Eatery now `generally clean,' says public health inspector
Feb 20, 2008 04:30 AM
Noor Javed
Staff Reporter

A popular Chinatown restaurant has gotten the green pass to reopen after it was shut down when a passerby snapped a photo (see photos) through the front window of rats climbing and feasting on countertops used for cooking.

The Dumpling House at 328 Spadina Ave. was closed Friday afternoon after public health officials received the complaint and investigated. They found evidence of fresh rat droppings and holes in the walls, indicating an "active infestation."

"All of these things put together indicate that there was a serious rat problem in the restaurant," said Jim Chan, manager of food safety with Toronto Public Health. "During my career, I have never seen a situation where there are three or four rats right in front of you in broad daylight."

The photo of the rats was taken Friday morning, hours before the restaurant opened. The inspectors shut it down as lunch was coming to an end. The photo was later posted at blogto.com.

"Today I had lunch at Dumpling House ... the same day that rats were witnessed, scurrying about with their little rat feet over top of the table where delicious dumplings are formed," wrote one blogger named Cam.

"We make dumplings in the front window. We kind of showcase the food, we don't hide anything from the public," said Michael Chu, the manager of the Dumpling House.

The restaurant was closed over the long weekend and management was told it would have to comply with health regulations, including disinfecting the premises and contacting a pest-control operator.

Chu said he wanted to deal with the vermin problem. "If the city didn't shut us down, I would have closed," he said.

The staff spent the weekend "bleaching" tables, counters, containers and utensils. Chu hired a pest control operator to set traps.

"I was here until 3 a.m. every night just waiting for the rats, " he said. While he hasn't seen any, and none have been caught, he says he has figured out where they came from. "They broke in," he said, laughing. "I found a hole in the wall, where it looks like they squeeze through."

After a thorough re-investigation by public health officials yesterday afternoon, the restaurant was deemed fit to reopen.

"I believe they have the rodent problem under control," said Chan. "They have proved to us that they have cleaned and sanitized all the surfaces. "The place was generally clean," he added.

The restaurant passed a public health inspection on Nov. 22, 2007.

While the incident will cost Chu around $10,000 in cleanup and closing costs, he says he's not concerned. Even with a sign outside alerting people to the infestation, he had to turn people away. "I have gotten calls of support all day. It's touching. I just want to cry."

Chan said charges are pending against the restaurant, with a maximum fine of $25,000. Health officials will be making random checks in months ahead.