Abokado — Restaurant in London

My recent experience at Abokado, 240 Blackfriars Road, left me utterly disappointed and physically unwell. On Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, I purchased a teriyaki chicken salad for lunch, and within a mere four hours of consumption, my ordeal began.

What followed can only be described as a nightmare: excruciating stomach cramps, relentless diarrhea, and overwhelming nausea plagued me. During my journey home on the train I found myself drenched in a cold sweat, teetering on the brink of passing out, and fear of the unthinkable, all thanks to the "delightful" meal I had from Abokado.

I made a concerted effort to trace the source of my distress, eliminating all other potential culprits. For breakfast, I had a harmless protein shake, and the previous night's dinner mirrored that of my family's, yet none of them experienced the torment I endured.

To add insult to injury, discussions with my colleagues revealed that I wasn't alone in my suffering. Another unfortunate soul had encountered similar symptoms after dining at the same Abokado location on a diffrent day.

It's abundantly clear that Abokado's food hygiene standards at 240 Blackfriars Road are not just lacking, but shockingly inconsistent. This experience has left me not only physically debilitated but also deeply concerned about the safety and quality of the food they serve. Buyer beware: steer clear of this establishment unless you're prepared to gamble with your health.

REPLY TO ABOKADO REPSONSE:

To Abokado,

Thank you for your response to my feedback regarding my recent experience at your 240 Blackfriars Road location. Allow me to clarify my intentions: my decision to share my ordeal wasn't driven by a desire to tarnish your reputation, but rather by the severity of my distress and the striking similarity of symptoms experienced by a coworker.

The onset of my symptoms within a mere four hours of consuming the teriyaki chicken salad led me to consider it as the likely culprit as I had not consumed anything else prior that could be considerd. It's important to note that contaminated chicken and/or poor handling of food and/or food that has not been refrigerated corrctly can indeed trigger rapid and severe food poisoning symptoms, as was the case here.

While I understand your surprise at the absence of prior communication, my initial choice was to just never step foot in your store again, which I am sure is the choise many people make, so it's crucial to recognise that my decision to reach out publicly was motivated by a genuine concern for others' well-being due to the corroborating experience of my coworker changed my decision to share my story.

Your emphasis on your five-star ratings and impeccable food safety standards is noted however, in addressing customer concerns, it's essential to prioritise empathy and accountability. Instead of questioning the legitimacy of my claim, a more empathetic approach that acknowledges my experience and expresses a commitment to investigate would have been appreciated.

I also would like to point out the following common causes of foodborne illnesses, the time from exposure to the beginning of symptoms and common sources of contamination:

Bacillus cereus (bacterium)- 30 minutes to 15 hours. - Foods such as rice, leftovers, sauces, soups, meats and others that have sat out at room temperature too long.

Staphylococcus aureus (bacterium) - 30 minutes to 8 hours. - Meat, egg salad, potato salad or cream-filled pastries that have been left out too long or not refrigerated. Foods handled by a person with the bacteria, which is often...

I love this place. The food is fresh and the staff are absolutely amazing. I get breakfast here whenever Im in the office. Not only is the food great but the team are really friendly and kind. Once I dropped a sauce in the middle of the doorway. I was having a very bad day. It went everywhere and I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry. The wonderful team sprang to action, had the whole thing cleaned up without any fuss, cheerfully told me that "these things happen!" and replaced my sauce. Turned my whole day around. Thanks team, I'll...

Nice fresh food made fresh every-day, also lovely/friendly and attentive staff,been to some other branches and the staff never disapoints-love that they use the self checkout tills which save so much more time when you're in a rush, even had a one off chance and met the owner of the company, lovely and bright person with the right values in mind :)

I definitely recommend visiting these shops, also something that was a nice surprise -quite a big range of...