Fade Street restaurant ‘reluctantly’ closed after almost a decade in business

"The space limitations and practicalities of the property have made it too difficult to operate."

Fade Street restaurant Duck have been "forced" to close after nearly ten years in business. The BBQ spot focused on roasted, tasting meats which are a staple in Hong Kong cuisine; what set them apart from other restaurants was their bullet oven, which is a unique but traditional method of cooking. Duck have shared a notice outside their premises, explaining the reason behind their closure, which they hope is only temporary. The notice read as such:

"We are sorry to announce that after almost 10 years of busy trading, we have been forced to close Duck. Duck has proven to be more popular than we ever expected when we first opened and unfortunately the space limitations and practicalities of the property have made it too difficult to operate and remain compliant at the level that the demand requires without some major changes. "We have reluctantly closed the restaurant until further notice to allow us time to make the necessary changes and we hope to reopen in the New Year."

According to the Food Safety Authority newsletter, Duck was issued a closure order on December 6th. The report listed eight pieces of evidence that the restaurant was not complying with Regulation (EC) No. 852 / 2004, which states that at all stages of production, processing and distribution, food is to be protected against any contamination likely to render the food unfit for human consumption, injurious to health or contaminated in such a way that it would be unreasonable to expect it to be consumed in that state. Some of the evidence includes the following:

• Blood from raw duck was noted to be dripping onto containers and bags of rice, flour + sugar
• Dirty cleaning cloths used to mop up bloody water were placed on various surfaces
• Flies were observed on raw ducks
• A black bin bag filled with waste was stored in a sink in the kitchen basement

You can read the whole report here. In total, 92 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses in 2023, a 19% increase on 2022, which saw 77. READ ON:  - 'Fix it now, get on with it' - Iveagh Markets campaigners urge as roof collapses - Supermac's added to long list of new food options at Dublin Airport - Advice for people trying Veganuary from a sound vegan