Bamboo Garden Chinese Buffet in North Versailles has been cited for 17 health code violations by the Allegheny County Health Department.
The unannounced Friday retail food inspections found, among other things, mouse droppings in the back corner of a storage area behind and under soda syrups, a bag of potatoes in a walk-in cooler that contained a rotting potato, and a mold-like substance found on a container of Italian dressing.
In addition, meat products including beef, shrimp, and chicken were found being stored in a malfunctioning cooler. Large quantities of cooked foods stored in both a walk-in cooler and freezers were found lacking a discard date, and shelving in a walk-in cooler had a build-up of rust.
The report also mentioned that the floors beneath fryers and flat top grills showed a heavy buildup of grease and debris, broken tiles along the buffet lines, and strong evidence of an active roof leak (wet carpet in an unused dining room).
The Health Department report also said there was evidence of habitation throughout the facility including bedding, sleeping bags, laundry, personal toiletries and other evidence indicating part of the dining room was being used as a sleeping area.
Bamboo Garden Chinese Buffet manager Tony Gheng said the restaurant had been given an unspecified amount of time to correct the violations identified in the report. He said he would do whatever was necessary to bring Bamboo Garden back into compliance.
“It’s not a problem. We will do whatever they require,” Gheng said.
