Rogue Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants In London

[Frank]

Rogue Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants In London.

Did anyone see the BBC1 investigative programme 'Rogue restaurants' this evening - which homed in on the Tai vegetarian/vegan restaurants in London?

What did you think?

Have you been to any?

Areas covered illegal immigrants, lack of hygiene and food poisoning.

[bryzee86]

No I didn't see that!

blimey!

To be honest, it doesn't surprise me. Apparently, at one of them, according to a happycow reviewer, the workers ate meat right in front of the customers and, when confronted, didn't even know what a vegan was, nor that the food was vegan.

[Frank]

I guess whilst a lot of vegans feel - well - maybe 'special' with their committed lifestyle - we should not presume that a business that caters for us will also be special.

All restaurants can fall foul of infestations such as mice, all can employ people who will work 100 hours a week for a pittance - and why should vegans expect a better service than meat eaters?

The facts are we can also get food poisoning too from badly presented food.

In making those statements above - I just thought it was a bit unfair to single out vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Why not just state restaurants? They did go to another place, possibly an Italian one (maybe omnivore?), but I could not get to see that part due to someone calling me up.

[Mr Flibble]

I've not watched it so can't comment (it'll be on iplayer), but I do know it's a series that and the others that I've seen weren't vegetarian/vegan. IIRC they did harvester last week.

[Gorilla]

i didn't see the show, although i have heard about possible dodgy hygiene standards at some of these restaurants. personally i've had nothing but good experiences there, and i'd continue to eat there until i find otherwise.

[BlackCats]

I didn't see the programme but I had an illuminating discussion with the Rentokill guy in the place where I used to work. He said he doesn't eat in certain areas of London because of the infestation problems, Soho and Brick Lane being two places I remember he mentioned. I still eat out in Soho anyway.

[Stu]

Whoa - I'd like to see this.

[seitan]

i didn't see the show, although i have heard about possible dodgy hygiene standards at some of these restaurants. personally i've had nothing but good experiences there, and i'd continue to eat there until i find otherwise.

me too. im going to london sunday, and ill eb eating somewhere otehr than the tai palces, BUT, will be gettign takeway at a tai to bring home and eat later sunday night.

i dont kid myself that ANY restaurants are perfect., hygeinically (sp?) run. when i was an apprentice we had to go to this pub/restaurant in the cotswolds. it was a very expensive/snobby palce. we were there to see to one of the cookers that wasnt working (i think, cant remember, was a long time ago). the chef dropped astaek o nthe floor, picked it up, in front of us, washed it under the tap and said " that'll be fine".
i thought it was funny, cos it was onyl going to be a carnie wh oate it and got food poisoning.

*i know ,through pevious threads, some of you may be appallled that i would be happy for some carnie to get food poisoning from meat. you should know how i feel by now, so be prepared, then you wont feel "offended"

[seitan]

I didn't see the programme but I had an illuminating discussion with the Rentokill guy in the place where I used to work. He said he doesn't eat in certain areas of London because of the infestation problems, Soho and Brick Lane being two places I remember he mentioned. I still eat out in Soho anyway.

ironically,im sure the same guy would still eat meat (which is obviously contaminated) not knowing the hygine standards (what a joke that is) of the slaughterhosue qwhere the meat came from.

what people SEE, bothers them.

[Mr Flibble]

UK people can watch it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00cwgzh/

I just have, and it doesn't look good.

They seem to openly employ illegal imigrants on below minimum wage, and have pretty bad hygeine standards with reguard to putting food back out which already has been.

I've eaten in them a lot of times (30+) over the past 6 years. I've noticed on many occassions both dishes that were hot being served as cold (i.e. the following day) and ones that were meant to be hot not very at all. The quality seems to vary greatly and in recent years I've been a lot less impressed than I used to be. Never been ill, but am now more wary. I'd happily pay twice the price for them to rectify these problems, but I'm not sure they would survive in what has to be some of the most expensive premises in the UK if they did put their prices up.

Pretty sad really, there was a time when I *really* liked going there (the greek street one was the first). I've chatted to the manager of Joi before and almost went to the free cookery clases they used to do on Sundays. I've got some of their seiten in the cupboard downstairs too, which I think will be going in the bin now

[Gorilla]

thanks for the link Mr F, i'm watching it now (it's a pretty awful programme).

i'd be more worried about the fact that they employ illegal immigrants under minimum wage, than problems with mice or re-serving food the next day. *shrug*

[cobweb]

horrid - i just don't eat out atall these days and this is why!

[bryzee86]

thanks for the link Mr F, i'm watching it now (it's a pretty awful programme).

i'd be more worried about the fact that they employ illegal immigrants under minimum wage, than problems with mice or re-serving food the next day. *shrug*

Me too, Gorilla. Absolutely disgusting, exploiting people like that.

Won't be eating there ever again - i'll go maoz.

[Frank]

Me too, Gorilla. Absolutely disgusting, exploiting people like that.

Won't be eating there ever again - i'll go maoz.

We can't be sure that Maoz or anywhere else is doing anything but the same.

[bryzee86]

We can't be sure that Maoz or anywhere else is doing anything but the same.

i think the folks that serve at maoz own the franchise.

[Mr Flibble]

I agree with comments about minimum wage. I know that illegal immigration isn't as it always seems.

I've been given a sweet there after my meal before which according to the ingredients isn't vegetarian.

They seem to have recently changed their website, which now has 2 non vegan recipes on it: http://vegveg.com/recipes_details.php?id=37

I was always under the impression that they were franchises too?

[seitan]

We can't be sure that Maoz or anywhere else is doing anything but the same.

exactly.
the thing about employing illegals is interesting tho.
i had many ilegal freinds living and working in london. they were happy with what they got (of course everybody wnats more) as it menat they could live in london.
not everybody will be in the situation they were in (their wage probably isnt that much better now, even tho theyre legal), i understand that, i just dont think its so black and white that this people are unhappy, for sure they are being exploited (arent we all?), but many of these people will be way happier here than in their native countries.
im not in any way supporting the slave wage, just trying to put some perspective on it.

as for the hygeine, like frank said, we've no idea what any of these places are lucky. the places that look the nicest in the restaurant could have the crappest kitchesn ,or just the crappest staff.
if you eat out, you ALWAYS take that chance.

[seitan]

thanks for posting the link mr fibble.
it seemed to concentrate more on the illegal immigrant side of things than the hygeine.
i dont really have a problem with illegal immigrants (many of my freinds in london were), tho i obviously have a problem with them being exploited, but its difficult ,cos some of these people will be much happier here on low income than being i ntheir naitve lands.

[BlackCats]

Yes thanks Mr Flibble for the link, I watched most of the show although I find that male presenter quite irritating. Luckily Tai buffet is one of the veggie restaurants I've avoided in Soho anyway.

[Mr Flibble]

The film is extremely misleading when it says that 180 quid is less than half the minimum wage. I thought it sounded a bit funny when they said it on the film. Assuming that he isn't paying tax and 180 quid is the amount he gives to them each week then he may actually be paying them minimum wage.

Here's the calculation:

Minimum wage for 18-21s is 4.60 an hour. If working a 6 day week lets say that's 45 hours.

Minimum wage per year = 4.6 * 45 * 52 = £10764
Minimum wage per year after tax = £9,126.62 (link to calculation)

180 per week, divided by 45 is 4 pounds per hour. For perspective the highest minimum wage in China according to wikipedia is 35p an hour.

Their wage per year assuming no tax = 4 * 45 * 52 = £9,360

So, for the 18-21 minimum wage bracket his workers take home £233 MORE.

In the +22 bracket they take 1209 less, in the -18 bracket 1802 more.

We are of course forgetting tips and the fact that many uk restuarants pay below minimum wage excl tips, which is currently legal and I believe widespread: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7533863.stm

Which means that he's ripping off HM revenue and customs, but to say he's paying less than half the minimum wage to the employees is bbc pseudo documentary bollocks.

[seitan]

thanks for that mr fibble. its always too easy for people to accept what they see and hear on tv, in papers etc.

[Gorilla]

very true Mr F. i found the whole style of the programme irritating, especially when the male presenter ate something in the restaurant and said it was horrible, he was obviously only saying that for the cameras

[sandra]

To be fair to the programme makers though, they are just investigating 'rogue' restaurants. I seen last weeks and it was about non vegan places, it just so happened that this weeks one featured a vegan place.