Zen Singapore Review, A Three Michelin Star Dining Experience Through the Frantzén Universe

Zen Singapore

41 Bukit Pasoh Road

Singapore 089855

Behind an unassuming wooden door along Bukit Pasoh Road, Zen hides in plain sight. To enter, you ring the doorbell, and that small gesture feels deliberate. It signals the beginning of a choreographed evening where every step, every door and even every floor represents a new act in a meticulously controlled performance. Zen, the Singapore outpost of the Stockholm based Frantzén group, has never just been about food. It is theatre, Nordic quietude colliding with Japanese precision, redefined with the inclusion of Singapore culture, rendered in an urban three storey townhouse.

Level 1: The Kitchen Prelude

We visited in the last weeks of Chef Martin Öfner's time at Zen. He was heading the kitchen for over 6 years and have since handed the reigns over to Tor Aik Chua (Chef TC), a founding member of the Zen team since its opening in 2018. Whilst it is hard to tell the direction that Chef TC will take with Zen in Singapore, it is clear that Björn Frantzén will continually ensure that the Frantzen DNA remains consistent. It is clearly a new leadership transition and exciting times for Zen.

Conceptually, Zen mirrors its parent restaurant's rhythm - a guided progression from lounge to kitchen to dining room, each space designed to isolate particular moods. Everything, from the flickering candlelight to the playlist across genres, supports one clear idea - control. Yet, within that structure, the team's Scandi and Asian hospitality shines through: poised, warm, attentive and without pretense.

Level 1: The Kitchen Prelude

• Tartlet of Crustacean, Hibiscus and Kohlrabi

• Raraka of Kalix Lojrom

• Blini of Shima Aji, Pickled Cucumber and Jalapeno

• Croustade of Mango Mala and Sea Buckthorn

• Beignet of Foie Gras and Truffle

Our evening began the moment the heavy door swung open. We were welcomed into the lounge area. Low, plush seating with coffee tables, just like you would be welcomed into your friend's house. We start with a series of snacks emerging in rhythmic succession. It is a beautiful start, unquestionably polished and precise. The tartlet of crustacean, hibiscus and kohlrabi sings with marine sweetness and acidity, and the blini of shima aji, pickle and jalapeno, sharp with spice yet balanced. The mango mala croustade cleverly threads South East Asian heat with sweetness and the foie gras beignet with truffle delivers rich indulgence without excess. The snacks are our high point of the evening, bright, layered and complete in both technique and flavour, perfectly priming our palate with fast alternating notes of temperature, acidity and texture. For us, they justify Zen's credentials, complex, perfectly constructed and infused with personality. It was an exceptional start.

Showcase of the night's ingredients

We are then invited to the kitchen counter, overlooking the open kitchen. In front of us, the chef explains the quiet presentation of the night's principal ingredients laid out like museum artifacts. A live marron, glistening uni, and a beautifully plumed guinea fowl. It reminded us that at Zen, the act of cooking is inseparable from storytelling. A fantastic approach that we have seen many restaurants adopting. The visuals are hard to forget, and we constantly referenced what we were having to what we saw at the ingredient table.

Level 2: The Dining Room

Level 2: The Dining Room

• Crudo with Scallop, Salted Radish, Cashew Milk

• Marron with Artichoke, Koshihikari Rice, Five Spice

• Chawanmushi with Monkfish Cheek, Trout Roe, Saffron, Fennel

• Otoro with Sansho Pepper, Amalfi Lemon, Bafun Uni

• French Toast with Blue Mussel, Frantzen Selection Caviar

• Onion, Almond and Liquorice

• BBQ Guinea Fowl with Nduja, Morel, Brassica

• Lemongrass with Sesame Verbena

• Beetroot with Violet, Blackcurrant

We are guided upstairs after our visit to the kitchen counter, with a service staff happily carrying our belongings as we chatted about experiences and random little facts about Zen. The mood shifts as we enter the dining room. The back wall is a living tapestry of preserved moss, the ceiling draped with strands of live Spanish moss that the staff, we were candidly told, rehang weekly after their weekly soak. The effect is softly surreal, a green Nordic forest retreat lit by a flickering candle.

Here, the menu beings proper, and the meal becomes a mixed affair. The crudo of scallop with salted radish and cashew milk was delicate but somewhat muted. We expected Franten's signature minimalism, but it felt restrained overall. The marron with artichoke and Koshihikari rice recovered momentum, a clever marriage of five-spice warmth with buttery crustacean sweetness. The French toast with blue mussel and caviar, a nod to one of Frantzen's legendary dishes, carried its rich umami beautifully but felt heavier than necessary. By contrast, the onion, almond and licorice, an old Frantzen classic reimagined delivered total focus. I did wonder for the majority of the night, what the thoughts are of Singaporeans on this dish. To be fair, licorice is not something we are exposed to and I do not actually know too many Singaporeans who like this flavour. Thoughts?

The BBQ guinea fowl with nduja, morel and brassica finally hits stride, earthy and straightforward and closed the savory course with rustic satisfaction. The beetroot with violet and blackcurrant closed off the dining floor splendidly. Throughout, dishes were garnished tableside, a performance touch that pulled the kitchen intimacy upstairs. Service, meanwhile, hit a sweet spot of engagement. Our servers conversed candidly about ingredients, dishes, pairing and our interest in nihon-shu and sharing stories of their own experiences.

Overall, we thought that this floor oscillated between clarity and safety, never failing, though rarely thrilling. It is clear that Zen executes at a high level, with the kitchen proving its skill, and an exceptional strength in story telling. But perhaps after a titillating experience on Level 1, we were expecting a more exciting sensory experience.

Wine Pairing

• Kinoshita Shuzo 2024, Jewel Dragon 3U, Kyoto

• Donnhoff 2023, Niederhauser Hermannshohle, Nahe

• Vincent Gaudry 2022, Mi Chemin, Sancerre

• Nanclares y Prieto 2018, Fogar do Castrino, Rias Baixas

• Akishika Shuzo, Tasanshu, Osaka

• Enoki Shuzo, Hanahato Kijoshu, Hiroshima

• Jolie Laide 2021, North Coast, Mendocino

• Bera Vittorio and Figli 2010, Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont

The optional wine pairing traced a journey through Europe and Japan and was priced at 350 SGD++. I liked that the pairing skews strongly toward artisanal, low intervention and terroir driven producers, with a nice mix of sake and wine with some IYKYK places. Most of the sakes were unpasturised and featured different processing methods.

Level 3: The Living Room

Level 3: The Living Room Finale

• Awayuki Strawberry and Pinecone

• Kontai Kinkan and Clove

• Crown Muskmelon and Manzanilla

• Waffle Party of Mikan, Bourbon and Vanilla

• Macaron, Cardamon Bun

We ascended the final staircase to the living room, a relaxed lounge of low tables with Swedish Iittala plates. Here, formality melted away. We begin with a trio of clean, fruit centric plates - Awayuki strawberry with pinecone, Kinkan with clove and a sice of crown muskmelon perfumed with manzanilla sherry. The finale arrived playfully, a waffle party with mikan, bourbon and vanilla, served up anyway you like. It is followed by petit fours including a macaron and a miniature cardamon bun, Frantzen's nostalgic nod to Swedish fika culture. It is a clever emotional end, a warm wind down with domestic comfort.

Booking

There are seats about 3 weeks out on the weekend and tables are released on the 1st of the previous month. If you have specific dates in mind, definitely check back as the restaurant is only accomodates 23 seats in a seating.

Accessibility

Zen is a short stroll from Outram Park MRT. Otherwise, there is plenty of parking and taxis drop easily along the shophouse front.

The Damage

At 1800 SGD for 2 tasting menus, 2 coffees and 1 wine pairing, Zen sits among Singapore's priciest tasting menus. So be prepared to splurge.

Would We Recommend?

Yes, with qualifications. Zen is an experience and a strong restaurant. Its choreography, its impeccably trained service team and its design cohesion makes it one of Singapore's distinctive fine-dining journeys. For us, like how the team spilt our dining experience into 3, our evaluation is also spilt into 3, with the first being exceptional, the second being borderline safe and the third being a feeling of warmth. At 1800 SGD, our expectation sat sky high and being borderline safe was not enough for us. Still, for those wanting to explore the Frantzen philosophy, that fusion of Scandinavian restraint and Japanese purity, Zen remains singular.