A Leicester takeaway – which sees people from around the country visit it – has been told to massively improve after inspectors found a “greasy” and “dirty” kitchen.
Phillyz Smash, in Humberstone Road, has been given one of the lowest food hygiene ratings by Leicester City Council food hygiene inspectors.
The takeaway has become popular with food reviewers on social media sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, and sees foodies travel from London and Birmingham just to visit it.
However, during a food hygiene inspection in May and seen by journalists, inspectors found a number of worrying issues, including that cooked foods were being “stored together in the fridge” and “food was not being stored at safe temperatures”.
Inspectors also found that the tiled floor covering in the kitchen was “dirty” including the chicken breading table and deep fat fryers.
Cleaning was such a concern that inspectors visited again in the same month and even though the floors were cleaner, it was noted that certain corners were “greasy and dirty”.
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Other cleaning concerns were also highlighted by food hygiene bosses, including a “dirty” wall pillar and “mould” growing on sealant near the sink.
Inspectors also blasted the level of food hygiene awareness amongst food handling staff – with it being called “inadequate”. During the inspection, one member of staff called Vijay was found “not washing his hands or gloves when changing from main dishes to desserts”.
The member of staff was instead observed “just wiping the tips of his fingers with blue roll” whereas inspectors said they should have washed their hands or gloves before swapping food.
Food hygiene bosses also had concerns about the allergens, calling them “incorrect” – forcing inspectors to tell the takeaway to stop serving customers who present with a food allergy until a thorough review of allergens was carried out.
The inspection also found that the takeaway’s hand-wash basin “was not in regular use” and the temperature of the chopped salad stored in the tabletop refrigerator was “too high” with food hygiene bosses fearing that it could “support the growth of food poisoning bacteria or the formation of toxins”.
Managers of Phillyz Smash were approached for comment, and said they were expecting a reinspection soon.
No further comment was provided.
By Chris Harper (Local Democracy Reporter)
