THE first thing Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) health inspectors noticed at an eatery in Pudu was a sour, rotting stench from food waste and discarded curry.
Below the sink, an uncovered grease trap held oily wastewater and clumps of fat and food residue.
Grime coated surrounding pipes and concrete surfaces, while stained blue buckets sat on the dirty, uneven floor.
The trap was not connected to a sewerage or treatment system, allowing wastewater to flow directly into the drain.
The smell was not the only warning sign.
Ceiling and wall fans were covered with dust and cobwebs.
In the storage area, food and raw ingredients sat beside brooms and cleaning equipment.
On the heavily discoloured drinks preparation counter laid a filthy cloth beside brown-stained plastic mugs and open cans of milk.
A health inspector also noticed the operator’s dirty fingernails.
Outside, tables and chairs encroached onto the five-foot way and public walkway.
Red stains, believed to be from betel quid spit, could be seen at the nearby kerb.
The eatery had been ordered to close in April for hygiene breaches, but a recent inspection found little improvement.
One officer said the conditions were worse than before.
At another premises, inspectors found uncovered food and ice stored near toilets, thus exposing them to potential contamination.
At another eatery, the kitchen was located beside the toilets and rat droppings were found in the food storage area.
Many premises look presentable from the front, but their food preparation and storage areas tell a different story.
Utensils are stored in back lanes, while cooking areas are dirty and poorly maintained.
Grease traps are in poor condition at almost every premises DBKL inspected.
According to health inspectors, some had not been cleaned in weeks.
Several others were improperly connected, allowing wastewater to enter drains.
Health inspectors also noted that many eateries were still serving drinks with straws.
The ban on plastic straws was incorporated into DBKL’s business licensing requirements in 2020, yet many still used them.
During the operation in Pudu and Bukit Bintang, officers inspected 14 premises where they issued 15 compounds and closure orders for seven premises.
DBKL senior assistant director and Environmental Health Division head Dr Azaruddin Husin led the inspection team.
He pointed out details operators easily overlooked – dusty fans, grimy equipment and clogged grease traps.
“A restaurant cannot be considered clean if its fans are coated in dust and cobwebs.
“These are things operators may take for granted, but they matter.
“A clogged or poorly maintained grease trap can also cause wastewater to flow into the drains,” he said.
The findings were part of the operation in Bukit Bintang, which has Kuala Lumpur’s largest number of restaurants, with 1,485 eateries, based on DBKL figures.
The constituency recorded 49 food-premises closure orders from January to August, the highest in the city.
Titiwangsa followed with 32 and Cheras with 29. These figures represent closure orders, rather than the total number of hygiene breaches detected.
The enforcement action was carried out under the Licensing of Food Establishments (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) By-laws 2016 and Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974.
