Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Gordon Ramsay plans to open his first restaurant in Australia with a branch of Maze in Melbourne, as the British chef extends his dining empire across the globe.

The eatery in Crown casino's new third hotel tower, scheduled for February 2010, will be the fourth Maze, joining others in London, New York and Prague. Ramsay, known for television shows such as ``Hell's Kitchen,'' also has eateries near Dublin and Paris and in Dubai, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Florida.

``This is our first step in bringing the Gordon Ramsay brand to Australia and, after having seen Crown's Melbourne operation, feel that this is an exciting and challenging opportunity,'' Ramsay said in an e-mailed statement issued by Crown.

Melbourne-based Crown Ltd. is Australia's biggest casino owner. Maze first opened in May 2005 in London's Grosvenor Square. The other branches are at the Hilton Prague Old Town and at the London hotel in New York. Maze took first place in Restaurant magazine's inaugural U.K. Top 100 Restaurant Awards last month.

Maze is run by the chef Jason Atherton, who created its menu of Asian-influenced modern French dishes served in tasting-sized dishes such as steamed daurade royale with candied aubergine, spicy ketchup and bok choi; and pineapple carpaccio, coconut sorbet, seaweed croquette and Malibu lime jelly.

To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 13, 2008 07:32 EST