Toronto health inspectors have been swarming in Chinatown on the hunt for vermin infested restaurants. And, unfortunately they didn’t have to look too far. The first and worst of the infractions was the Happy Seven restaurant on Spadina Avenue where rats were caught on camera frolicking inside the restaurant. Health inspectors shut down the un-Happy Seven post haste and it remains closed while the owners perform the necessary renovations in the restaurant and are cleaning up the back alley which is a magnet for vermin because of piled up, rotting garbage.

Swatow, also on Spadina Avenue across the street from the Happy Seven, was also closed, but not for rats. The problems at Swatow were cockroaches, failure to protect food from contamination, and sanitation issues. The Bright Pearl and Pho Hung were penalized but not shut down for a variety of infractions from improperly storing garbage to poor maintenance of equipment, and received a conditional pass. This year to date Toronto Public Health has closed 6 restaurants in the area of the Happy Seven restaurant. Considering that 41 restaurants in the entire city of Toronto have been closed during the same period, it seems that Chinatown has more than its share of vermin and sanitation issues.

I have eaten in Chinatown many times. As a matter of fact I have dined at the Happy Seven and at Swatow on more than one occasion. Anyone who frequents Chinatown, particularly in the summer when all of the garbage out on the street stinks of rotting produce can’t be surprised at these findings. But we manage to enjoy the experience of Chinatown without considering the obvious. Will it be different now that it is all out in the open and we can’t ignore it? Right now I wouldn’t eat at a restaurant in Chinatown if I won a free dinner, but I’m sure that in a few months I will be joining the throngs on Spadina Avenue waiting for a place at my favourite restaurant in Chinatown. Selective memory is a beautiful thing.