Chola NYC has Rats, Mice, Food Contamination, Vermin Issues; NYC Health Dept Pees on Bollywood Actor Shiva Natarajan’s Chola Indian Restaurant
OMG, OMG, Rats, mice, vermin and food contamination issues?
Chola NYC – Restaurant or Pig-Sty?
Say, is Chola NYC on E.58th St in Midtown Manhattan an Indian restaurant or a filthy pig-sty.
Folks, Rats, Mice, Vermin, Sewage and Food Contamination issues are some of the hygiene problems identified by the NYC Health Department on August 26, 2010 at Chola, the flagship Indian restaurant of Bollywood actor Shiva Natarajan in NYC and the favorite of Indian movie stars like Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai.
Do Hollywood stars Harrison Ford and Woody Allen also come to your Rat & Mice place oops Chola, Shiva?
Geez, Harrison Ford and Woody Allen would have a heart attack if only they knew how dirty Chola is!
Chola NYC – Dirty, Really Dirty
Guys, if we’ve said it once we’ve said it a million times – Bollywood actor Shiva Natarajan is irresponsibly careless when it comes to hygiene at his NYC restaurants.
Repeatedly, Shiva’s Indian restaurants get pulled up by the NYC Health Dept. over evidence of rats, mice, roaches and other serious hygiene issues.
Rats, Mice, Vermin, Food Contamination Issues
Hit Shiva Natarajan’s Flagship Chola
In the latest instance, the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene has put out a highly damaging report on Shiva’s Chola Indian restaurant that gives it a massive 40 violation points.
And the report is so damaging that Chola and Shiva Natarajan are both in deep shit.
Here are the Sanitary Violations Highlighted by the NYC Health Dept (Critical violations marked by Health Dept. in Red color):
1) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
2) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
4) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
5) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
6) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
7) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
8. Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit. Continue Reading
Remember Tamil Nadu Bhavan on Lexington Avenue in the Curry Hill area of NYC?
Tamil Nadu Bhavan (located opposite to Curry Leaf) was a south Indian vegetarian restaurant but that positioning couldn’t save it.
Tamil Nadu Bhavan has been gone for more than a year now.
Does anyone even miss it?
Tamil Nadu Bhavan – Gone Baby, Gone
By the way, here’s an excerpt from our review of Tamil Nadu Bhavan:
Clearly, service is non-existent at Tamil Nadu Bhavan. Our rude waiter was completely
When it comes to most Indian restaurants in New York City, the question to ask is how low can these shitholes go.
The answer: Really, really low.
Believe us, guys. Believe us.
Shameless Scumbags
First, these Indian restaurants should start hiring real chefs not clueless buffoons who don’t know their way around the kitchen.
Second, scumbags who own restaurants like Baluchi’s (W.56th St) should pay their employees a living wage and stop stealing from diners. Hey, you low-life owner of Baluchi’s why the hell do you impose a gratuity on dining parties of less than four when your menu clearly states in unambiguous language that the 18% gratuity is for parties of four or more. In our lexicon, this is a crooked, disgraceful practice. We are inclined to send a photo of your menu and a copy of our bill to the New York Attorney General’s office to investigate your restaurant for cheating.
Third, wait-staff at Indian restaurants like Baluchi’s (W.56th St) should be taught the basics like providing clean plates, offering knives and forks with the food, refilling water-glasses and stop texting/fiddling with mobile phones in the dining hall.
Trashy Food
From the salty Chicken Curry to the sour Vegetable Jalfrezi to the God-awful Vegetable Biryani… click here to read more
Related Stories:
Baluchi’s Rakesh Aggarwal: A Million $$ Nightmare
Baluchi’s Indian Food has Food Contamination and Plumbing Issues – NYC Health Dept.
Baluchi’s W.56th St Marred by Evidence of Live Roaches, Vermin, Adulterated Food; Fails NYC Health Inspection
Gone Baby, Gone 1 – Ada E.58th St, NYC
Why do so many Indian restaurants in NYC fail?
Over the years, we’ve watched so many Indian restaurants go out of business in Manhattan.
Not just on Lexington Ave but also in Midtown East, Midtown West, Downtown et al.
They keep failing all over NYC and in Queens and Long Island too.
In our not so humble opinion, Indian restaurants in NYC fail for a variety of reasons:
* Insufferably Bad Food. Most Indian restaurants in NYC serve lousy food and the chefs wouldn’t recognize a good curry if it bit them in the ass.
* Poor hygiene and customer distaste over the dirty establishments.
* Treating Indian customers/diners badly (most Indian restaurants we’ve been to are guilty of this sin).
* Over-priced food/Failure to provide value for money.
* Depressed economy.
* Horrible service.
* Bad management.
Surya NYC has Food Adulteration/Contamination, Mice Issues – NYC Health Dept.
Raw, cooked or prepared food at Surya on Bleecker St in New York City is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan, says the New York City Health Department after inspecting this Indian restaurant on August 19, 2010.
Surya NYC also has evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Surya located at 302 Bleecker St in Manhattan received a whopping 30 Violation Points.
Sanitary Violations observed at Surya during the August 19, 2010 inspection:
(Critical Violations in red color):
*1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Pricey Indian restaurant At Vermilion, located at 480 Lexington Avenue in Midtown East Manhattan, has fared badly in the recent New York City Health Department inspection notching up 27 violation points.
Food contact surface at, At Vermilion is not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred, says the NYC Health Department following an inspection on August 12, 2010.
Further, hand washing facility is not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room, hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees is not provided at facility, soap and an acceptable hand-drying device is not provided, according to the NYC Health inspection report.
At Vermilion Indian restaurant received 27 violation points of which food contact surface, hand washing facility and cold food item held above 41º F issues were marked as critical violations.
Sanitary Violations observed at At Vermilion during the August 12, 2010 inspection
(Critical Violations in red color):
*1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room.
Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility.
Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
3) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
4) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained;
anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required;
Fall for Dance Festival
What: Contemporary to Tap, Hip Hop to Ballet, Modern to Indian Dance Festival
When: September 28 – October 9, 2010 @ 8:00 pm; October 3, 2010 @ 3:00 pm
Where: City Center Mainstage
New York City Center,
130 West 56th Street,
New York, NY 10019
Contact: 212-581-1212
ZooFari Passport Adventure: Celebrating Asia
What: Traditional Dance from India and China
When: August 21-22, 2010
Where: The Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Boulevard
Bronx, NY
Contact: 212-288-6400
Darbar Grill Indian restaurant, located at 157 East 55 St in Midtown East Manhattan, has filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas, says the New York City Health Department following its inspection of this Indian restaurant on August 11, 2010.
Filth flies, according to the NYC Health Dept inspection report of August 11, 2010, include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and phorid flies.
Further, food contact surface at Darbar Grill is not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred according to the NYC Health inspection report.
Darbar Grill Indian restaurant received 30 violation points of which presence of filth flies, cold food item and food contact surface issues are marked as critical violations.
Sanitary Violations observed at Darbar Grill during the August 11, 2010 inspection
(Critical Violations in red color):
*1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
Hindu Unity Day
What: Hindu Unity Day includes variety entertainment programs
When: August 8, 2010
Where: Flushing Ganesh Temple Auditorium
45-57 Bowne St
Flushing, NY 11355
Contact: 718-460-8484