Concerns over health and hygiene at Yaseen Persian Restaurant

A Hanger Hill restaurant has been given the lowest possible score by food inspectors.

Yaseen Persian Restaurant on Ashbourne Parade describes itself online as serving the “highest level of Persian Cuisine London has to offer”. Its website reads: “All our dishes are prepared daily from finest ingredients and cooked the traditional way which dates back 100s of years.”

However following an inspection in early February it was marked at 0 out of 5 by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Inspectors said major improvements were necessary in the cleanliness and condition of facilities, as well as food safety. The latter category relates to whether checks were in place to ensure food served was safe to eat and that staff understood about food safety.

The cleanliness and condition of the building was determined by the layout, ventilation, and other factors such as pest control.

The report said improvements were also needed in the handling of food, which included  the preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage of ingredients.

When contacted, a spokesman for the restaurant said a third party had been hired to improve the hygiene at the restaurant, and that they planned to ask the FSA to visit again.

Unlike in Northern Ireland and Wales, restaurants are not obliged to display their ratings publicly in England. Anyone wishing to check the score of a restaurant can do so on the Food Standards Authority website.

The Food Standards Agency website says: “Businesses which are given low ratings must make urgent or major improvements to hygiene standards.

“The food safety officer will tell the business how quickly these improvements must be made and this will depend on the type of issue that needs to be addressed.”

Written with assistance of local democracy reporter, Ged Cann

2 April 2019