitchen and fears insect bits could fall into food
*Chilled foods were too warm, raising concerns about growth of bacteria
*Hob was encrusted in old sauce and fridges had not been cleaned thoroughly
*Grub was being stored on the floor of a shipping container and kitchen wash hand basin tarnished with grease and food debris
*Raw beef was stored next to cooked chicken and chopping boards had food poisoning risk
*The chef had a lack of allergens awareness
The Food Law compliance inspection resulted in an official Improvement Required notice being sanctioned.
The restaurant was given four weeks from the date of the published report on October 22 to get its house in order.
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And this week Beijing Banquet revealed it received an official hygiene “Pass” by Renfrewshire Council on December 14 after tackling the problems.
Last November the owners of the 250-seat buffet said it had been unaware of staff concern about what was going on.
Pictures then showed trays of food had been left out in the kitchen when they should not have.
And one large pot of what looked like a chicken dish was lying on the floor.
Claims by ex-staffer Declan Bryson sparked a torrent of vile comments and the restaurant shut down its Facebook site.
The owner Rui Lin promised a full investigation and said then: “No member of staff came to us to say anything was wrong.
“We would, of course, have taken action, as any responsible business would.
“These allegations were news to us and the reaction to them has been deeply hurtful.
The damning food inspection was carried out by Renfrewshire Council.
Among the points uncovered by the inspection were that chilled foods which should have been no warmer than 5C were consistently higher, some often above 6.5C, and nothing was done to sort it.
And the inspector notes: “It was noted at the time of the visit that you were defrosting beef and duck at ambient temperatures. This practice could lead to the growth of bacteria in the food making it unsafe.
“The sauce cook gas hob in the kitchen was encrusted with dried in sauce and it was evident that this is not being regularly cleaned. All food equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and maintained in a clean condition.
“The floor area around and under the cooking range had a build-up of food debris and it was evident that this area is not being cleaned regularly.”
The report goes on: “The shipping container located in the car park was being used for food storage. It was noted that food was being stored on the floor at the time of inspection. Food must be stored off of the floor where it might be at risk of contamination.
“The floor of the shipping container was observed as having a build-up food debris and was generally unclean. It was evident that this area is not being regularly cleaned.
“Flying insects, namely flies, were observed in the kitchen area. These pests carry food poisoning bacteria and can contaminate food and food surfaces that they land on. The rear kitchen door and associated fly screen door were left open and are providing easy access for these pests.
“It was noted an electric fly killer unit was sited directly above a food preparation area. The presents a risk of insect fragments contaminating the surface below and any foods prepared on the surface.”
The restaurant confirmed all issues identified had now been fixed.
A spokeswoman said: “There was an environmental visit this year in October, we have taken it very seriously and have since rectified every item noted.
“The environmental office has since revisited and issued us a pass notice.”
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