pub row erupts after faeces found in icecream

SYDNEY, Oct 29 (Reuters) - A bitter row has broken out
between one of Sydney's largest tourist pubs and a family of five
who accused chefs of serving human excrement in their gelato
after they complained about noise during a football match.

State government food minister Ian Macdonald confirmed on
Wednesday that frozen faecal matter had been found in a serving
of chocolate gelato offered to placate pub patron Steve Whyte and
his wife Jessica, who became "violently ill" after eating it.

"The stench went through my nostrils, I retched and spat it
into the napkin," Jessica Whyte told the Daily Telegraph
newspaper, recounting what local media are calling "gelati-gate".

The tainted sweet was allegedly served up at the Coogee Bay
Hotel, one of Sydney's largest and most popular beachfront
hotels, located just a few minutes south of Bondi Beach.

The pub has denied serving excrement to the Whyte's after
they complained they were unable to hear a televised football
game due to loud music, with both the chef and restaurant manager
volunteering for DNA tests to prove their innocence.

Both sides have accused the other of money seeking, with the
Whyte's claiming they were offered A$5,000 ($3,240) in hush money
by pub General Manager Tony Williams, while they in turn were
accused of trying to negotiate up to A$1 million in damages.

The argument over accusations of "kitchen revenge" has
shocked Australians, leading into an expected searing,
gelato-friendly summer, capturing national headlines for days.

Macdonald said DNA analysis would now be done to determine if
the sample was of human or animal origin as police and food
authorities investigate the case.

"Obviously, we are keeping an open mind and do not want to
pre-empt this investigation in any manner," he said.

The eastern Sydney hotel is standing by staff and on Tuesday
said its own lab tests on the chocolate gelato tub had found no
evidence of contamination.