Unbothered by Chiu’s receiving the worst possible food hygiene score I decided to try the item that has customers travelling for miles
There are a number of factors I will take into consideration when choosing a Friday night takeaway – but I’m not ashamed to admit that an establishment’s food hygiene rating is not one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t actively seek out a takeaway that has an appalling food hygiene score, but let’s just say a poor rating doesn’t bother me quite as much as it may do for other potential customers.
A chippy that’s very local to me recently received the worst possible rating from environmental health officials, with a zero out of five score for hygiene that saw owners instructed that urgent improvements were necessary. The takeaway in question is Chiu’s on Park Road – and you might have heard of it on social media.
The hype over Chiu’s salt and pepper spring rolls is so great that a Facebook group was set up in their honour. Fans also take to TikTok to show their journeys from miles around to visit the Dingle chippy.
It may seem odd to say that a poor hygiene score piqued my curiosity, but having always intended to try Chiu’s after seeing so much praise on social media, the zero star rating actually prompted me to try it out and see for myself.
When I visited the Park Road takeaway on a Friday night, there was a steady stream of customers heading into the small venue. My order was the quickest – one portion of spring rolls, with soy sauce. They were already sat waiting under the heater, so the member of staff who served me picked out three rolls, coated them in a thick soy sauce and wrapped them up.
The portion cost £2.50 and I was pleased to see the spring rolls at Chiu’s are the long, thin variety which I always prefer to a short, squat little version. Inside, the chippy certainly didn’t look pristine but, to me, it had all the signifiers of being a traditional Chinese chippy, with a light-up menu behind the counter, retro tiles and a no frills approach to takeaway food.
It might not have been up to everyone’s standards, but it was fine by me and what I saw inside the chippy certainly didn’t put me off from ripping into the package as soon as I got in the car.
The spring rolls were perfectly crispy, with a crunchy wrapper that was the ideal shade of golden brown. The wrapper was neither too thick nor too thin – it had the perfect consistency when you bit into it, and tasted like it had been fried up fresh. Inside was what I could only describe as ‘mystery meat’ – but this is entirely my fault for not asking what the filling would be.
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it was either pork or chicken, accompanied by some veggies and a slightly spicy sauce. Either way, it was molten hot and I had to wait for the rest of the rolls to cool down before continuing my taste test.
With the food hygiene score in mind, I’d gone into Chiu’s telling myself I’d order a portion and just eat one in order to be able to fairly review the meal. Instead, I ate all three straight out of the tray off my lap in the car parked next to the chippy.
It may not have been my proudest moment, but it served as further proof that a food hygiene score will never deter me from enjoying a succulent Chinese meal. This certainly wasn’t the first time I’ve eaten from a takeaway with an abysmal food hygiene score, and I can say with some level of confidence that it won’t be the last.
It’s worth pointing out, however, that following an inspection from Liverpool Council’s environmental health officials in January, the Park Road venue was told urgent improvements are necessary. According to a brief report made public by the Food Standards Agency, significant issues have been raised around food handling, cleanliness and the condition of the takeaway in general. The takeaway has been causing a stir for more than a decade.
The hygiene rating released following January’s inspection marks a fall from grace from the heady days of social medium stardom. According to officials, in terms of hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage, major improvement is necessary at Chiu’s.
The same was said about how the business maintains the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building. This includes having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene.
Major improvements are also being sought from the Toxteth business around its management of food safety, including the system or checks it has in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.
Under the law, the city council’s environmental health officers can inspect any food premises without making an appointment or giving advance notice. The rating reflects the standard of food hygiene found on the day officials inspect – it is not a guide to the quality of the food that is served.
The ECHO contacted Chiu’s for comment regarding the food hygiene score.
发表回复