Mouse poo found on plates and food containers at bistro

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

A restaurant has been given an awful hygiene rating after mouse poo was found on food containers and plates in the basement.

A health official found a mouse infestation and food not being stored properly at Manuka Kitchen, in Fulham Road, according to a report.

The bistro was given a one-out-of-five hygiene rating by Hammersmith and Fulham council on February 23.

A hygiene report from an inspector said a “heavy mouse infestation” was uncovered with droppings found in the basement and ground floor kitchen on food containers, plates, shelves and the floor.

It added: “Some of the equipment in the kitchen was dirty and greasy. This included the sides of the cooker, tiled walls, and shelves in refrigerators.

“I understand that a kitchen porter has now been employed on Monday evenings to carry out deep cleaning of the kitchen.

“The floor under units, around fixed legs and at the wall-floor junctions were dirty with fallen food, equipment, a frying pan of oil (on the floor under the sink) as well as the mouse droppings.”

A spokesman for Manuka Kitchen said, ahead of a new inspection, that they were confident the next visit would reveal the restaurant to be at the required standard.

The inspector found food was not being stored properly during their visit in February – and they uncovered kimchi that was six months past its sell-by date, as well as raw meat stored in torn paper bags.

The inspector wrote: “The majority of food was stored in the refrigerators without any way of determining how old these products were and when these should be disposed of.

“The majority of foods that did have date codes were past their use-by dates. There was no evidence that anyone on the premises at the time of the inspection had received any training in food safety.”

The Food Standards Agency said major improvement was needed in the way the building was kept clean and added that the restaurant needed to be better at handling food hygienically and safely.

The restaurant was also told to carry out daily checks for mice and get a pest control expert to bait the area.

The inspector’s report said the restaurant had cleared the mouse poo the day after their visit and sanitised surfaces but it failed to install bait boxes to prevent a further infestation.

Pictured top: Manuka Kitchen, in Fulham Road