Heston Blumenthal. PHOTO: Matt Turner/Rex
Melbourne food connoisseurs swapped their lattes for their laptops this morning for the chance to dine at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck restaurant, despite the $525-per-person price tag.
An electronic ballot opened today for those hoping to dine at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant that will relocate from the UK to Melbourne’s Crown Casino for six months from February.
The ballot went live at 9am this morning but a flood of traffic to the site made it a struggle for people to get on.
To the 16,000 successful guests from the ballot Heston is offering 14 courses over four hours, in what is described as a “multi-sensory gastronomic journey of history, nostalgia, emotion and memory”.
Emily Louise and her family entered the ballot this morning in the hope that they will be among the lucky few able to dine at The Fat Duck in Melbourne.
“My family and I love food and have planned to eat at as many of the world’s best restaurants as possible. The Fat Duck is legendary in the food community and Heston Blumenthal is an artist and an innovator,” she said.
Heston Blumenthal is recognised worldwide as a master of molecular gastronomy, in which chefs use scientific principles to develop their dishes, earning The Fat Duck a spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for nine years running.
The UK restaurant has a waiting list from six to 12 months, with staff reportedly receiving thousands of calls a day.
After considering many destinations around the world – including St Tropez and Lake Geneva – Blumenthal decided on the Crown Casino complex because of the booming food scene in Australia, particularly in Melbourne.
Blumenthal will bring not only the name and atmosphere of The Fat Duck across the seas but his entire team. The original staff from the UK will be relocated to Australia for six months before returning to their refurbished workplace.
The Fat Duck will close to Melburnians on August 15 and be replaced by another of Blumenthal’s restaurants, Dinner by Heston. Dinner is currently ranked seventh on The World 50 Best Restaurant list, but doesn’t have the same imaginative menu as The Fat Duck.
So what should one expect from a $525 dinner at The Fat Duck? Emily Louise says she expects great things.
“When you are spending that much money on a meal, you expect not only perfection from the food. You expect to be excited, surprised and entertained,” she said.
The Fat Duck will serve lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday. Most tables will allow four guests, with a limited number allowing two or six. A chef’s table for four guests will be available during each service for $675 per person.
The electronic ballot will close on October 26.
Enter the electronic ballot here
