Apologies to those who are about to eat lunch, but we’ve always believed that knowledge is empowering: Three popular Petaling Jaya restaurants were closed yesterday by health authorities, after surprise inspections turned up a little more than eaters were paying for.
Dirty working areas were not the only thing that city health officers and local councilor were looking for, but also unhygienic practices, in lieu of the sensational story that broke last week of Raj’s Banana Leaf restaurant workers washing plates outside in back alley potholes.
They found that these restaurants were breaking health codes by washing and cooking food in outdoor back lane areas, instead of in the fitted kitchen, and also disposing of cooking grease and dirty water into nearby drains (illegal, and not what they’re there for).
The Star reported that while one restaurant’s premises were impeccably polished and clean, there were other unhygienic infractions that led to them being shut down.
They added that workers’ hands were swabbed for e. coli, and proof of their typhus inoculation confirmed.
Here goes the rollcall: Restoran Gasing, Raju’s restaurant and Sri Paandi (why have you forsaken us so, banana leaf restaurants?!), all located along the same row on Jalan Chantek 5/13 in Section 5 have all been closed until further notice.
Other delights that were found during inspection include rat droppings and cockroaches in both cupboards and in refrigerators. Toxic insecticide bottles were found being stored next to food, and all three restaurants dumped their waste into the drains that ran along the back of their restaurants. These liquids then flowed and soiled the waters of the nearby Taman Jaya park.
Health officers say that while no complaints had been lodged against the eateries, it was their job to ensure that all food outlets were complying with safety standards. Since January 250 had been inspected, with 59 of them being shut down. If these raids are indeed random, we’re dealing with rates of nearly one in four restaurants needing to shut down to deal with their health mess.
If you’re wondering how the spark that started this newly found concern for restaurants hygiene, Raj’s Banana Leaf last night was spotted being blasted with a head to toe baptism that smelled like bleach. Let’s just hope they spring for a couple of sinks to wash those dishes in.
