A Borough Road restaurant and takeaway who received a one star food hygiene rating has explained how they plan to improve going forward.
Hyderabadi Kitchen was told that improvement was necessary when it came to their “hygienic food handling” and “cleanliness and condition of facilities and building” upon inspection on 20 September, earlier this year.
The Food Standards Agency website outlines that their “management of food safety” was rated “major improvement necessary” when Middlesbrough Council’s Public Protection Service carried out the inspection.
But best friends Vamshi Dodla and Syed Mehadi, who came to Teesside University as students from the city of Hyderabad, India, haven’t let the rating dampen their spirits, and Mr Dodla says the firm’s journey has been one of “passion, determination, and a lot of learning”.
“While we were pursuing our master’s degrees, one thing we both missed the most was the vibrant flavours and home-cooked meals of our hometown. The longing for those familiar tastes planted the seed for what would eventually become our dream – to open a restaurant where we could share the authentic flavours of Hyderabad with the people of Teesside,” he explained.
Mr Dodla added: “To make our dream a reality, we both decided to take cooking and food hygiene courses. We trained in traditional Indian cooking techniques to perfect our recipes”. When it came to the food hygiene side of things, he admitted “there was a lot to learn”.
Mr Dodla explained that British hygiene standards were a “new challenge” and that he and Mr Mehadi had been “fortunate” to have supportive hygiene officers who offered guidance. “They made sure we understood the ins and outs of maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment,” he explained.
He added that the feedback they had been given has helped to better their operations and that “step by step, we adapted, learned, and improved our practices”.
Reflecting on their journey so far, Mr Dodla said: “Today, Hyderabadi Kitchen is more than just a restaurant – it’s a celebration of our roots, a testament to hard work, and a space where the people of Teesside can enjoy the authentic flavours of Hyderabad. Every day, we continue to learn and grow, and we’re proud to say that the taste of home is now just a plate away for our customers.”
