B and K Salt Beef bar: 5 star restaurant rating! What could go wrong?

B and K
Photo courtesy of Trevor Sharot

Problem:
One of my favourite restaurants, and my favourite worldwide for salt beef, latkes and lokshen pudding, received a zero rating last August from the food inspectors and another eight or nine restaurants (was the nine in the same high street including this one or separate - no matter) got a one star rating, gosh - where could I eat safely and what could I recommend? That was back in August.

Answer
Spiffing news! After an official inspection three months later, B & K salt beef bar in Hatch End now has a five star rating. The top rating!

I discovered when I went along to look. They had a five star rating sign on the front window. Inside was a A-board they were just about to display advertising their five star rating.

The staff beamed all over, proud as punch. (Where did that phrase come from - Punch and Judy British sea-side puppet show left over from from Victorian era, I suppose).

Story
I asked, "What was the problem?"
They were quite happy to tell me all about it. In fact I would have been quite happy with a one sentence answer, but I got a whole story. It was more technical than I could comprehend without making an effort to listen really attentively and interrupt to check on the hours and temperatures.

The story goes something like this: The ratings are on three areas. One is compliance - are you keeping records which you are able and willing to show the inspectors? The restaurant passed on that one.

Two: general hygiene, which might include wearing gloves and keeping the place clean (depending on what you are serving). They passed on that one.

I asked, "So it wan't rats then?"
I was afraid rats were running all over the neighbourhood, so if any one restaurant is in trouble all the restaurants and houses nearby are affected. Years ago a friend of mine who had just graduated as a doctor told me not to eat in Willesden or Kilburn because of a rat problem.

(If you've got open land nearby, you probably need to block up every hole into the building around pipes and drains, or rats can get in and run along inside. Rats are nocturnal. If you or tenants don't sweep up crumbs from the floor overnight, or there are leaking pipes, the rats have tempting, attractive food and drink.)

Finally, safe storage which includes temperature, method and time taken. The only problem at B & K was with the salt beef - which is their 'signature dish'. But no problem with what I had eaten last month, fish balls, lokshen pudding. For years, said the B & K staff, they had been cooling the salt beef in liquid (brine?) with no problem. The local authority wanted the salt beef cooled in a special (and I presume expensive to buy, unless you have one already, with enough space) chiller cabinet, which brings the temperature down to (five degrees c?) in under twenty minutes.

B and K did not want the liquid removed from the outside of the beef because that's what gives it the flavour. So they arranged that the salt beef would be brought down to the required temperature within the two hour cooling period allowed.

Now they have their five star rating, the top rating, and are so pleased.

They said, if they'd been a new business, it could have killed their business. But because they had been operating so long, they had regular clientele who still supported them.

Smiling faces all round.

I may have the details wrong, but you get the idea.

Tips
1 You can check on the web about regulations in your country - for example, Singapore has the rating system like London - on the web.
2 If you want more details check on chiller cabinets.
3 Or ask staff in this restaurant or others if you are interested.

Action
I'm a bit worried about reporting all this in case I get it wrong. Please check the ratings and regulations to satisfy yourself, wherever you live. From my experience any restaurant which has a low rating or had one in the past is likely to be happy to answer questions (especially if you are supporting them by buying anyway). They are glad to put their side of the case.

(When I have time I'll get to check all the other restaurants for their ratings.)
Note to self and readers: Eat more chopped liver. B & K lokshen pudding. Yummy!


Photos of chopped liver and lokshen pudding by Angela Lansbury.

Author
Agnela Lansbury
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