Maestro Bar Restaurant, at 44-45 Deptford Broadway, was inspected on March 26 by the Food Standards Agency.
The restaurant was given a rating of 0, meaning “urgent improvement necessary”.
Inspectors said that “pepper soup was being left to cool at room temperature overnight,” which could allow harmful bacteria to grow and risk food poisoning for customers.
They also found that “colour-coded chopping boards were heavily scored and mouldy and weren’t being cleaned and disinfected”.
Mouldy and scored blue chopping board was seen(Image: Lewisham Council Food and Safety Team)
Cooking pots were stored in an outside area exposed to the elements, which inspectors said, “increases the risk of contamination for both equipment and food”.
Inspectors noted that “poor cleaning standards were observed in multiple areas,” including grease build-up on extraction canopy filters, dirt and grime in wall-to-floor junctions, sockets, and on splashbacks.
The report added that “the storage room used for drinks was dirty” and that “all areas must be cleaned more regularly and included in a routine cleaning schedule.”
A dedicated wash hand basin in the kitchen was “draining very slowly, causing water to pool up,” which could “deter food handlers from washing their hands”.
Inspectors suspected that this buildup was caused by a blocked pipe.
They also observed that no hand-drying facilities were available in staff toilets.
Cardboard was being used on the flooring in the external storage area, which inspectors said, “is unhygienic as it cannot be cleaned and can harbour dirt and bacteria”.
The restaurant also lacked a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
HACCP principles involve identifying food hazards, controlling critical points where contamination could occur (like cooking, cooling, or storing food), monitoring these points, taking corrective action if something goes wrong, and keeping records to ensure food is safe.
This was also an issue observed in the previous inspection.
Inspectors reported that staff training was inadequate, with the Head Chef demonstrating poor cooling practices and “a significant lack of awareness regarding allergens”.
They discovered that the Head Chef didn’t know what constitutes an allergen and did not know about the 14 allergens you must declare by law.
Traceability of products was another concern.
Inspectors found “frozen barbecue meat with packaging that lacked any producer information” and a bag of frozen peanuts imported from Cameroon “without any traceability information”.
Inspectors added: “Please note this is not the first time that concerns about product traceability at your premises have been raised by The Food and Safety Team at Lewisham Council”.
They warned that failure to demonstrate the origin of food in future visits will lead to detention and/or seizure of food.
The report concluded that Maestro Bar must ensure “all foods are sourced from reputable suppliers, are adequately labelled, and traceability procedures are in place,” adding that “failure to demonstrate origin of food in future visits could lead to seizure”.
The majority of positive Google reviews for Maestro Bar Restaurant are positive, with the average rating being 4.2 out of 5 from 174 reviews.
One reviewer said: “Absolutely delicious, authentic, tasty, fresh, good food.
“I have not stopped thinking about the food.
“I’m coming for more.
“Nice, relaxed vibe and friendly, helpful staff.
“We will be back.”
We contacted Maestro Bar Restaurant for comment, but did not hear back.
