Say, do you think Bollywood actor and restaurateur Shiva Natarajan ever takes a shower?

If Shiva maintains the same poor hygiene standards on his body that he repeatedly, shamelessly demonstrates at his NYC Indian restaurants, we’re inclined to believe the fella seldom showers.

You can say what you will but the man never tires of showing his contempt for diners visiting his crappy NYC Indian restaurant Dhaba (Lexington Ave).

Shiva, who has played bit roles in a handful of Bollywood films (Khakee, Halla Bolet al), has a seemingly vast arsenal of tricks for insulting diners to his Dhaba Indian restaurant on Lexington Ave. in NYC.

For instance, when we visited the place we encountered lousy food accompanied by poor service (like serving Tandoori Chicken and Vegetable Pakoras in the same plate).

Sure, bad food and poor service are par for the course at NYC Indian restaurants and Shiva Natarajan holds no exclusive rights here.

Dhaba NYC – Maintains Poor Hygiene Standards

Most Worrying

And whether Shiva showers or not is of no account but his failure to maintain the most basic hygiene standards at Dhaba NYC is most appalling, most insulting and most worrisome to diners.

At times, we wonder whether Shiva is running a restaurant or a dumpster on Lexington Ave.

Bet even Shiva has no idea whether he’s running an Indian restaurant or a dumpster.

Again and again and again, Shiva’s Dhaba fails the NYC Health Department inspection (including a recent inspection in December 2009) or earns horrid violation points.

Shiva Natarajan’s other NYC restaurants like Chola and Tadka have also suffered from serious hygiene problems in the not too distant past.

Wonder what Aishwarya Rai, Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Harrison Ford, Woody Allen, Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson and other celebrity diners at Shiva Natarajan’s restaurants would have to say if they knew Shiva maintains such horrible hygiene standards at some of his Indian restaurants in NYC.

WTF is wrong with this Shiva guy, we want to know.

Is running a restaurant only about profits and hygiene be damned?

Speak up, Shiva.

Violations Galore

The following are only some of the sanitary violations the NYC Health Department has uncovered at Dhaba during its recent inspection of the restaurant (the restaurant failed inspection after receiving 35 violation points on December 8, 2009):

* Evidence of, or flying insects in facility’s food and/ or non-food areas

* Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin infestation exist

* Garbage receptacles not provided or inadequate; Garbage storage area not properly constructed or maintained; grinder or compactor dirty

* Canned food product observed severely dented

Previous NYC Health Department inspections of Dhaba have highlighted mice issues and failure of the restaurant’s worker to wash hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, coughing, sneezing, smoking, preparing raw foods or otherwise contaminating hands.

Yeeks.

Still feel like eating at Dhaba?

Shiva, instead of whining about our posts isn’t it time you cleaned up your NYC rat-hole Dhaba?

Dhaba NYC Update:

In the latest inspection of Dhaba (2/19/2010), the NYC Health Dept. found personal hygiene at the restaurant to be inadequate and added that clean outer garments and effective hair restraint is  not worn. There were other sanitary violations as well. Dhaba received 12 violation points and passed the inspection.

Related Stories:
Dhaba NYC Review – Shiva, Screw Bollywood; Fix Your Crappy Food & Crappier Service

  Dhaba, NYC Indian Restaurants, Shiva Natarajan