Rush for The Fat Duck a sign of the times

It all started out as a casual conversation between Heston Blumenthal and his mate, Crown casino deputy chairman John Alexander, about taking The Fat Duck to Melbourne.

Now, after three years of planning, eight months of construction and a ticket-scalping furore, their vision to relocate the three Michelin-starred restaurant to Crown Melbourne becomes a reality on Tuesday, when it serves its first guests.

The Fat Duck at Crown will open its doors after relocating from Bray, and over the next six months sill serve 14,000 diners willing to fork out $525 a head, while its original British home is renovated. Almost 90,000 applicants entered the ballot for a table.

The Age has been given a glimpse inside the multi-million dollar restaurant and kitchen, but the refurbishment has not gone without its own dramas.

The Fat Duck at Crown has been designed by the Melbourne studio of architects Bates Smart, and was constructed by Southbank company Built Holdings. But the unveil did not go to plan when Blumenthal's team objected to the front entrance design.

The builders of The Fat Duck have been forced to rip down the sign at the front wall twice over Christmas, after Blumenthal's team objected to design, size and finish.

"They did not like the original raw metal look of the front entrance or the sign we made," said one of the construction team. "It was a pretty heated argument at Crown. In the end we had to pull down the whole front face of the restaurant after Christmas and start again. And we had to make Heston Blumenthal's name bigger."

A spokesperson for Heston Blumenthal said the chef was not involved in the decision to change the sign, and the size of his name was not an issue.

"There is a restless perfectionism than runs through the team and everything they do, and this is just a another case of getting the details right," said the spokesperson. "This was about getting the wall at the front of the restaurant right. In the end it took three goes. Third time lucky, they say."

A black entrance wall and black sign - complete with larger lettering - was installed in late January, and the original brushed metal hoardings were removed.

After six months, the 45-seat Fat Duck will depart, but the building and kitchen will remain and evolve into Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.