A set menu rooted in Nordic cuisine, with a touch of Japanese elegance.
With a single ring of a doorbell, Zén performs its first sleight of hand. The street outside is Bukit Pasoh, all shophouse charm and city chatter, but the threshold feels domestic, almost private, like you have arrived at someone’s impeccably kept home rather than one of Singapore’s most rarefied dining rooms. That sense of being ushered into a house, not a restaurant, suits the way the evening unfolds across three floors, anchored by a set menu rooted in Nordic sensibilities and finished with a distinctly Japanese sense of poise.
Zén is Chef Björn Frantzén’s first foray into Asia, installed in the three-storey shophouse that once housed Restaurant André and opened in late 2018. It has since become a three-Michelin-star address, and it wears that status quietly. The restaurant is sweepingly elegant in an old-world, made-to-look-new sort of way, all heritage bones restored and polished. JOYN Studio, the Stockholm-based team behind Frantzén’s design universe, has given the space the mood of a luxury apartment living room through confident colours, playful prints, and shelves lined with glass jars filled with pickles, ferments, and infusions that hint at the work happening behind the scenes.
The meal begins downstairs with an aperitif and amuse-bouche, a gentle decompression before the first rush of jeweller-like snacks arrives. A croustade filled with veal disappears in two bites. A råraka, that crisp Swedish potato baton, is shingled with fish roe and gräddfil, its salty pop and cool lactic tang delivering the message that even the smallest things here are made with intent. The team take time to introduce the produce that will drive the menu, from caviar to pristine mushrooms and Japanese strawberries, all presented on a glistening bed of ice.
Upstairs, the 24-seat dining room brings the meal into focus through a seafood-slanted, multi-course, neo-Nordic tasting menu with Japanese influences. The degustation – one of the most expensive in the city – is created by combining Frantzén’s techniques with the finest seasonal produce.
A Crudo of amberjack arrives bright and clean, heart of palm spiralled across the plate and set afloat in a leche de tigre that leans more citrus than heat. It is a simple dish, but the clarity is the craft.
Then comes Marron, the plump Australian freshwater crayfish handled with a light touch. Lardo lends a soft, melting richness, while turnip dashi brings quiet depth and wasabi flickers through the finish like a small green spark. It is seafood-led without becoming predictable, and the menu’s confidence is in how it layers flavour rather than piling it on.
A highlight follows in the form of Chawanmushi. Abalone is smoked tableside, the aroma a brief, satisfying interruption, before it is precisely layered with 100-day-aged pork and ikura, then capped with a delicate savoury Japanese steamed egg custard. The dish balances luxury with comfort, the egg binding it all together with a silkiness that makes you slow down and pay attention.
If the early courses show restraint, the Onion course shows ambition. Presented as a twist on onion soup, it plays with temperature, texture, and sweetness, intensifying them through contrast. Almond and liquorice pull the flavour into unexpected territory without dragging it into novelty, and it’s easy to see why the dish has become a signature across Chef Björn’s global restaurant repertoire.
Monkfish arrives in similarly assured form, paired with asari clam, buttermilk whey and the restaurant’s own caviar. The balance showcases gentle acidity from the whey, briny lift from the clam, with the monkfish sitting firm and sweet at the centre. It is a beautifully composed plate, and one that speaks to the kitchen’s discipline.
The main courses lean deeper. Before Guinea Fowl, you are offered a choice of knives, each with an ornate handle, a small ritual that sets the tone. The bird arrives rich and slightly gamey, morel adding earthiness, nduja bringing a smoulder of spice, and Szechuan pepper lifting the whole thing with a subtle tingle.
Then comes the French toast. It is a signature here for a reason. Built on sourdough and a Parmesan custard made with 36-month old Parmigiano Reggiano, finished with 25-year-old balsamic and an unapologetic snowfall of truffle, it takes a comfort classic and turns it into something both decadent and oddly harmonious.
Desserts keep the same measured touch. Kinako with cherry and batak pepper is delicately constructed, sweet without becoming cloying. Apple with walnut and kokuto sugar lands as a delicious disc and a satisfying finale that sweetens without overpowering. And then, as if to soften the formality, the night ends upstairs in a cosy upstairs living room, where heart-shaped waffles arrive with premium seasonal Japanese fruit, the bonus being that you can order as many as you like until your heart’s content.
Zen’s menu stakes an unrelenting focus on quality with mostly sublime results. The wine, juice and water are decanted into Mounjaro-thin glassware. The non-alcoholic pairing is particularly compelling, built on fermentation and produce-driven combinations that sound eccentric but work well: barley with cauliflower, blackberry with heirloom tomato and redcurrant, chioggia and purple carrot threaded with Kalamata olive.
Service is strong. The team are observant without hovering, reading cues, adjusting their presence, and keeping everything wrapped in genial charm. The boundaries between kitchen and dining room blur, with chefs and waiters trained to plate and serve tableside, building the meal’s narrative as they go. A playlist curated by Frantzén himself, spanning Guns N’ Roses to The Smiths, adds to the evening.
Zén is expensive, and it knows it, but it also delivers an unrelenting focus on quality with mostly sublime results. Over a three and a half hour culinary sojourn, it manages to feel immersive without feeling forced, intimate without feeling insular. It is a restaurant inspired by Scandinavia, reframed in Singapore, showcasing how Sweden’s former footballer, Bjorn Frantzén, has become the country’s gastronomic poster boy
Zén completes Chef Bjorn’s three MICHELIN starred culianry trifecta, which also includes Frantzén in Stockholm and the FACT award-winning FZN in Dubai.
GO: Visit www.restaurantzen.com for more information.