My uncle’s favourite Chinese restaurant is Ruby Chinese Restaurant, Toronto, Canada, at Finch and McCowan. I have eaten there many times, and had good service and good quality. Mistakes occur in any venture, and restaurants are no exception. This week Ruby was cited for a bad salmonella outbreak that sicked 36 people and was closed by Toronto Public Health. It then failed a second inspection.

It does not look very good for Ruby, but they will eventually recover. Many other Chinese restaurants have been closed due to unsanitary conditions in the past, only to recover and flourish. I guess I’m used to it. Maybe that is the way the system works.

Unluckily for Ruby, today’s Globe and Mail published a great review of Ruby Restaurant in Joanne Kates’ column “On the Menu”. So much for the great free advertising. Though it is published in paper format, I cannot find it on the Globe’s web site.

Over all, Ruby’s food is distinguished by a paucity of cornstarch, a dab hand at the deep fryer and a refreshing absence of grease, making it more than worth the special journey to Finch and McCowan if you’re not from the neighbourhood.

It is ironic that the Globe and Mail would not notice that Toronto Public Health had closed Ruby down, having failed a health inspection for the second time. Even my local Scarborough Mirror has an article on the shutdown of Ruby. I’d say that the Globe and Mail is out of touch with local Toronto news.

While I have been to Ruby Restaurant in the past and enjoyed my meal, I’ll give them a wide berth for a long time until they get their act together. There’s no point in risking my family’s health due to their sloppiness. Chinese restaurants in Scarborough are plentiful and very competitive, so options abound.

P.S. A Toronto Star article published on Sunday (today) states that many people are just itching to get back into the restaurant. Please, the place was closed by Toronto Public Health for a reason, so why risk your health for a single meal? One guy eats there 3 times a week? Wow, that’s too much. There is clearly a health problem at the place, so let Ruby clean up their act so as to not poison the public at large. These diners must have excruciatingly low standards or don’t believe the results from Toronto Public Health.

P.S. Thanks to J, who wrote in and told us about the Toronto Public Health website DineSafe: Food Premises and Inspection Disclosure System. Here is the Establishment Inspection Report from October 7 2009.

Ruby Chinese Restaurant is very popular in Scarborough, but recently has sanitation issues.