Dirty Secret Of Fine Dining

The ambience is exquisite, the menus carefully curated and the plating worthy of a photograph.

But beyond the polished dining rooms and swinging kitchen doors, the reality can be considerably less appetising.

The suspension of 14 restaurant licences over reported hygiene violations, along with a notice to Taj Falaknuma Palace, has turned the spotlight away from the dining table and towards the kitchen.

As Hyderabad’s culinary scene becomes ambitious, an uncomfortable question emerges: are the kitchens living up to the standards diners expect?

For Avinash Mohanty, IPS, Commissioner, Telangana SAFE (Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs), the action is part of a wider enforcement drive.

“More than 500 food establishments have been inspected in the past two months.

Around 130 licences have been suspended, 19 establishments shut down for operating without licences, over 150 improvement notices and more than 120 show-cause notices issued.

Nearly 100 tonnes of food have also been seized.

Most of our inspections are surprise inspections.

Only around 10 to 20 per cent are based on complaints,” he says.

The violations range from unhygienic cooking spaces and rodent or fungal infestations to improper storage, inadequate labelling and expired products.

At Taj Falaknuma Palace, the key finding concerned cooking oil.

“The first important violation was the reuse of cooking oil.

We measure something known as Total Polar Compounds (TPC) and that should not exceed 25.

At Taj Falaknuma, it had exceeded 25.

There were also labelling issues,” Mohanty says.

KITCHEN BEHIND GLAMOUR

For celebrity chef and restaurateur Sanjay Thumma, popularly known as Vah-Chef, inspections are necessary, but they must go beyond dramatic visuals.

“The public deserves clear answers; restaurants must serve safe food; authorities must act firmly where serious risks are found,” he says.

He also questions inspection practices.

Videos showing officials entering kitchens without appropriate protective clothing or handling ready-to-eat food raise concerns about whether inspectors follow the same hygiene standards expected of restaurant staff.

“Inspectors should model safe handling, explain findings and ensure the inspection itself does not create risk,” he says.

Thumma also cautions against treating every unusual kitchen practice as a violation.

“Frozen meat, for instance, is not automatically unsafe.

What matters is whether it is stored at the correct temperature, protected from contamination, properly labelled and safely thawed.”

The distinction, he believes, lies in identifying genuine risks rather than sensationalising routine practices.

DISCIPLINE BEHIND EVERY PLATE

For Chef Shankar Krishnamurthy, foodpreneur, culinary experimentalist, food safety is not a performance for inspectors but an everyday discipline.

“Refrigerator temperatures, ingredient freshness, expiry dates, staff hygiene, cleaning schedules, pest control and waste disposal need constant monitoring.

Raw and cooked food must be stored separately, while surfaces and utensils require regular sanitisation.

Safety must never be compromised for cost reduction, operational convenience or speed,” he says.

The real test comes during peak service, when speed can override caution.

Smaller food batches, temperature checks, designated responsibilities and strict handwashing routines help maintain standards.

Shankar also advocates documented temperature logs, ingredient records, cleaning schedules and pest-control reports.

CCTV adds accountability, but technology cannot replace trained staff and sound hygiene systems.

LICENCE DOES NOT MEAN HYGIENE

The licence on the wall may reassure diners, but it does not certify a hygienic kitchen.

“An FSSAI licence or registration only gives an establishment permission to operate.

It has nothing to do with hygiene standards,” Mohanty clarifies.

A separate, voluntary FSSAI hygiene-rating scheme allows approved auditors to assess establishments and assign hygiene scores.

Telangana SAFE is encouraging restaurants to opt in.

The department also tags establishments with previous violations in its database, making them more likely to face future risk-based inspections.

“All establishments are subject to the same parameters.

There are no separate standards for five-star hotels.

A restaurant is a restaurant, whether celebrity-owned or otherwise.

Everybody is treated equally,” Mohanty says.

Depending on the violation, action can range from improvement and show-cause notices to licence suspension, financial penalties and prosecution if food is found unsafe for consumption.

DINER’S RIGHT TO KNOW

For diners, Mohanty’s advice is simple: check for a prominently displayed FSSAI licence, look at the cleanliness of tables and plates, observe staff hygiene and pay attention to the freshness, smell and taste of food.

For restaurants, food safety must go beyond inspection-day compliance.

Clean kitchens, trained staff, safe storage and regular monitoring need to be part of everyday operations.

A restaurant’s reputation cannot rest on its décor, celebrity association or price tag.

The real mark of fine dining is food that is safe, clean and fit to eat.

Highlights

1. Suspension of 14 restaurant licences, along with a notice to Taj Falaknuma Palace, has turned the spotlight away from the dining table and towards the kitchen!

2. The violations range from unhygienic cooking spaces and rodent or fungal infestations to improper storage, inadequate labelling and expired products. At Taj Falaknuma Palace, the key finding concerned cooking oil.

3. “An FSSAI licence or registration only gives an establishment permission to operate. It has nothing to do with hygiene standards. Food safety requires a separate level of scrutiny and accountability.”

— Avinash Mohanty, Commissioner, Telangana SAFE

4. “Refrigerator temperatures, ingredient freshness, staff hygiene and cleaning schedules need constant monitoring. Safety must never be compromised for cost reduction, operational convenience or speed.”

— Chef Shankar Krishnamurthy, Foodpreneur and Culinary Experimentalist

5. “Inspectors should model safe handling, explain their findings and ensure that the inspection itself does not create a risk. Food safety must be enforced without compromising hygiene in the process.”

— Sanjay Thumma, Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur, Vah-Chef