Two Sisters Thai Laos cuisine in civic had rat droppings in rice and urine on the floor, court told
Rat droppings in the rice and dead cockroaches in the kitchen among the “filth” which cost the owner a $10,000 fine
Canberra Star
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A popular Canberra restaurant was strewn with what a magistrate said “can only be described as filth” including rat droppings in rice.
The former owner of Two Sisters Thai Laos Cuisine on London Cct, Sisouk Rajbandith, was on Thursday fined $10,000 for six breaches of the Food Act.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston said photos taken by food inspectors last year “shows there was a large amount of what can only be described as filth throughout the restaurant”.
The court heard Rajbandith had since sold the restaurant at a loss, but still owned the Two Sisters branch in nearby Dixon.
Rajbandith told the court she stopped by once or twice a week when her sister was managing the city business, and that since the health department charged her she had suffered embarrassment and nightmares.
Mr Theakston said it was unacceptable for Rajbandith’s restaurant to have had “raw rice uncovered in a storage room in such a way it was open and there was rat faeces in the raw rice”.
The basin where kitchen staff were meant to wash their hands was broken, leaving staff to instead wash up in a sink used for food, leaving food open to the risk of contamination.
Mr Theakston said: “Care needs to be taken to not become over excited about clear and confronting photographs, but what the photographs do depict are areas of the restaurant, which are clearly inadequate.’’
“It would have been apparent, you would have thought, to any diligent owner, it was not fit for the purpose of food preparation.”
It took eight days to get the restaurant up to standard, during which it was shut to the public.
He said the fine had to be big enough to send a message to Rajbandith and other restaurant owners that the public expect food to be prepared hygienically.
“I note that she still remains in the food and restaurant business,” he said.
He accepted Rajbandith was remorseful and embarrassed.