A Marylebone restaurant synonymous with famous faces such as Bill Clinton and Kate Moss has been told to clean up its act.
Chiltern Firehouse was given a poor two out of five stars hygiene rating by food hygiene inspectors who ordered the popular celebrity haunt to clean up and improve standards, it emerged yesterday.
The inspection on June 19 was carried out the same day English model Lily Cole dined at the Chiltern Street restaurant and a day after Lindsay Lohan ate there.
It is one of the most fashionable London restaurants at the moment with Cara Delevingne spotted there in recent weeks as well as David and Samantha Cameron.
Inspectors said the kitchen was dirty, food standards were not being kept up and there were concerns about the state of repair of some ceilings, walls and floor coverings. A lack of hot water for staff to wash their hands was flagged up as well.
Westminster Council's food hygiene inspectors said they found glass on a freezer shelf and a gap in the back door where pests could get into the food preparation area.
James Armitage, the council's food safety manager, said: “When we inspected the Chiltern Firehouse kitchens we found a number of areas that raised concern, including cleanliness and the. Also several of the hand basins in the kitchen were lacking soap and hot water.
“The good news is that we know that the restaurant started making improvements straightaway and when we re-inspect in a matter of months, I hope we can give the Firehouse the cleanest bill of health.”
A Chiltern Firehouse spokesman said: "We are very proud of the restaurant at Chiltern Firehouse, and appreciate the tremendously supportive reviews it has received. The vast majority of the issues identified in the council report were related to the expansion of the kitchen and have already been rectified. We have requested a re-inspection and look forward to a significantly higher rating at the earliest opportunity."
The restaurant and hotel by property magnate and hotelier André Balazs of Chateau Marmont in Hollywood opened in February this year.
