More code problems found at Yangming restaurant

More code violations were uncovered Wednesday at an acclaimed Chinese restaurant on the Main Line that was shut down Tuesday after it failed to correct problems first cited three weeks ago.

Radnor Township officials said they had tried to work with the management at Yangming to ensure that the popular eatery was up to code after violations were uncovered during a routine inspection in July.

But they shut the place down after customers complained and violations were still not addressed.

"It's come to that point," said Robert Zienkowski, township manager, who was back at the site Wednesday at Conestoga and County Line Roads in Bryn Mawr with police and sewer crews.

Further inspection Wednesday uncovered structural, plumbing, electrical, and food safety issues that needed to be immediately addressed, Zienkowski said.

"It is going to be a very long time before they open again," Zienkowski said.

Inside the restaurant, kitchen workers were busy cleaning stoves, floors, and countertops as police and township officials carried out containers of moldy dates, unlabeled food containers, dirty cans, and a plastic bag with a large bug inside. Outside, township workers lifted a manhole cover and found that grease residue had been dumped into the sewer.

Alan Huynh, general manager of Yangming, said the staff was working to come into compliance with the violations.

"We are going to change a lot of things," he said. Huynh said he was hopeful that the doors would open as soon as they could "meet the standards."

A pest-control service has visited every 15 days, he said. "We will find someone to do a better job," he said.

The restaurant plans to steam-clean the kitchen and floors, wash all utensils, and throw out food, he said.

The restaurant, named the nation's best Chinese restaurant in one 2011 competition, has been in business since 1991.

In the basement of the 100-year-old building, Zienkowski shined the beam of his flashlight into the ceiling and onto a pipe he said came from an upstairs toilet. Discolored liquid was dripping onto food cans. Household rodent traps were visible along the floors. Dirty plates were left on a food box, and equipment and wood boards obscured aisles.

"I've eaten here quite a bit," Zienkowski said. "It is disgusting to see this."

During a routine inspection on July 29, a township inspector found 14 code violations that included improper food storage, missing thermometers, workers with soiled clothing, and general cleanliness issues. The restaurant was also ordered to have an exterminator "treat for flies and other insects."

Four violations were corrected while the inspector was on site, and the restaurant was given 48 hours to address the remainder.

The township was in regular contact with the restaurant and continued to push for compliance, Zienkowski said.

On Friday, police were called to resolve a dispute with a customer who complained about roaches in her Thai noodles, Superintendent William Colarulo said. Police found more roaches at the establishment, including some up to two inches long.

When the problems were still not addressed Tuesday, the township shut the restaurant down.

Of the six previous inspections of the restaurant dating to 2010, three were generated by complaints that included improper lighting and unsanitary conditions.

It is not unheard of to close a restaurant, Zienkowski said. In Radnor, the McDonald's on West Lancaster Avenue and the now-closed Great Harvest Bread Co. were temporarily shut down until violations were corrected.

610-313-8111@MariSchaefer