In March 2014, Heston Blumenthal announced that his famed restaurant The Fat Duck would be migrating to Crown Melbourne for six months while his restaurant in Bray closed for refurbishment.

Crown commissioned Bates Smart to design The Fat Duck, located on level 3 of the Crown complex overlooking the Yarra river and Melbourne CBD.

The interior is elegant and restrained, allowing the food to take centre-stage. The concept for the restaurant is designed around the idea of chiaroscuro, the use of strong contrasts between light and dark.

The use of deep, sumptuous upholsteries, dark lacquered paneling and rich carpets provide a backdrop to the spot-lit white clothed tables creating a sense of theatre.

Guests enter the restaurant via a ramp which creates the optical illusion of guests becoming larger, and the corridor increasingly smaller.

At the top of the ramp an automatic sliding panel opens to reveal the restaurant and the host desk where guests are greeted and escorted to their dining table for the theatre to begin.

Whilst in Melbourne, the restaurant will offer the same unique dining experience to what guests receive in Bray. The Fat Duck menu is an intentional mix of balance and contrasts – old and new, modern and historic. Led by a core team of exceptionally talented front and back of house staff, the degustation menu takes guests on a food journey - a truly multi-sensory experience.

The restaurant launched in February 2015 and will remain open until late July when it will close and the space will be re-designed to host Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.