Laughing Gravy

Mango sorry to say so, don't you think we are overdoing it with the health and safety? Our bodie's need a little bit of "dirt" otherwise we could not survive and above all you should immediately move out of London as this is definitively an extremely dirty city, starting with the air we breath.

Also if you expect a kitchen having a mesh I guess you have it also at your home windows as how dangerous can it be if a fly, mosquito etc. comes in at your place where you also cook (btw. a lot of households do also have mice as the isolation in a lot of places are not done properly).

I do not want to attack you, but we should start to be a little bit reasonable. The world is not a sterile place.

What a load of rubbish Mango, you seriously think that a few flies pose a health hazard? There will presumably be a fly destroyer in the kitchen anyway. You can't hermetically seal kitchens and as another poster says nothing in this world is 100% sterile.

I have flies rolling around in circles quite regularly in my kitchen. Were you born in a test tube?

Mango, thank you very much for your concern regarding our kitchen windows.

As I am sure you are aware, there are very stringent environmental health regulations that all food businesses must adhere to. We have of course been inspected and fully comply.

I can confirm that the fly meshing behind the open windows is actually secured in place. I can also confirm that no food is prepared or kept near the windows and that our kitchens are kept meticulously clean and our fantastic kitchen brigade follows the strictest hygiene regime.

As pointed out, flies are something that are common in all kitchens and across London and of course we have a fly destroyer in the kitchen (a requirement in fact).

I can also confirm that no cats have jumped or attempted to jump through our windows, no one has vomited through our windows, there are not nightly groups of youths pretending to, and no one, as far as I know, has described us as the "laughing stock" of the neighbourhood.

As for people sneezing in our direction... we are working to stop that.

Excellent response jw. Sounds like it's the folks sneering in your direction you have to worry about. Good luck - will be visiting again soon.

mango wrote:

Since the restaurant's opening, I have personally observed insects fly in, passersby sneezing in that direction, cats almost jump in, etc. Worse, at night, groups of youths often mime vomiting into the windows, almost throw objects in, etc. There are definitely mice in the area, and one of them could easily enter the window.

I have lived just off the Blackfriars Rd, for 18 years and I have not seen one cat around here - ever.

Mango's litany of wildlife, including hordes of feral youths, all hanging around waiting to throw themselves through the kitchen windows of the Laughing Gravy conjured up quite a picture, putting me in mind of the Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. Presumably, the imaginary cat was after the imaginary mouse that was after the fly... I shall live in hope of seeing the dog, the goat, the cow and finally the horse hurl themselves through the windows. What fun that would be!

I suspect the only thing actually lurking about outside the windows is a sneezing Mango!

Visited again last nigh and was surprised to find a congregation of cats outside the kitchen window. Upon closer examination it turned out that they "almost jumped in" but stopped short when they saw the machete wielding chef in the kitchen....

They are now contemplating whether to sue for an infringement of their legal position.

TVFIC

For people who insist that negative things should not be said, many of you have posted nasty and hurtful sarcasm regarding the earlier poster on hygiene. No need for this behaviour on this forum.

Obviously, Laughing Gravy did not previously have mesh on windows; and now they do. Clearly, they put it on for a reason: health/hygiene. So please think before mocking the earlier poster.

I too live in the Blackfriars area, and have dined at Laughing Gravy and enjoyed it when it first re opened. However, I and my partner did notice at the time the street-level basement kitchen windows were wide open. We agreed at the time it seemed unhygienic, given London's strict health and safety requirements.

Aside from flies, there are certainly cats in the area (as well as foxes, although they are too big to jump in windows), as well as mice. SE1 is undergoing huge amounts of roadwork and construction work, and the vibrations have definitely increased mouse activity in the area. I have not personally observed mice immediately close to Laughing Gravy, but I have observed mice/rats running on nearby streets or pavements.

If you know the area, I'm sure you've occasionally seen youth vomiting in the general area, even if not directly in front of the restaurant. The point is, from health and safety grounds, these may be unlikely, but are legitimate concerns.

I dont know about the situation being "laughing stock", but I can assure you I have had conversations with many area friends about the open street level windows, and found that many friends echoed these concerns.

I was pleased to see the mesh on the windows recently. But like Mango, I too thought the mesh was unsecured at the bottom edge. I thank the management for assuring us it is secured.

Again, those of you quick to dismiss the concerns of one person clearly missed the fact that the management too must have recognised, or been advised, that mesh on windows would be helpful or necessary to improve hygiene and safety. So they placed it on the windows.

With the mesh now in place, I do feel more comfortable dining there, and look forward to in future.

I have some observations to share about Laughing Gravy. I had dined there before, and rather enjoyed it. I wanted to take my brother-in-law, who used to be a restaurant inspector in Canada, to the restaurant. As soon as he saw the open windows, just 15cm above pavement level, he refused to dine there. I hadn't even noticed them. At first, I thought he was fussing, but he explained to me that his perspective is honed by years of experience, and that in many countries, this would never be allowed.

He said that restaurants in Canada and other countries are required to have wire mesh panels fitted to all windows. And that low-lying windows are required to have additional protection. He pointed out very real health hazards.

He pointed out that at the time, there was massive roadwork going on just next door to the restaurant. Additionally there was building construction just opposite. (This continued for almost a year, on different corners next to the restaurant). Whenever roadwork or construction is, traffic fumes and dust (often toxic dust) are more likely to be present. Also, mice, rats, and other creatures are much more likely to be present.

I can confirm that the wire netting on the windows was not only unsecured at the sides, bottom, and top, but it was hanging loosely, and fraying. There was no protection whatsoever. I live in the area, so made it a point to walk by the restaurant every week after that, for months. And the netting got looser and looser until it was barely hanging there. In fact, in the autumn wind, I observed a few leaves blowing into the open window. That may not seem like much, but I wonder what else could possibly blow in, bringing with it whatever it's already touched on the street.

I saw bowls stacked near the window. I don't know to what degree food preparation occurred near the window, but staff were definitely mixing things and doing some activities close to the window.

I live in the area, so I can confirm that there are indeed cats, dogs, and other pets walking by often. It is also in the vicinity of many universities, and in evenings and nights, people certainly do vomit nearby.

I am sure the management wants to continue attracting patrons, and as I said before, I thought the food was decent. However, having open windows so close to the pavement, without stringent protection, should be of great concern. I am shocked by the defensiveness of many patrons who have attacked anyone pointing out these very real issues. I do hope this issue is addressed adequately. If it is, I'd be happy to go back to the restaurant.

'bettybill2', perhaps all that time and effort expended composing the above, and the energy spent diverting your journeys past the place to check the offending window, might have been better directed at a little discussion with the LG's management? If the LG then did nothing about covering the window to your satisfaction, then obviously they don't care about losing your custom. Or perhaps you could alert Southwark's Environmental Health inspectors to the potential 'hazard'. They have powers to take action against premises they deem non-compliant with the UK food and hygiene regulations.