HESTON BLUMENTHAL'S THE FAT DUCK RESTAURANT CLOSES TO MIGRATE SOUTH DUE TO ARRIVE IN AUSTRALIA IN 2015 The first international restaurant opening for Heston Blumenthal will be his three Michelin starred The Fat Duck, which will temporarily relocate to Crown Melbourne Resort, Australia for a six month visit before returning home to the UK. December 2014, Heston Blumenthal will close the doors of his award-winning The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, UK and seamlessly reopen February 2015 with Crown Resorts in Melbourne, Australia. In an unprecedented move for a restaurant of such renown, Heston will take the entire Fat Duck team with him to Australia for a massive six month relocation. However, upon The Fat Duck s return to the UK after their halfyear sojourn, Melbourne will not be left empty handed. In the same location as the temporary The Fat Duck at Crown Melbourne Resort, Heston and Group Executive Head Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts will open Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, securing lasting ties with Australia. Both The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will occupy the same space in the award-winning Crown Towers hotel in Southbank, Melbourne s urban centre and
cultural hub. This ground breaking culinary project will encourage diners from around the world to visit Melbourne generating extensive exposure and benefits for the city, Victoria and Australia. The timing was serendipitous: Heston has long had a desire to open in Australia, The Fat Duck wanted to celebrate its milestone 20 th anniversary in 2015 in an extraordinary fashion, the building in Bray was due for renovation, and Crown Melbourne wanted to enhance its already impressive dining offerings. Heston comments, This is an incredible opportunity and I am thrilled that it has worked out the way it has. The Fat Duck is part of a Grade II listed building, so I always knew there would come a time when it would need a little attention and the building itself would require a bit of modernisation after all, it was built in 1640. I just couldn t bear the thought of closing for an extended period, though. When we first started conversations with Crown, I saw the potential of the situation and really began to hope. I couldn t have asked for a better outcome. Crown Resorts Chairman, James Packer says, Heston s decision to relocate The Fat Duck to our Melbourne resort is an incredible result for Crown Resorts and the Victorian tourism industry. To attract an internationally renowned chef and innovator of Heston s calibre is a reflection on Melbourne s culinary reputation and Crown s commitment to dining excellence. 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 first time Heston visited Australia was in 2003. I fell in love with the country immediately, he states. From that very first moment, the idea took root someday I wanted to have a restaurant there. The restaurant scene is fantastic, the diversity exciting, and the produce incredible, but better than all of that, the people are just
great fun. I love how Australian people celebrate good food; there is such a love of everything from coffee shops to gourmet restaurants and everything in between. Whilst at Crown Melbourne Resort, The Fat Duck will offer the same magical dining experience that earned it three Michelin stars in Bray 11 years previously: the full Tasting Menu, the flawless and relaxed service, and the multi-sensory journey of history, nostalgia, emotion and memory that has made it one of the most lauded restaurants in the world. Half the world away, the building in Bray will have its interiors modernised, creating exciting new work areas particularly in the kitchen whilst still preserving its architectural integrity and historical context. The dining room will be refurbished as well, but the interior design will remain largely unaffected, keeping the room as the perfect stage for the dining experience as a whole. Following The Fat Duck s return home to the UK, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will take up residence within Crown Melbourne Resort, becoming the only restaurant the chef has in his portfolio outside of the UK. It joins ranks with The Fat Duck, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal located in London, The Hinds Head, The Crown at Bray, and The Perfectionists Café. ENDS For further information about Heston Blumenthal, The Fat Duck, or Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, please contact: Monica Brown at Lotus PR +44 (0)20 7751 5812 monica@lotuspr.co.uk For further information about Crown Resorts, please contact: Jodi Crocker at Crown Resorts +61 (0)403 026 600 Jodi.crocker@crownresorts.com.au
NOTES TO EDITORS: The Fat Duck www.thefatduck.co.uk The Fat Duck opened in Bray, Berkshire, UK in 1995. The restaurant was first awarded three Michelin stars in 2004 and has maintained that rating every year since. It has been voted The Best Restaurant in the World" at The Worlds 50 Best Restaurant awards and remain in the top ratings for the last 12 years. Dinner By Heston Blumenthal www.dinnerbyheston.com Dinner by Heston Blumenthal opened in London January 2011 and was awarded its first Michelin star that same year. It received its second Michelin star in 2013. It currently holds 7th position The Worlds 50 Best Restaurant List. Crown Resorts Crown is one of Australia s largest entertainment groups. It has businesses and investments in the integrated resort and entertainment sectors in Australia and Macau and wholly-owns and operates a high-end casino in London. In Australia, Crown wholly-owns and operates Crown Melbourne in Victoria and Crown Perth in Western Australia. In the United Kingdom, Crown wholly-owns and operates the Crown Aspinall's, a high-end casino in Mayfair, London. In addition to Crown s wholly owned assets, Crown holds a 33.6% equity interest in Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, an operator of integrated resorts in Macau. It also has a portfolio of other gaming investments which are complementary to its other businesses. Crown Melbourne First opened in 1997, Crown Melbourne is a large integrated resort and has a casino, three hotels, function rooms, award winning restaurants and shopping and entertainment facilities. It is a significant driver of tourism within Australia, particularly in Victoria. Crown Melbourne is home to three hotels being Crown Towers, Crown Metropol Melbourne and Crown Promenade Melbourne and to two luxurious day spas, Isika Day Spa and Crown Spa. There are approximately 1,600 guest rooms across the three hotels, ranging from six-star luxury to premium five-star and quality four-star accommodation. Crown Melbourne has a wide variety of retail, entertainment and food and beverage offerings. There are more than 40 retail outlets and around 70 restaurants, cafes and bars which provide a large and diverse entertainment offering
to cater for a significant number of visitors.