Named and shamed: Swadesh Indian Restaurant in Baldivis hit with $40k fine for filthy kitchen
An Indian restaurant in Baldivis has been slapped with a fine over a filthy kitchen and dodgy hygiene practices.
The owners of Swadesh Indian Restaurant, which has four-and-a-half stars on Google, were fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $24,000 in costs after health inspectors found the kitchen was not up to scratch.
The restaurant opened in 2018 and attracts a swathe of good reviews from locals who praise the freshness of dishes and delicious flavours.
On Facebook, the team promises to provide 'the freshest ingredients, highest possible quality, all beautifully prepared and presented so that a typical dinner becomes a great experience'.
But Swadesh's kitchen has not been up to standard since 2022, when City of Rockingham inspectors found food was not stored in a way to prevent contamination, handwashing facilities were not maintained and there was an accumulation of food waste, dirt and grease.
When inspectors returned in 2023, they found the kitchen still hadn't been maintained to the expected standard, with handwashing and dirty equipment found to be a problem yet again.
The $40,000 fine is the biggest handed down to a food business in 2025.
Last year, Lavoro Italiano Restaurant, also in the City of Rockingham, was fined the same amount when inspectors found crawling cockroaches and cigarette butts in the dry storage.
Prosecutors described the kitchen as one of the worst they'd seen in WA, saying: 'Cockroaches seen during the day indicates a serious infestation. When they were pointed out, the owner was not surprised'.
But a Nandos in Willetton copped the biggest fine of 2024 when it was hit with $160,000 for being filthy, crawling with rats and selling food past its use-by date.
This was followed by Belmont-based Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant, which was fined $80,000 for being filthy and riddled with pests.
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