Blatant Disregard for Hygiene Results in Epic Fine for Vietnamese Restaurant in Verdun

A restaurant in Verdun has run afoul of city safety inspectors in a big way.

Le Journal de Montréal reporter Stéphan Dussault calls the most recent file on Pho Bac No. 1, located at 4707 Wellington, "un rapport dévastateur."

A translated excerpt from Dussault's article.

When inspectors went to Montreal Vietnamese restaurant Pho Bac No. 1, January 6, 2014, they soon realized that they had not come for nothing. Fat was dripping from the ventilation hood and raw chicken was left at room temperature for days.

But they had no idea that five months later they would return to find that almost nothing had changed.

That is why, on September 8, a judge sentenced the Verdun restaurant to a fine of $1,500 for the improper sanitation before slapping owners with a harsher sentence of $2,800 for repeat offenses.

It gets worse.

· A slicer contained rotten meat. Nobody on staff knew how to dismantle and clean the machine.
· Fetid odours were detected around the dish pit.
· A fridge was full of "black grime."
· Knives and other stored kitchen instruments were greasy.
· Several pounds of raw beef and chicken were left outside at temperatures above 20°C

As a result of these numerous infractions, the judge imposed additional fines in excess of $6,000.

Yelp reviewers have been on to Pho Bac No. 1 for some time now.

"Dirty bathrooms. I wonder about the kitchen. Food was ok at best." - Wolfgang L.

"Will never eat here again. Here's why... Ordered a plate with grilled pork, grilled beef and rice. From the moment the plate was put down in front of me, something smelled rotten. It was the beef, the beef was very past date. I was hungry and it was late, so i took the beef out of my plate and ate what i deemed to be edible. Server came by, i told her the beef i was served was rancid, she did not seem to understand, and took off minus the rancid beef." - Scott K.

"There was this pork soup. It was horrible. The pork bits, and I normally LOVE pig meat, looked like little turds floating in a bouillon that tasted like soapy dirty dish water. After 2 spoonfuls I was DONE with that soup." - David D.

Pho Bac No. 1 owner Thanh Tinh Do was not available for comment.