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World's Best Restaurant, Noma, Gets Hygiene Check After Diners Report Vomiting and Diarrhea

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Mar 08, 2013 01:19 PM EST

Dozens of diners got sick after eating at Noma, the world's best restaurant that charges $440 for its food and wine menu, according to Danish health authorities.

Authorities went to inspect the Copenhagen restaurant in late February after learning that a 63 out of 78 of guest who dined at the restaurant got ill with Roskilde Sickness and experienced diarrhea and vomiting over a four-day period, according to the Copenhagen Post.

Noma, which was named the world's best restaurant for the third straight year in voting organized by Restaurant magazine, specializes in Nordic foods and has served unusual dishes like poached sea urchin and powdered cucumber.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, authorities said in a report that the Noma failed to react in time to e-mails from dinner guests and one kitchen staff who complained of vomiting and diarrhea. 

"We acknowledge that the internal procedures haven't been good enough and because of busyness, employees didn't check e- mails," the report quoted the two-Michelin-star restaurant as saying, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Noma managing director Peter Kreiner told Reuters that the restaurant has been working closely with health authorities to find the source of the infection.

"Since the outbreak we have worked closely with the health authorities to get to the bottom of it and find the source of infection," Kreiner told Reuters.

"We are in the business of making people happy and taking care of our guests, so this is the worst thing that could happen to us," Kreiner said. "We are extremely sorry about all of this and I have personally been in dialogue with all the guests who were affected and discussed compensation for them," Kreiner added that there was no danger of the restaurant being shut down.

While the report didn't mention any sanctions on Noma, authorities said the restaurant will have to pay for a follow-up check.

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