Gino D’Acampo’s Liverpool restaurant is in trouble with health bosses again

Stale steak and a pack of ham sat behind celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo’s Liverpool restaurant which was hit with a poor hygiene rating for the second time.

Just over a year after environmental health officials took a dim view of cleanliness and food handling at the Old Hall Street location, the Italian restaurateur’s business is back in the bad book. The findings of Liverpool Council’s inspection – released through a Freedom of Information request – detailed where the venue fell short, leading to a rating of one out of five.

Among its failings that prompted a call to make major improvements were chateaubriand steak being kept beyond its use-by date, as well as bone-in beef found with a use-by date three weeks before the March inspection.

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The latest assessment was carried out by the city’s health officers almost 12 months after it was revealed the eponymous venue had earned the five-star rating. This followed a damning review of how the restaurant handled meat and a failure to clean up shards of broken glass in January last year.

The new report, which puts new scrutiny on the business, said inspectors found four 16oz steaks past their use-by date in a downstairs kitchen. In addition, a 32oz beef rib roast was four days past its due date.

Manufacturers were using the expiration date on a package of sliced ​​honey roast ham, too, when officials inspected the downtown kitchen. The report also noted that a tray of vacuum-packed swordfish was labeled with the incorrect date, while chilled boneless beef was found with a use-by date of June 7, 2023.

Officials have given strict instructions to the management going forward. The report said: “You must ensure that you follow written procedures documented in practice, particularly in relation to date labeling and stock rotation.

“I note that your daily closing checks for food safety (stale food) conflict with what we found in practice during today’s inspection.”

The hotel opened in September following extensive renovations to the building following the ECHO’s move to new offices across the road in St Paul’s Square in 2018. The 17-storey development includes the city’s second Gino D’Acampo restaurant, which has a sky bar. .

Mr D’Acampo’s first business opened in the former HSBC bank building on Castle Street almost six years ago and has been replaced by 200 Riva Blu covers.

In a statement following the publication of the original review out of five, a spokesperson for the restaurant said: “We are extremely disappointed by this rating and do not believe it is a fair and balanced reflection of the high standards of food hygiene. cleanliness and management are found at our Liverpool restaurant. The reasons for this were formally cited to the local authority, who during the visit praised the restaurant for its standards of cleanliness, and a request for a re-inspection was immediately submitted.

“This is expected to happen in the coming weeks. We are committed to providing our guests with the highest standards of service and following the local authority’s visit in March, the recommended improvements have been implemented with immediate effect.

“Thorough audits have since been carried out, independent expert consultants have confirmed that all necessary food hygiene procedures are in place and being followed. We continue to work closely with the local authority to bring this issue to a close and look forward to seeing a return to our previous high scores, in line with our other restaurants, all of which have achieved the highest possible ratings of five.”

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