Kebab-ing a Laugh: Take Pitta On Us, Say Grimy Gardies

Cambridge has been rocked with the news that some of its best restaurants have been slammed in a recent council crackdown.

A number of restaurants popular with students have fared miserably in recent Cambridge City Council hygiene inspections- with perennial favourite Gardenia, or Gardies, scoring no stars.

The Greek grime den was lambasted, with inspectors declaring they had “no confidence” in the management.

The food somehow escaped criticism from the City Council, who are believed to have given the grease palace their rating due to major refurbishment that was taking place whilst they were still open for business.

A Clare third year was unsurprised by the allegations, but insisted it would not deter him from enjoying some dubious Greek delights in future. “By the time I get there I don’t really look for the City Council hygiene score”, said Will Blackshaw.

The restaurant, one of the few in Cambridge open until 4am, seems unlikely to suffer from the council ruling.

Gardies was not the only student favourite to suffer from the wrath of the inspectors, with Fitzbillies, Charlie Chan and Tatties also coming in for criticism.

Fitzbillies’ owner, who told TCS that their difficulties with “record keeping and the labelling of some food” were “minor problems”, insisted that their more serious concerns have been addressed. Fitzbillies did secure one star between November 2009 and May 2010 in a minor triumph.

Charlie Chan’s management, in which the City Council said they had “no confidence”, fittingly were unavailable for comment.

Another restaurant, Al Casbah, also failed to secure any stars. Al Casbah’s management responded strongly to the allegations, questionably stating to TCS: “we get loads of students in and we must be all right if they come back”- somewhat at odds with the council’s conclusion that there was “major non compliance with statutory obligations”.