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Private Notes
Have you ever wanted to enter the doors of Heston Blumenthal’s three Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck? In the first instalment of this four-part series, you'll be granted an intimate and exclusive look into this world-famous establishment and the lives of those who make it so special. Over a year of filming, cameras follow the team as they prepare for an audacious, six-month move to Australia. At the conceptual helm, Heston masterminds a brand new, multi-million restaurant build in Melbourne, while The Fat Duck's head chef Jonny Lake is tasked with working out how to ship 64,000 snails — essential to one of the their most iconic dishes ‘Snail Porridge’ — to the other side of the world. Heston is committed to bringing the entire team Down Under, but if Polish chef Wojciech Korfel doesn’t pass an English language exam, he’ll be left at home and The Fat Duck will be one man down.
The Fat Duck staff and seven tonnes of specialist equipment land in Australia in preparation for opening day. It seems the team have shipped over everything but the kitchen sink! There are 126 iPods (for the restaurant's famed, multi-sensory dish ‘Sound of the Sea’), 106 sauce spoons, 300 champagne glasses, a $20,000 vacuum oven, and a specialist piece of kit interestingly called “The Polar Bear”. With just three weeks their first-ever Australian service, the team must settle into their temporary home, and welcome and train new staff. It's an unfamiliar environment, and the kitchen and restaurant remain are still a work-in-progress, so stresses and strains begin taking their toll. For Heston, things don’t go to plan as he announces an online ticket ballot, only for scalpers to run off with hundreds of prized seats.
After trials, tribulations and a mighty big move, The Fat Duck opens its doors to the Australian public for the very first time! After years of planning and tens of millions of dollars in the making, Heston’s success now lies in the hands of his Australian diners. Serving dishes such as ‘Snail Porridge’, ‘The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ and the curiously-named ‘Botrytis Cinerea’, the question is: what will Australia think of Heston’s innovative and iconic dishes? After opening day, and a few months into their six-month stay, the pressures of working in a larger space, serving a longer menu and upholding The Fat Duck's three Michelin-starred standards begin to take their toll. One staff member steps out of line, forcing head chef Jonny Lake to make a drastic decision as the first critics come to review the Melbourne restaurant. Back in England, Heston is looking to the future of The Fat Duck in Bray, and masterminding a brand new dining experience.
It’s the final lunch service in Melbourne and The Fat Duck’s last chance to dazzle the Australian public with a special menu featuring Heston’s biggest culinary hits from the past two decades. Back in England, and in preparation for the restaurant’s return to Bray, Heston and his development chefs are busy inventing brand new dish concepts and creating a bold, unconventional dining experience. The re-opening is firmly on the horizon, but Heston’s exacting standards and constant need to question everything is slowing the team down. Time is beginning to run out. As the staff return to England, a refreshed and renewed home awaits. With just a few weeks to prepare for re-opening, can the kitchen team learn the challenging, new dishes? Will the waiting staff perfect a bold and risky new service style? And will The Fat Duck’s rebirth be a success?
