Vomiting bug closes Heston Blumenthal restaurant Dinner

Top British chef Heston Blumenthal has shut his London restaurant Dinner, which has two Michelin stars, for a week after 24 guests fell ill with the vomiting bug norovirus, officials said yesterday.

The closure comes five years after an outbreak of norovirus caused by contaminated shellfish forced Blumenthal to close The Fat Duck, his three-starred restaurant in Bray, west of the capital, for 10 days.

Westminster City Council, the local authority, said 24 diners and 21 staff had been taken ill at Dinner, which was named the world' seventh-best restaurant in last year's San Pellegrino awards.

James Armitage, the council's food safety manager, said: "Test results this week have shown that there has been an outbreak of norovirus at the Dinner restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge.

"The operators have now temporarily closed the restaurant and we believe this is the responsible thing to do."

In an interview with Britain's Mail on Sunday, Blumenthal said his decision to close the restaurant was driven by his previous experience at the Fat Duck.

"I will always err on the side of extreme caution - as The Who sang, 'I won't get fooled again'," the 47-year-old said.