A Mayfair restaurant with two Michelin stars has been given a hygiene rating of just one out of five. Inspectors criticised The Greenhouse for structural disrepair, cleaning and record keeping, with particular concern about its sous vide equipment. Food cooked sous vide is tenderised by time spent in a water bath or steamer, but botulism is a significant risk if the system is not properly maintained. The Food Standards Agency found that top restaurants often score lower than high street chains in hygiene inspections. A spokesman for The Greenhouse said that the problem was with record keeping, not hygiene.

Key Takeaways:

• Hygiene inspectors who visited the two Michelin starred Glasshouse found that a crucial form logging temperature control of the restaurant’s sous vide machine had not been completed correctly.
• The Greenhouse told Westminster’s inspectors that it’s staff have been reminded of “the correct procedure when checking equipment and to record any temperatures outside the critical limits”.
• The Greenhouse also told Westminster that since the last inspection “the establishment has been thoroughly cleaned and procedures are in place to ensure that cleanliness is maintained”.

“It found 83pc of high street chains were given the best rating of five out of five, compared to just 55pc of Michelin star restaurants.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/10/michelin-restaurant-ends-up-in-hot-water-over-sous-vide-hygiene/