Top London restaurant closes as diner dies of mystery illness

Popular: Quaglino’s thrived after Sir Terence Conran relaunched it in 1993
12 April 2012

One of London's leading restaurants was closed after a woman died after eating there.

Quaglino's was shut by management this week after a 50-year-old woman died after dining at the restaurant on Saturday night. She became unwell along with four of the other six people in her party.

Westminster Council and the Health Protection Agency have launched an investigation to determine whether the woman's death was linked to anything she ate or drank at Quaglino's. Further tests are being carried out after a post-mortem on Wednesday failed to establish the cause of death.

The woman was from southeast London and is believed to have reserved a table with a group of friends on what is traditionally the restaurant's busiest night.

Quaglino's in St James's in central London refused to comment last night. A member of staff would only confirm that the restaurant was closed for two days and has now reopened.

Westminster Council said it had not ordered the establishment to close, but management had made the decision voluntarily. The HPA is still conducting tests to establish if there is a risk to public health and if the Food Standards Agency needs to investigate.

The restaurant last had a routine food hygiene inspection in October 2008 when it was given three out a possible four stars. Inspectors said it had "good level of legal compliance" and added: "Some more effort might be required."

Richard Block, food safety manager at the council, said: "There is nothing currently to link this death directly to the restaurant which is cooperating fully with our investigation."

Founded by Giovanni Quaglino in 1929, the brasserie was relaunched by Sir Terence in 1993 going on to become a haunt for celebrity and wealthy diners.

It is still a popular late-night hang-out and regularly booked out for fashion industry parties. It was the venue for the Henry Holland's catwalk show, featuring model Agyness Dean, at London Fashion Week in February.

Sir Terence, Conran, who is behind other notable restaurants such as Bibendum and Kensington Place, sold the his 51 per cent majority stake in the D&D parent company for an estimated £100 million last May.

The 77-year-old designer and restaurateur, who owns the Habitat furniture chain, did open his first new venture in nearly 20 years with the launch of the Boundary in Shoreditch, east London recently.

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