Decision to close Dylan McGrath restaurant Rustic Stone for rat droppings 'not warranted'

Mr McGrath previously ran the Michelin-starred Mint restaurant in Ranelagh, but this closed during the economic crash of 2009. He is also a former host of Masterchef. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.

A Dublin city centre restaurant co-owned by a Michelin-star winning chef has said the decision to issue a closure order after “rodent droppings” were found during an inspection was “not warranted and unsubstantiated”.

Rustic Stone on South Great George’s Street, co-owned by TV chef Dylan McGrath, was temporarily closed after a HSE inspector found “rodent droppings” behind “a loose wooden covering over a gap in the cavity wall” near cooking appliances.

Mr McGrath previously ran the Michelin-starred Mint restaurant in Ranelagh, but this closed during the economic crash of 2009. He is also a former host of Masterchef.

Rustic Stone in Dublin 2 was issued with the closure order on September 14 last under the Food Safety Authority Act 1998, and the order was lifted a day later, according to a report by the Food Safety Authority (FSAI).

A representative for the restaurant said: “There was an issue in a cavity wall behind the kitchen, connected to Exchequer Street. We were closed for a few hours on the Friday morning and were open for dinner the same day, after some minor repairs to an external wall.

“We appreciate the work the HSE do but believe the closure order in this instance was not warranted and unsubstantiated, we have contested the decision.

“Our team works tirelessly and the restaurant spends a lot of money to ensure our premises are in pristine condition and fully HSE compliant, which we are fully confident it is.” 

According to the FSAI, a closure order can be reversed “when the premises has improved to the satisfaction of the authorised officer.” Rustic Stone was one of seven establishments across the country served with closure orders last month.

In Dublin, Bow Lane Restaurant on Aungier Street and Lee Kee Chinese Restaurant on Parnell Street were also issued with closure orders. In the case of Bow Lane, the order issued on September 22 was lifted on September 27.

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In Cork, the King Pizza takeaway in Knocknagree was issued with a closure order on 7 September, and this was lifted on 14 September. Commenting on the closure orders issued in September, FSAI chief executive Pamela Byrne said a lack of pest control procedures is unacceptable.

“It is a legal requirement for all food businesses to have a robust food safety management system in place that also ensures a high level of pest control,” she said.

“However, time after time, environmental health officers are finding incidents of rodent infestations and filthy premises highlighting a disregard for basic food safety and hygiene. All food businesses have a legal obligation to ensure that the food they are processing, serving or selling is safe to eat at all times.”