A beloved Thai food chain with six locations in Toronto has been ordered by health inspectors to close one of its locations until further notice after racking up multiple violations.
EAT BKK Kitchen at 513 Bloor St. W. at The Annex received an official closure notice on Monday, August 29 after Toronto Public Health inspectors found a total of eight violations, four of which were significant and two of which were critical.
Among the most serious violations reported were “food premises maintained in a manner that allowed health hazards (rodents)” and “failure to protect food from contamination or adulteration.”
Eat BKK Thai Bar & Restaurant opened in late 2020 as a more contemporary version of the brand’s original Thai street food venues, and is not to be confused with its Annex Food Hall location, which was closed during a long time, on the street.
The place is known for its exotic decor, contemporary craft cocktails and beautifully presented gourmet dishes such as Khao soi poutine, chicken salmon and smoked kimchi fried rice.
Unfortunately, it was in a very poor condition when inspectors visited earlier this week.
The restaurant was found to have two critical violations, four major violations, one minor violation and one violation labeled as other on Monday. Image via DineSafe.
Inspectors issued four “major” violations on Monday, penalizing Eat BKK for not having conveniently accessible hand-washing stations for food handlers, failing to protect against harboring pests and operating equipment without “rinsing sufficient chemical solution”.
The restaurant was also reported for “not removing garbage when necessary to maintain sanitary conditions.”
A minor violation was recorded for failure to maintain a food handling room in a sanitary condition, and a violation labeled “other” cites failure to ensure the presence of a food handler or supervisor at all hours of operation
Eat BKK Kitchen has been issued notices to comply with all of the above violations and should reopen when health inspectors are satisfied that any issues have been resolved.