from the bbc site:
A council alleged environmental health officers uncovered a dirty kitchen and an infestation of rats during an investigation of a restaurant.
Highland Council said Ashraf Veettil, owner of The Spice Malabar, was fined ?695 at Inverness Sheriff Court for not having a food safety management system.
A not guilty plea was accepted for failing to ensure the premises were kept clean and protected against pests.
Officers inspected the business in Church Street, Inverness, in December.
Poor hygiene
The local authority said inspectors "uncovered a series of food hygiene problems including the operation of a dirty kitchen and an infestation of rats".
Environmental health officer, Patricia Sheldon, said: "In this case we decided to submit a report to the procurator fiscal due to the poor hygiene standards and a failure by the owner to ensure the safety of the food operation."
Alistair Thomson, the council's head of environmental health and trading standards, said the vast majority of food businesses in the Highlands complied with food safety requirements.