Here is why these three Richmond takeaways have received poor food hygiene ratings

Despite receiving rave reviews for their “authentic” and “magnificent” sushi on websites such as TripAdvisor, Ke Sushi in London Road and Hanana on Kew Road both received a 1 star rating from the Food Standards Agency.

Sam’s Chicken on Upper Richmond Road West fared slightly better, scoring a 2 rating, but inspectors said that improvement was necessary. 

The Local Democracy Reporting Service requested the food hygiene reports from the council, and this is what we found.

Ke Sushi, 36 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3RR

Inspectors said the level of cleanliness “was poor throughout,” and were particularly concerned that the wash hand basin did not have any soap or towels to dry hands.

The kitchen was described as “dysfunctional” because cooking and food preparation had to take place in washing areas and on top of the freezer next to the entrance to the toilet. 

Inspectors also worried that staff were not using colour-coded chopping boards which risked cross-contamination of raw and cooked food. 

However Xiaolin Zhang from Ke Sushi said the restaurant has since followed the advice given and taken all the action required:

He said: “Now we are waiting for the council officer come back middle of October to do a check-up and confident Ke sushi will receive a high rating .

“We’ve been in Twickenham for five years, we had four stars last year, however in August we were instructed to revamp our kitchen and it took the rating down to one star.”

Hanana, 49 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2NQ

Dirt behind the fixtures and the kitchen and grease on hand contact services were of key concern to inspectors at Hanana. 

Since receiving a food hygiene improvement notice in January this year, inspectors were also disappointed to find the restaurant had not complied with their suggestions. 

They said there was “no evidence that food storage temperatures were being monitored,” and that there was “inadequate cleaning and sanitising measures” to prevent food contamination and “no documented food safety management procedures at the premises.”

Hanana did not respond to request for comment. 

Sam’s Chicken, 339 Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen

Stained chopping boards and small flying insects worried inspectors on their visit to Sam’s Chicken. 

They said the ultra-violet insect trap needed to be replaced and the doors needed to be kept shut. Staff also had to improve their awareness of food hygiene. 

Inspectors also noticed that chicken is marinated using a tumbler before being transferred to plastic bags, which can leak and let chicken juices drip in storage, and advised these should be stored in a separate freezer. 

Franchise Liaison Manager at Sam’s Chicken, Joe Balasingham, said: “The store has always had a star rating of four and was rated to five star on June 6 2017. Our franchisee and ourselves are very disappointed and will be working closely with the officer to rectify any issues raised.”

He also claimed that the restaurant had not yet received a regulatory services intervention report from the FSA.