Italian tapas restaurant in Portsmouth closes after one-star hygiene rating

Cucina Galleria, in Spring Street, opened on Tuesday, November 26, as a re-branding of Italian restaurant Street Balls.

But it closed its doors for the final time last month.

It comes after the venue received a hygiene rating of one out of five from the authority’s environmental health team, with ‘major improvements necessary.’

The food hygiene ratings in the UK rank from zero to five.

Inspectors found ‘inadequate cross contamination controls’ in a chilled storage unit, an ‘inappropriate’ use of a sink, and ‘no critical controls over food handling’ had been documented.

The council did not order the restaurant to close.

The restaurant employed four members of staff, with two chefs and two front-of-house staff.

Before its opening, general manager Enrico Lobina told The News he had hoped to bring fresh concept to the city.

He said: ‘As a concept it’s fresh, contemporary and trying to reinvent the whole concept of Italian food and to adapt to all ages and make it quirky.’

The bar and kitchen served a selection of tapas dishes, including Venetian-inspired small dishes to share between people.

The property was home to Lloyd’s No 1 Bar The Trafalgar until November 2018, when it became Street Balls.

The premise is now being offered to let.