A NEW flagship town centre restaurant had to be revisited by council food hygiene inspectors after a poor rating from the original check.

East Z East in Blackburn’s King George’s Hall only got a ranking of 1, which means ‘major improvement is necessary’, on its first inspection on October 2.

After the hygiene experts made recommendations to the owners and staff a second inspection by the Blackburn with Darwen Council staff on Wednesday revealed a considerable improvement to be reflected in the initial published rating for the £350,000 Punjabi eatery, which includes a South Asian evening restaurant and daytime cafe.

East Z East director Zahid Iqbal said the day the inspectors visited two booklets could not be found and the hot water system had failed, putting one of the sinks out of commission causing a backlog of washing up.

He said the company had bought new dishwashers and now hoped for a rating of 5 showing ‘hygiene standards are very good’.

Gary Johnston, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s environmental health lead officer, said: “Following an initial visit on October 2, the food business operator has taken on board the recommendations we have made and has undertaken significant work to improve their early rating.

“A re-visit was carried out on Wednesday which found that they improved considerably from our initial visit. An unannounced inspection will be carried out at a later date to officially set a new rating.”

Mr Iqbal said: “We were marked down because on the inspection day the ‘Better Food for Businesses’ booklet was in a cupboard and our allergy booklet was with the manager and hygiene consultant for completion

“There were problems with a blockage in the water pipes, which the council fixed the day after, and the old-fashioned cistern at King George's Hall was inadequate. This meant there was no hot water in one sink, slowing down washing up. We have invested £8,000 in new dishwashers.

“We can’t blame anyone else. We have sorted everything out and are now hoping for a 5-star rating. There was no question of the quality or hygiene of the food being affected.”

Cllr Jim Smith, Blackburn with Darwen Council environment boss, said: “This is what food hygiene inspections are all about. They made some mistakes, were given advice and promptly sorted them out.”

East Z East aims to to capitalise on pre-theatre diners and Blackburn’s booming new restaurant scene.

The premises are owned by the borough council which spent £120,000 preparing them for the new venture.

It includes 11 booths, that can each fit between six and eight people, a 50-seater bar and a luxury VIP area. Around 30 jobs have been created.

* The company which runs East Z East in Blackburn is separate from the firm which runs similarly-named restaurants in Manchester, Bury, Birmingham and Preston.