Cockroaches and dead mice were found in the Wong Kei kitchen.
Wong Kei, the well-known Chinatown restaurant has been fined over £40,000 after cockroaches and dead mice were found in the kitchen.
Gosing Limited, the operators of Wong Kei, received an order to pay £31,503.25 in fines and costs for failing to comply with food safety and hygiene regulations. Additionally, the authorities fined Daniel Luc, who controls the restaurant, £10,803.25.
Inspectors found that the restaurant had issues with mice and cockroaches. They also found other food hygiene offences including cross-contamination of raw and precooked food and unsanitary hygiene practices by staff.
Westminster City Council’s Environmental Health team visited the restaurant in 2022. They served Wong Kei two Hygiene Improvement Notices, requiring improvements in business standards.
Then, Wong Kei operated under Jexstar Limited with Daniel Luc as director.
Following this incident, they informed the Council that Daniel Luc was no longer with the restaurant. The restaurant then operated under Gosing Limited.
However, inspecting the restaurant in May 2023 the council found that Daniel Luc still retained overall control.
Between them, Mr. Luc and Gosing Limited pleaded guilty to 11 offences. Westminster Magistrates’ Court fined them a total £42,306.50 on September 4, 2024.
In addition to the hygiene offenses, authorities found that Mr. Luc had falsified documents.
Wong Kei is a London Chinatown staple. Opened in the 1970s, it has four floors and can seat over 500 people. They specialise in Cantonese food.
Furthermore, it built up a reputation in the 80s and 90s for its rude staff. The London Chinatown website politely describes the restaurant as “becoming famous for its impersonal level of service”.
According to the Government’s Food Standard Agency website, the most recent inspection in July 2024 for Wong Kei rated the restaurant as 2 out of 5. This means “Improvement Necessary”.
Councillor Aicha Less, the deputy leader of the Westminster Council, said the fines “demonstrate that Westminster Council remains committed to ensuring the safety and protection of consumers who enjoy the wide variety of food within the borough”.
They also added: “It is only fair that we ensure that those businesses who invest in compliance have the chance to thrive and that those who put others at risk of harm are held to account for their failures and unscrupulous practices.”
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