Scores on the Doors

[boon]

http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/foodscores

This is a safety and hygiene ratings agency that quite a few borough councils, including Lewisham, have signed up for use in rating local establishments. A search for Sydenham restaurants turns up some interesting (and alarming!) results:

Selim Kebabs: 4 stars (beats the stereotype!)
The Golden Lion: 2 stars
Sema's Cafe: 2 stars
The Dolphin: 2 stars
Golden City: 1 star
Gurkhas: 0 stars (noooooooooo)

This is just a small sample, there are quite a few others. It's a bit off-putting when a kebab shop beats most of the proper sit-down restaurants.

[natbeuk]

Interesting. Scary, but interesting.

That's Amore get 3 stars, so that's good. Worryingly, Lin Hong Garden who produce very good tasting food, only get 1 star and it says "Poor level of compliance with food safety legislation. Much more effort required"

However - it is most definitely worth noting that the inspections shown here seem to date from 2007, so these places have had a year or more to clean their acts up (pun intentional)... let's hope they have!

[boon]

However - it is most definitely worth noting that the inspections shown here seem to date from 2007, so these places have had a year or more to clean their acts up (pun intentional)... let's hope they have!

That's what I'm hoping, but I'm still quite wary now in the absence of other information. At least in my own kitchen I know when I drop things on the floor.

[Juwlz]

I think you have to be careful with that Scores on the Doors thing, because if you look at some of the places that have gained 4 stars basically its often the Wetherspoon pub type places where all they have to do is take a packet out of the freezer and stick it in the microwave so there tends to be less food-preparation involved anyway.

The places where they're dealing with fresh ingredients and cook from scratch have a much harder task on their hands and in my opinion get unfairly penalised in comparison.

That said I did get a kebab from Selims once and thought it was nice (yes I was sober at the time!) and have never rated Gurkhas that much (sorry!)

[Annie]

Where i work ( sorry can't say where ) I got 5* yes i use all fresh ingredients etc, all i can say is that 5*s can be acheived by general hygiene,I treat my work place as i would treat cooking at home for my family, Its not hard to keep up to standard,just adopt a clean as you go mentality,not rocket science really!

[boon]

Indeed, the ratings are entirely based on hygiene - whether that's packs of crisps or freshly prepared food doesn't and shouldn't make a difference. I'd much rather have something out of a packet that won't make me sick than a home-cooked meal, lovingly prepared, that has been in contact with a dirty cutting board.

[boon]

However - it is most definitely worth noting that the inspections shown here seem to date from 2007, so these places have had a year or more to clean their acts up (pun intentional)... let's hope they have!

Hmm, a bit more research shows that restaurants with ratings of 2 stars or less are able to request a new inspection if they have a change to management or hygiene practice for no fee. They're also given a right to reply to the assessment for the purposes of indicating improvements in hygiene, which will be posted alongside the review on the website. Old reviews aren't so much an excuse if that's the case.

[nork1]

Gurkhas: 0 stars (noooooooooo)

Last Inspection Date
18/07/2007

That was over a year ago... I've been going there since it's opened and NEVER had a bad meal. Giving this a 0 star is ridiculous - it's not as if rats and cockroaches are running around the place is it? If standards were that bad it wouldn't be packed out every night - half of Sydenham would be doubled up with the chronic shits.

I think some of these hygiene inspections are totally OTT.... I've eaten God knows what in 56 countries and seen food cooked(?) in conditions that would give the inspectors a coronary on sight but as with the locals, I survived.

[Juwlz]

Indeed, the ratings are entirely based on hygiene - whether that's packs of crisps or freshly prepared food doesn't and shouldn't make a difference. I'd much rather have something out of a packet that won't make me sick than a home-cooked meal, lovingly prepared, that has been in contact with a dirty cutting board.

I agree standards should be standards but you have to look behind the scenes too.
Yes , they may have lovingly taken the frozen meal out of the fridge and very carefully put it in the beautifully clean microwave - but who knows what went on it the factory where they actually made the meal!!!

Same goes for the packet of crisps.

[natbeuk]

Gurkhas: 0 stars (noooooooooo)

I think some of these hygiene inspections are totally OTT.... I've eaten God knows what in 56 countries and seen food cooked(?) in conditions that would give the inspectors a coronary on sight but as with the locals, I survived.

Well that's very true.. I've eaten with plates & utensils washed directly in the Nile, for example, and lived to tell the tale. Sometimes these standards do go too far and measure things that just don't impact on the safety of the food...

[dodd]

I had a Ghurkas chicken tikka masala less than 24 hours ago and still seem to be in good health. And always am, every time I dine there.
Ironically, somewhere on the list with 4 stars has previously left my missus with food poisoning.
I take all these lists with a pinch of salt.

[Juwlz]

I've never actually been poisoned in Gurkhas, and I'm sure its fine, I just find the quality a bit hit and miss.

I normally get takeaways anyway so I get them from The Royal Tiffin in Forest Hill which is amazing, though pricey. I feel a bit ashamed for not purchasing more locally.

If a South Indian restaurant opened locally (masala dosas and that type of thing) I would be in seventh heaven. Please someone…

[Chazza]

Selim Kebabs: 4 stars (beats the stereotype!)

It's a bit off-putting when a kebab shop beats most of the proper sit-down restaurants.

On the back of this, I went to Selim's one evening when I couldn't be bothered to cook anything. I went for a chicken kebab and it was lovely; decent quality meat in a huge pita with loads of fresh salad. I'm a convert!