Posh London restaurant selling £230 bottles of champagne forced to close after dead mouse found on site

Sep 16, 2023

Food inspectors said MBER on Pudding Mill Lane had a 'widespread' pest control problem

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A London restaurant selling wagyu beef and £230 bottles of champagne was closed for five days after food inspectors found a dead mouse in the kitchen and rubbish being stored next to food. MBER on Pudding Mill Lane was slapped with an urgent improvement notice after inspectors found a "widespread" pest problem during a visit to the Central London restaurant in March, a food inspection report revealed.

The City of London, which carried out the inspection, said MBER voluntarily closed its doors for a week to carry out improvements. The restaurant said some of the issues were due to understaffing and a lack of deep-cleaning by a firm it had recently hired. It said it now had "weekly dedicated cleaners" specifically for the kitchen area.

They also said the inspection took place during peak hours and claim it is not a true representation of how the business is run. They said MBER has consistently maintained a five-star safety rating since opening in 2016. The damning report, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, showed countertops and food tubs littered with what appeared to be rat droppings and seafood being left out for hours.

READ MORE: Two Croydon Boxpark food vendors given 0 for food hygiene after unannounced inspection

Inspectors - who gave the restaurant a food hygiene rating of zero - found staff barely knew if food was safe to serve to customers and had "almost total non-compliance" when it came to keeping the kitchen clean. MBER prides itself as being a Filipino-styled fine diner serving top range meals like Wagyu beef and foie gras burgers with signature cocktails. It claims to cater for all dietary requirements, including a "wide range of dairy and gluten-free options".

But inspectors found the restaurant made no free-from claims on the products they produce and nor did they have an updated list of dishes that contained allergens. They also found there was no hot water in one of the kitchen basins and that rubbish was being piled up next to a refrigerator.

A spokesperson for MBER said staff had "fell short" of diluting chemicals correctly and kitchen porters were not tasked with the responsibility before each service. Pictures from the report showed benches and flooring coated in grime and animal droppings and food being left uncovered on work benches. There was also a picture of a squashed rat on the kitchen floor.

The restaurant said it works with Rentokil Hygiene to clean its extraction and ventilation system every six months and to manage its pest control. They said they "promptly executed" any suggestions Rentokil made in relation to its issue with pests.

They claimed the mouse traps, which are designed to alert Rentokil of rodents, failed to pick up any "activity". They said regular monitoring reports were sent to the Environmental Health Officer (EHO). They also said the droppings were found on old equipment no longer in use and stored away in cupboards. They stressed that the proper collection and disposal procedures were followed for these items.

Inspectors said staff showed "some reluctance to recognise and accept [the] need for food safety and hygiene controls", the report, which was obtained by a Freedom of Information request, found. Though the handling of food was "generally satisfactory," inspectors slammed staff for not updating their food safety system and claimed food was at risk of being contaminated by E.Coli and Salmonella bacteria.

It found "major and widespread non-compliance" when it came to cleanliness and said the venue could provide safe food if it stuck to its own food safety procedures. They also discovered little to no separation of raw and ready-to-eat foods, like salads and cooked meals, which they said was "potentially a significant risk".

Inspectors wrote: "Your system needs to be reviewed and amended as there are things outside the scope of your current food safety management system. "Menu changes, new ingredients, different methods of preparation and new equipment may have new hazards associated with them and could require differing controls that you need to consider and where necessary implement."

On top of that, they said the restaurant did not have records proving staff had been trained and criticised management for leaving workers unsupervised. They also said staff "considers food safety to be a relatively low priority" compared to other business priorities and were given a run down on how to wash their hands.

MBER said staff meticulously log and carry out quality checks on any foods delivered to the restaurant. They said all temperature charts and logs are situated in their office and not in the kitchen. They said at the time of the inspection, the Head Chef failed to notify staff of their location, and were only able to provide "loose sheets" to inspectors. They said a record of staff qualifications and training certificates were kept in their office.

They said having allergen sheets readily accessible has always been an essential requirement at MBER, and waiting staff make a point of asking all diners about their allergens. These sheets are available in each section, including the kitchen and front desk.

They said it was "inaccurate" to claim food was not being prepared hygienically and that surfaces are disinfected before and after preparation. They said staff are properly trained in dealing with customers who have allergies to food and take "utmost care" to avoid cross-contamination. They said the restaurant has never encountered any incidents.

Inspectors also found:

Inadequate flow of water in ladies toilets

What appeared to be rat poison packaging on the kitchen floor

Uncleaned deep fryers

Haphazard storage of food on benches

Sous Vide cooking without proper controls (a manager claimed the equipment was not being used)

Poor use of the blast chiller

No hand drying facilities

Seafood defrosting in water in the kitchen sink for several hours

Food being stored in open containers

Staff using watered-down sanitiser and washing liquid

In a statement, MBER said: "Mber has a principle of excellence in cleanliness, food and service and have consistently had a 5-star rating since we opened in 2016. The inspection took place during peak service hours and we believe that it is not a true representation of how we have run our business consistently during the time we have been open.

"However, at the time of the inspection some errors occurred due to understaffing (which is a constant challenge) and the cleaning company used for the first time to cover only focused on surface cleaning during their weekly deep cleaning sessions. We had maintained a consistent 5-star rating since 2016; however, this oversight led to neglected areas, particularly under the fridges, as we assumed the cleaning tasks were being carried out as before. In response to this, we have now appointed new weekly dedicated cleaners specifically for the kitchen area to ensure that our ongoing standards are met.

"The inspection took place during peak service hours, and we do have designated storage areas to keep all products separate and this is our standard way of working. However, given that we operate a small but high-volume kitchen, some items were temporarily placed outside for preparation purposes.

"We work with Rentokil Hygiene who have been responsible for cleaning our extraction and ventilation systems every six months (This is a requirement), as well as managing our pest control operations for over five years. We rely on their recommendations for pest-related work, and all necessary actions are promptly executed. This is also available as a report from Rentokil.

"The report also emphasises the need for significant improvements in implementing systems and checks to ensure the safety of the food served or sold at MBER. We meticulously log all stored items upon food arrival and conduct quality checks. As we receive daily deliveries, our food is freshly prepared daily, resulting in occasionally selling out specific items. All temperature charts and logs are situated in our office and not in the kitchen – unfortunately the Head Chef at the time failed to notify us of their location, and we only had loose sheets that we provided on the day.

"Furthermore, it was noted that MBER's staff lacked proper training in food safety and hygiene standards. During the inspection, we responded to all questions raised by the Environmental Health Officer (EHO), and it became apparent that our staff fell short of diluting chemicals correctly. Considering the concentrated and hazardous nature of chemicals commonly used in the hospitality industry, individuals handling food must refrain from directly dealing with these substances. Our Kitchen Porters are tasked with preparing these ahead of each service and were aware of the concentrations. We have now made hygiene sheets available next to allergen sheets for easy reference.

"The report also mentions the absence of a system for verifying food safety, a comprehensive allergen list for customers, and allegations of unhygienic food preparation. Having allergen sheets readily accessible has always been an essential requirement at MBER, and our waiting staff make a point of asking all diners about their allergens. These sheets are available in each section, including the kitchen and front desk. Regarding the claim of unhygienic food preparation, it is an inaccurate statement. All surfaces are disinfected prior to and post-prep. We cater to diners with allergen requirements daily and have never encountered any incidents. We take utmost care and maintain a dedicated area in the kitchen to ensure 100% avoidance of cross-contamination. All our staff members receive training in handling diner allergen requests.

"The inspection report also noted a "widespread" issue of rodent and pest infestation, with droppings found on equipment. It is essential to clarify that these droppings were discovered on old equipment no longer in use and in a store cupboard. Proper collection and disposal procedures were followed for these items. While there was some activity found behind certain fridges, none of the radar traps managed by Rentokil were triggered. The majority of the radar traps are designed to alert Rentokil in case of activation directly. We consistently provide all Rentokil reports to the EHO for documentation purposes.

"Upon receiving the inspection report, we took the opportunity to temporarily close the business and address all concerns raised by the EHO. During this closure, we conducted necessary structural and internal work which was not related to the visit. We appointed a new Head Chef, and housekeeping is back to our standard. We have also reduced the number of dishes served, creating more storage space. All recommendations from Rentokil were promptly implemented. We immediately reapplied for a visit to rectify the current 0 rating, and we are confident that the measures we have put in place will enable us to regain our 5-star rating."

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