Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal is moving is three Michelin star restaurant 'The Fat Duck' to the Crown casino complex in Melbourne, for six months. The restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, will close in December and open down-under in February 2015.

Heston BlumenthalHeston Blumenthal Is Moving The Fat Duck

"This is an incredible opportunity and I am thrilled that it has worked out the way it has," Mr Blumenthal said, according to the Australian Financial Review.

The chef - known for his experimental style of cooking which includes snail soup and bacon and egg ice cream - said he "fell in love with the country immediately" on his first visit to Australia.

"From that very first moment, the idea took root; someday I wanted to have a restaurant there," he said.

After six months in Melbourne, The Fat Duck will return to Britain and head-chef Ashley Palmer-Watts will open Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Melbourne site. "This is not a pop-up restaurant," Mr Blumenthal said in Melbourne on Monday (March 31, 2014). 

Crown Resorts chief executive Rowen Craigie called the partnership an "exiting announcement," adding, "Heston epitomises world class and that's where we're positioning ourselves.We're in intense competition with the other integrated resorts in Asia. Asian customers respond to brand names. Heston is an internationally renowned brand, so it's a perfect fit for us."

Heston Blumenthal The Fat DuckHeston Blumenthal On The Red Carpet

Crown chairman James Packer said, "To attract an internationally renowned chef and innovator of Heston's calibre is a reflection on Melbourne's culinary reputation

"The relocation of the coveted restaurant will be a big boost for local tourism, attracting interstate and international guests to Melbourne so they can experience a once in a lifetime dining opportunity."

The Fat Duck was ranked as the world's greatest restaurant for several years, until losing its crown to Noma of Copenhagen. It currently sits at No.33. 

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