Gauri Khan's Torii co-founder on food hygiene: 'Nothing can change...'
What's the story
Abhayraj Kohli, the co-founder of Gauri Khan's Mumbai-based restaurant Torii, recently defended the establishment's hygiene standards. In an interview with Pop Diaries, he acknowledged that while they strive to maintain cleanliness and proper food storage, occasional mishaps like a fly or hair in food can happen. "A small, probably a fly or insect or a piece of hair that comes into your food, that's part and parcel of doing work," he said.
Food safety
Kohli emphasized the importance of proper food storage
Kohli said, "It happens at your homes, it happens at your workplace, and it will happen at a restaurant, and nothing can change that." He said, "A lot of restaurants, they are not very clean with what they do, but restaurants of our caliber, we pay utmost and most importance to how food is treated." "It's not only the hygiene of the kitchen or how clean it is but also how the food is stored."
Food preservation
He also discussed the need for a superfreezer
Kohli also discussed the need for a superfreezer in restaurants serving raw food. He said, "At Torii, we serve raw meat. We have sushi, sashimi, ceviche, we have raw meats." "The food has to be kept in a particular piece of equipment called a superfreezer...which does not let any bacteria grow in the food." He added that many restaurants don't have this equipment and it's essential for serving such dishes safely.
Controversy
Torii's 'fake paneer' controversy
Torii was recently embroiled in a controversy after an influencer, Sarthak Sachdeva, accused the restaurant of serving "fake" paneer. However, Chef Stefan Gadit stated that the incident actually boosted their business. He said, "It increased our business and I got more than 20-30 followers on Instagram, so that was a blessing in disguise." He also revealed that they spoke to Sachdeva, who eventually removed his post.