Hammersmith Road Persian Restaurant Gets Poor Hygiene Rating


Inspectors concerned about way food was prepared and stored at Alborz


Alborz, Hammersmith Road. Picture: Google Streetview

A Hammersmith restaurant has been given a low hygiene rating after two-week-old curries were found in the fridge. Alborz in Hammersmith was given a one out of five score by Hammersmith and Fulham Council following a food hygiene inspection on 28 June for which the report has recently been made public.

Inspectors found dirty equipment and cross-contamination risks at the Persian restaurant in Olympia, according to a council report obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The inspector told the business in their report, “You were batch cooking, cooling and freezing curries. You did not have a written safe method for this procedure.”

It adds, “Prepared curries were found in the walk-in chiller with a date of 12/6/22.” Mouse poo was also found inside the storage cupboard and basement kitchen, while walls and floors were dirty, the report revealed.

The inspector found “damp and mouldy, peeling paint and plaster” in the basement as well as broken kitchen tiles, and floors “dirty with spilled food and grease”.

The restaurant failed to pay attention to cross contamination, with raw chicken prepared on top of a freezer and cooked chicken being prepared on a work surface lined with cardboard that had come into contact with raw meat.


Cooked chicken prepared on cardboard. Picture: Hammersmith & Fulham Council

The report said, “It was apparent that you had not considered the risks associated with cross contamination from raw meat to ready to eat foods such as salad… Raw chicken was being prepared on the top of the chest freezer without the use of a red chopping board. Although the lid had been partially lined with cling film some of the marinade had leaked onto the freezer lid.

“There is a risk that bacteria laden liquid could contaminate other foods and surfaces… The inside of a cardboard box which had contained raw chicken was being used to line the work surface where cooked meat was being removed from the skewer.”

Photos taken during the inspection show equipment was not kept properly, including a filthy mincer and pots stored next to a drain outside. The report said, “Cloths being used to cover cooked rice were dirty and stained. One of these cloths was found hung over the door to the outside toilet.”

Food preparation methods risked cross-contamination
Food preparation methods risked cross-contamination. Picture: Hammersmith & Fulham Council

It adds, “Cooking pots and storage boxes were stored in the yard outside next to the dirty drainage gulley… All of the PVC chopping boards were dirty and badly scored… The mincer was extremely dirty with hardened residue stuck to the feed tray and push stick.”

The business was ordered to retrain the chef in food hygiene, remove mouse droppings from the kitchen and use colour-coded equipment to avoid cross-contamination. Alborz was also instructed to set up a safe system for cooling cooked food, replace faulty equipment and stop lining the kitchen floors with cardboard.

Hammersmith and Fulham has nearly 2,000 eateries. Just three businesses have a hygiene rating of zero, 18 have a rating of one and 1,300 have a rating of five.

A member of staff at Alborz hung up when the Local Democracy Reporting Service called the restaurant for comment.

Hannah Neary - Local Democracy Reporter

October 3, 2022