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Some say he's the best chef in the world. It is not a hard case to make. As far as Michelin's nod of approval goes, Björn Frantzén is currently the only chef in the world who concurrently runs three restaurants with three Michelin stars each: Frantzén in Stockholm, FZN in Dubai and Zén in Singapore. We got the chance to chat with the legend himself, as part of Zén's grand reopening, following a period of refurbishment.
Zén first opened its doors along the quiet Bukit Pasoh Road in 2018 and quickly shot up to Two Michelin Stars in September 2019. It earned its three-star status in 2021 and has clung on to that accolade every year since then. Six years on, the restaurant was due for an upgrade. And after three months, it's back in action. While it retains its DNA – the three-storey dining flow, Nordic-Japanese cuisine, pop-and-rock playlist and relaxed style of service remain untouched – the overall dining experience gets a proper glow-up.
The biggest change comes right after you ring the doorbell: a sleek 16-seat counter on the ground floor, where chefs buzz around plating up a dizzying array of Zén's seven signature canapés. This replaces the previous lounge-style seating with couches dotted around the room, bringing diners closer to the kitchen action, and giving Singapore the same counter experience long enjoyed in its sister restaurants in Stockholm and Dubai.
You'll then move up to the second floor for six main courses, but not before taking in the lavish spread you're about to enjoy, laid out on an ice display podium that greets you as the elevator doors open: everything from Hokkaido hand-dived scallops to Kagoshima wagyu A4, Yamanashi peaches and more. The meal concludes with desserts, waffles and digestifs on the third floor, the one space that only saw light retouches during the refurbishment.
The whole place has been reworked with Stockholm-based interior studio Joyn, leaning into earthy browns, biscuit and hazelnut tones, raffia wall coverings and a showstopper Snowball chandelier by Ann Wolff. The dining experience is also notably quicker compared to the previous four-to-five-hour marathons for lunch and dinner, in response to changing dining patterns. And now, for the first time, the team holding the fort – Head Chef Kelvin Ng, General Manager Rachel Ezekiel and Beverage Director Warren Estrop – are all Singaporean-born.
Here's what Frantzén has to say about retaining his stars, Zén 2.0, the evolution of fine dining and what 'casual luxury' means to him.
Everyone talks about how hard it is to get three Michelin stars. No one talks about how hard it is to retain them. Zén has kept its three stars for six consecutive years. What does that mean to you?
"I agree. Take social media, for example – the amount of comments and likes when you get three stars, compared to when you post about retaining them. Everyone expects you to keep them, but a lot happens in a restaurant in 12 months. So far I haven't lost any stars, so I'm grateful, and I'm really, really proud of that."
Many say fine dining is losing its popularity in Singapore. People are in favour of à la carte menus, shorter dinners and going home earlier. Is Zén affected by these changing dining habits, or is it actually quite comfortable at the top?
"All my fine dining restaurants definitely benefit from only operating on around 20 covers. It would be very difficult to fill 60 to 70 seats at this price point. I don't think fine dining is dead, but it needs to evolve and change with the new generation. The world is spinning faster in many ways. Our part is to make sure that the meal isn't too long. We cut it by almost an hour, mainly on the ground floor and second floor. When you come up to the top floor, it's up to you. If you feel like, which most people do, 'there's no other place I want to be at this point than up here', then you can sit and relax, chat with your dining companion. But it's up to you."
What's your favourite part of the refreshed space?
"The first floor. For Stockholm and Dubai, the majority of the meal takes place at the kitchen counter. Here, it's the start. I really like that Zén leans even more into that identity. It's totally different to start at a kitchen counter, and then go up to a dining room. I like that you walk straight into energy. It's like, 'Oh wow, okay. We're here. Arrived. Let's get the party started.'"
The menu is defined as 'Neo-Nordic with Japanese influences'. What is your interpretation of that – which parts are Nordic, which parts are Japanese?
"The Nordic bit is more about preparation, spices, fermentation and some pickling. Of course, there are a few ingredients that travel well. The rest of it is more about time and place. If you compare the three restaurants – Zén being in Asia and the closest to Japan – it's definitely the menu that's drawn most towards Japan because of where we're placed. But then, of course, my training was mostly in the UK and France, so I like a nice butter sauce, like the vin jaune sauce with marron. There's always a little bit of French touch in there."
Your team has also been slightly reshuffled, with Rachel as the new General Manager, Chef Kelvin promoted to Head Chef and Warren returning as Beverage Director. What does this newer – and younger – team bring to this next chapter of Zén?
"They're younger, but they've also been part of this restaurant for a long time. I'm not based in Singapore, even though I come here a lot. They are my boots on the ground, and they have the know-how of the city, suppliers, the people. We build a lot on personality, and the way we do service and operate the restaurant. If you moved to Sweden, you might not be able to read the behaviour of people, because most countries have their own secret codes. So to have locals at the helm of both front-of-house and kitchen, I see only advantage in that."
You often describe your ideal restaurant as one that embodies “casual elegance” or “casual luxury”, like visiting the home of a friend with great taste. Has the meaning of this term changed for you over the years?
"No. I didn't grow up with rich parents, so I was never comfortable going to classic fine dining restaurants. When I opened my first restaurant in 2008, I wanted it to be comfortable for people like me. That was a big gamble, but its success gave me the confidence to go deeper into that. Back in 2018, some guests here were shocked by the choice of music and volume. I said to the team, 'Guys, to be honest, I don't care.' I came to Singapore to do my thing. And either it flies, or it crashes. You can make some respectful adaptations for the local market, but if you change too much, you lose your soul. So no, we're still about casual elegance."
What are some of your favourite places to visit whenever you're in Singapore?
"I like Burnt Ends, [Chef Julien Royer's] Claudine up at Dempsey and Royal China at the new Raffles Sentosa. I'm a big runner, and it's a great way of exploring the city. I start from wherever I'm staying, put on some music or a podcast and off I go. I do try to squeeze in a game of golf too – the golf courses here are amazing."
Address: 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089855
Opening hours: Tue-Sat noon-5pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm
Expect to pay: From $450 per person for lunch and $620 per person for dinner
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