Abu Dhabi health authorities shut down restaurant over food safety breaches

Health inspectors found frozen food not properly thawed before cooking and insects in food storage areas

Al Ibrahimi's Electra Street branch was shut down on Monday by health authorities. The National

A branch of a popular restaurant in Abu Dhabi has been shut down by authorities for breaching food safety rules.

Al Ibrahimi's branch on Electra Street was closed on Monday after the restaurant flouted health and safety regulations, an Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority statement said.

Health officials said the restaurant was given a warning for being unhygienic and storing food in unsanitary areas before they closed it down.

Frozen food was not properly thawed before cooking, leaving meat and poultry with an unpleasant smell, they said.

Insects were also found in food storage areas which could have posed a risk to consumers' health, the statement said.

"The decision to close the restaurant came after its repeated failure to meet health and food safety standards," the statement said.

"Two notices were already issued against the restaurant in addition to an administrative warning of closure because of low cleanliness levels in food preparation and storage areas."

The restaurant will remain closed until the management rectifies the situation.

In 2011, the restaurant's Madinat Zayed branch was shut down after inspectors found its fridges laden with rotting meat and its kitchen crawling with cockroaches and rats.

At that time, inspectors from the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority said the air in the badly ventilated kitchen was heavy with the stench of tens of kilograms of meat and chicken past the use by date. It also ordered that 85kg of meat be destroyed.

Al Ibrahimi serves a wide variety of dishes from Arabic to Indian and Pakistani cuisines at its branches across the country.

Inspectors regularly sweep through the emirate's restaurants to safeguard public health and ensure restaurants comply with food safety requirements.

The public is urged to report any issues by calling 800555.