Emma Brand hears of unhygienic conditions in the kitchens of Brick Lane.
You can get nearly any type of food you want down Brick Lane, from fried chicken and bagels to curry and Turkish cuisine.
Unfortunately, in some eateries you might also find other things you didn’t ask for.
Figures from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) show that almost a third out of 57 restaurants and confectioners failed to meet satisfactory hygiene standards.
Spot checks were carried out in 2015. Outlets are not warned that they are about to be inspected, so that the FSA can obtain a more accurate picture of everyday practices in the kitchen.
Twenty of Brick Lane’s restaurants scored two or below in the FSA’s 0-5 rating system. A zero indicates urgent changes are needed, and a five means food hygiene is rated excellent.
The FSA does not recommend eating in places with a score of three or below.
The three Brick Lane eateries that scored zero were Clipper, Bengal and Arzu. Eleven restaurants scored one, meaning they need major improvement in hygiene. Six were rated two, meaning improvement is necessary.
Arzu is a confectioner (sweet centre) while Clipper and Bengal sell savories. Bengal’s website claims it is “the best Indian restaurant in Shoreditch.”
Visitors to Brick Lane are not happy. One said: “I just don’t understand – it’s not hard, why are they failing? Just wipe surfaces and date your food.”
A restaurant worker from Norwich added that: “I wouldn’t go because I know how bad it is in my place and now it’s been declared unhygienic, I dread to think how bad it is down there.”