Same doorbell, new living room: Restaurant Zen reopens after three-month refresh
The three-Michelin-starred restaurant by Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzen now has a sleek new look, introducing a striking 16-seat chef’s counter, moodier interiors and subtle updates to its signature tasting menu experience.
After being welcomed through the front door, guests take their seats at a counter. (Photo: Zen)
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Zen’s distinguishing feature has always been its beautiful three-storey space, which welcomes you in like you’re visiting a friend’s home – the kind of chic, stylish, Pinterest-y friend who wouldn’t be caught dead with last year’s decor trends.
So, when you step into the restaurant after its three-month refurbishment, you’ll notice that it’s now a little edgier, more sophisticated and sleeker, thanks to a more minimal colour palette enlivened by natural materials, contrasting textures and subtle accents.
The change is most obvious on the ground floor. Where there were once patterned armchairs, rugs and coffee tables arranged like a cosy, grandma-chic living room – a Swedish grandma, of course, not yours – there’s now a massive 16-seat stone counter.
Your meal begins here with seven canapes, including the signature “French toast” piled with shaved truffle, and the counter allows the chefs to prepare the snacks in front of you, which is fun. It’s part of an effort to match the experience more seamlessly with the Frantzen Group’s other fine dining restaurants around the world, where guests sit at a counter around an open kitchen, general manager Rachel Ezekiel shared.
Previously, guests were taken past the kitchen on their way to the dining room on the upper level and shown the day’s ingredients. The produce is now displayed in the foyer upstairs.
Here, where the main courses are served, the layout hasn’t changed much, but new furniture, lighting, textured wall coverings and a statement chandelier designed by Ann Wolff for Kosta Boda give the dining room a moodier, more urban feel.
Menus continue in the same direction as before, keeping the signature favourites in updated incarnations. Head chef Kelvin Ng makes the most of produce sourced from around the world. The current menu includes dishes such as shima aji with artichoke barigoule, quince and nasturtium; chawanmushi with abalone, coriander, shiitake and beef broth; marron in vin jaune with caviar, walnut and brown butter; and wagyu with oxtail presse and morel, enlivened with a little mala sauce. Warren Estrop heads the beverage programme, with wine pairings, non-alcoholic pairings and even a mixed pairing option available.
In the top-floor lounge, where desserts, petit fours and digestifs are served, sleek new sofas, coffee tables and carpeting lend a more contemporary feel, while bold pops of colour give the muted palette just the edge it needs.
The redesign is a collaboration between the Frantzen Group and Stockholm-based interior architecture studio Joyn. The new interiors consider how layout, texture and colour work together with lighting, sound and materials.
“I want Zen to feel intimate, generous and relaxed, but with more energy and sophistication,” Frantzen said. “The new space is darker, warmer and more contemporary. Beginning at the counter creates an immediate connection between guests and chefs, making the experience more focused and immersive.”
As for the direction of the food, he said: “It is an evolution, not a reinvention. The menu retains our Nordic foundations, French technique and Japanese precision, guided by the best seasonal produce available.”
Frantzen added: “I am particularly excited about the seven canapes, which introduce ideas developed throughout the meal; and our deeper exploration of fermentation, acidity, broths and fire. It is simply the strongest expression of Zen so far.”
Zen is at 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089855.
Source: CNA/my
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