Vancouver Restaurant Sanitation

[Vancouver]

There was an older thread about these online inspection sites that I can't seem to dig up now. But Vancouver/Richmond have similar data available online regarding the latest health inspections here.

For "interesting" reading there check Joe Fortes' string of reports, including the mice droppings. It seems that part of town has regularly had troubles as Aki also reports rodent droppings in the storage area and Samba has a report of a fruit fly infestation in its history.

Cheers!

[nwyles]

The Health inspection reports are fairly routine.

Hard to reach places need to be cleaned, fans accumulate dust etc.

They serve their purpose.

Mice are not uncommon, esp. near giant construction sites where old buildings have been leveled. They have to go somewhere. It is how they are dealt with afterwards that is the indicator to the operation. If it is Fortes, just look to the Shangra-la. You could go years without a mouse, and then boom, over-run.

What is always surprising about the Health reports is that really bad reports ( 30 plus violations ) tend to disappear after the operator has cleaned up their act.

remember " Chiyoda " - bad health report, sushi chef manhandles health inspector.

Look for it now nad you will never find it. They never existed.

A Yaletown operation had to be threatened with a closure before they would get their act together. It was quite the nasty report. Now, if you looked for it, all it would say was that everything was fine.

Edited May 14, 2006 by nwyles (log)

[Vancouver]

Neil, your place has one of the cleanest records on the system!

But in terms of the mice, etc. I agree they are not uncommon. But one would hope that the restaurant would clean them up at first sight, and not wait for an inspection to find the problem, no?

Cheers!

Edited May 14, 2006 by Vancouver (log)

[mkjr]

Not sure if Vancouver has adopted something similar but the Pass system here in Toronto helps patrons know the status of inspections. I see a "yellow" and keep on walking.

Edited May 14, 2006 by mkjr (log)

[nwyles]

Neil, your place has one of the cleanest records on the system!

But in terms of the mice, etc. I agree they are not uncommon.  But one would hope that the restaurant would clean them up at first site, and not wait for an inspection to find the problem, no? 

Cheers!

←

My last one was at about 1:15 in the afternoon, just after a wave of humanity had lunch and then departed. I have a cooler that needs a pallet jack to move and always gets stuff behind. Gets me every time.

Health inpectors know the difference between dirty and untidy during service.

As to the mice, it takes a while when you get them. You have to patrol your building, top to bottom, steel wool and caulking gun in hand, looking for spaces that a pencil tip could fit through. Once you have dealt with no more getting in, you have to deal with the ones that got in.

When we moved into our building 10 years ago, it had sat empty for a few years. It had been a warehouse, surrounded by current construction. I was caulking and filling holes for ages, even in the other suites. My knees had calouses and my trigger finger worn out. I do not look to ever repeat that again.

[nwyles]

If you want to see something scary, search the Health Board site for restaurant closures. They list them by years.

A couple of things to remember when looking at it.

Hot water tank explodes : closed

City sewer system backs up : closed

These types of things are out of the operators controls and closures are put in place by the Health Board so no one is tempted to open.

My favourite Chinese Take out on the corner of commercial and 12th has a very gross report. Needless to say, we will never order from there again. ever.

[Vancouver]

For those interested, the closure list that Neil refers to is located here: http://www.vch.ca/environmental/docs/food/..._closures06.pdf

You like szechuan chong qing, Neil? Yes, their health report was nasty, I agree.

Cheers!

Edited May 14, 2006 by Vancouver (log)

[kevfoodvan]

here is another great link: http://www.bccdc.org/division.php?item=7

For those interested, the closure list that Neil refers to is located here:  http://www.vch.ca/environmental/docs/food/..._closures06.pdf

You like szechuan chong qing, Neil?  Yes, their health report was nasty, I agree. 

Cheers!

←

[nwyles]

For those interested, the closure list that Neil refers to is located here:  http://www.vch.ca/environmental/docs/food/..._closures06.pdf

You like szechuan chong qing, Neil?  Yes, their health report was nasty, I agree. 

Cheers!

←

At times like this, I think it was better to live in ignorant bliss. I really did not need to know all those things about my take out place.

Before I knew all of this gross shit, I liked the food.

[nwyles]

For those interested, the closure list that Neil refers to is located here:  http://www.vch.ca/environmental/docs/food/..._closures06.pdf

You like szechuan chong qing, Neil?  Yes, their health report was nasty, I agree. 

Cheers!

←

For those of you interested, change the last two digits to reflect each year and see whay comes up. 02, 03, 04, 05

[Pam R]

Moderator Note:

Just a note that I have merged the two threads on restaurant sanitation and inspections.

Pam

[fud]

I was writing a message about another topic when I realized when I review a restaurant for someone, it is always important to me how clean a restaurant is.

If I go in and it seems the least bit dirty, I exit. I figure if its dirty in front, how dirty is it in the back. I thought this might be an interesting topic.

←

Interestingly, I judge the cleanliness of the kitchen by the bathroom. If the bathroom is a mess I assume the kitchen is no better.

The Coastal health reports are an interesting read indeed. Banana leaf was cited numerous times but I have to admit I love the food there and I havn't personally gotten sick yet. I really like the Ontario rating system. It puts health code violations right on the forefront of attention since you either comply or are branded. I liked how they even do it for grocery stores (read the thread on supermarket nigthmares).

[Feedbag]

Oh, nooooo, not Chongqing! Say it isn't so!!!

You're telling me the best fried green beans in

town are tainted? I swear I checked that location

out after their Burnaby outlet was cited so many

times it was closed down, but didn't see anything.

Guess I wasn't looking hard enough. In fact, I'm

not going to look now. No, I won't. I also won't

go back...sniff.