Garden City Restaurant on Leytonstone High Road has been close by the council due to a cockroach infestation and generally poor hygiene.

Senior Environmental Health Officer Pip Broad, who closed the premises, said:

It was one of the worst cockroach infestations I have ever seen. The cockroaches were crawling all over the work surfaces and it would have been impossible to miss them. I could hear them scurrying round my feet as I was inspecting the restaurant.

Nice

More info including video footage of said roaches on Waltham Forest Council’s website.

The Your London Website carries hygiene ratings and reports  for food businesses across London. Ratings are based on the good old Amazon style star system, zero (very poor) to five (excellent). Looking at E11, there are quite a few surprises….

• The Walnut Tree (four stars)
• Costa Coffee in Tesco (four stars)
• McDonalds (four stars)
• Singburi (three stars)
• Golden Curry (three stars)
• Meze Patisserie (three stars)
• Elche (three stars)
• Petch Sayam (two stars)
• Star of India (one star)
• Chopsticks (no stars)
• Tesco Supermarket (no stars!)

Big shock there for Tesco – their staff canteen is rated at four stars by the way. Also a big shock to see Star of India, Waltham Forest’s Restaurant of the Year in 2005 rating so poorly. Hopefully those with lower scores have now addressed any issues raised.

In Wanstead, things seem to be somewhat better…

• The George (five stars)
• Applebees (four stars)
• Loon Yee (four stars)
• Gioberti (four stars)
• Starbucks (four stars)
• Hadley House (three stars)
• Somerfield (three stars)

For more info, visit the excellent http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/.