FZN by Björn Frantzén, is it 3 Michelin Stars in waiting?
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FZN by Björn Frantzén, is it 3 Michelin Stars in waiting?
Björn Frantzén is a big deal in the culinary world. We were invited to taste why and some asked: is this going to be Dubai's first 3 Michelin starred restaurant?
Written by Liam Collens // Read more reviews here. You can find Liam on Threads, Instagram or Facebook. Liam was invited to a media preview dinner for FZN by Björn Frantzén.
Inside a preview room for FZN by Björn Frantzén at Atlantis the Palm
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
The Lows
FZN by Björn Frantzén is coming to Atlantis the Palm
Björn Frantzén is, in the words of Ron Burgundy, kind of a big deal, and his highly anticipated foray into Dubai’s dining scene should send tremors across the city.
With six restaurants between Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and his native Stockholm, two boast three Michelin stars each, Zén in Singapore and Frantzén, the Swedish flagship. Frantzén was the first three Michelin starred restaurant in Sweden, etching its status in marble as a fine dining destination. Today, it is no 35 on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Björn’s collaboration with Gregoire Berger’s Ossiano in November 2022 was evidently both reconnaissance and a statement of intent. (Even some ex Ossiano team now work at FZN).
The demo kitchen where the FZN by Björn Frantzén chefs prepped their 6-course media preview dinner.
With six restaurants between Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and his native Stockholm, two boast three Michelin stars each, Zén in Singapore and Frantzén, the Swedish flagship. Frantzén was the first three Michelin starred restaurant in Sweden, etching its status in marble as a fine dining destination. Today, it is no 35 on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Björn’s collaboration with Gregoire Berger’s Ossiano in November 2022 was evidently both reconnaissance and a statement of intent. (Even some ex Ossiano team now work at FZN).
The demo kitchen where the FZN by Björn Frantzén chefs prepped their 6-course media preview dinner.
Björn, while highly respected within the international restaurant community, is not a household name for most. A Swedish footballer turned chef who ended up at Alain Passard’s L’Arpége and Gordon Ramsey at Claridges before embarking on his own.
Now Dubai is Björn’S stage with FZN playing the lead role. It is due to open in a few weeks on 8 November, or so we are told during a private preview dinner for media, and others. It takes over from Nobu’s former space in Atlantis the Palm. (I, personally, don’t miss the place.)
A monkey with a sign that says Follow Your Dreams, but those dreams were supposedly cancelled.
Now Dubai is Björn’S stage with FZN playing the lead role. It is due to open in a few weeks on 8 November, or so we are told during a private preview dinner for media, and others. It takes over from Nobu’s former space in Atlantis the Palm. (I, personally, don’t miss the place.)
A monkey with a sign that says Follow Your Dreams, but those dreams were supposedly cancelled.
The most intrepid moment came in a ramekin of mushroom-based XO sauce which I slathered remorselessly over a bread, so soft, that geese will trade in their feathers for its downy feel.
FZN by Björn Frantzén, what can we expect?
Frantzén is known for combining traditional Nordic ingredients with modern techniques from Japanese and French cuisine. Between the Ossiano collaboration and this private invite, it’s clear Frantzén’s cuisine is restrained and focused, linear and simple while fastidious about quality, provenance and seasonality.
The evening’s service was memorable and floated towards true hospitality; something frequent diners like me complain about bitterly in Dubai, especially at high price points. This preview—while meticulously orchestrated and a showpiece, one-night only event—raises questions about whether FZN could become Dubai’s benchmark for elegant service.
FZN by Björn Frantzén 6-course preview dinner menu.
Our 6-course preview tasting menu reinforces Frantzén’s food ideology cooked under the expert hands of Torsten Vildgaard, Executive Chef at FZN (and, fun fact, brother to Eric Vildgaard, of Restaurant Jordnaer in Copenhagen).
Torsten Vildgaard is the second chef on the right plating the duck.
FZN’s food was excellent, quietly capable and understated. The ingredients speak for themselves; the dishes both calculated and calibrated, but nothing felt risky. The most intrepid moment came in a ramekin of mushroom-based XO sauce which I slathered remorselessly over a bread, so soft, that geese will trade in their feathers for its downy feel. Moreover, a few dishes felt reminiscent as if I had enjoyed a version somewhere before, but not quiet as good.
All bread should be like this all the time, plus mushroom XO.
A dainty amuse bouche tartlet shingled with black truffle and Jersualem artichoke is brightened by the green apple that lingers in the mouth with an intense, lasting finish. It helps it is chased down with Krug Champagne 170eme. The plating is dreamy, elegant and fine as evidenced with a chutoro starter of Japanese radish and fermented strawberry resembling a flower in bloom. Gossamer sheets of apple unfold like an accordion with the slightest pressure of a fork on a tart tatin lacquered with Punsch, a Swedish liqueur.
FZN by Bjorn Frantzen: Chutoro with Japanese radish and the apple tart tatin.
A langoustine—so broad and hench, it was probably a Crossfit world champion—is flash fried then plunged like a seafood tender into a suave ginger emulsion. A 10-day aged duck is wood grilled to a blushing pink and anointed with a coin of foie gras and locally-grown wasabi leaf (apparently, Atlantis the Palm just grow the leaves).
The langoustine course followed by the presented BBQ Duck before carving.
The standout dish of the evening was arguably the bone marrow chawanmushi with delicately smoked beef broth and a caviar bump the size of a newborn’s fist.
The wine was serious. Premier Cru Burgundian whites from Saint-Aubin followed by a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir where my only gripe was when it was gone.
Just two of the standout wines and champagnes served during the dinner. FZN by Björn Frantzén promises to hold a very special wine cellar when it opens in November.
Can Björn Frantzén slide into Dubai as the first restaurant to claim three Michelin stars? Is this his three Michelin star hat trick after Stockholm and Singapore? It would seem ridiculous to some that any restaurant could do this within one year of opening, except Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler did just that. Oh, and so did Zén, by Frantzén. Note that Dubai’s Row on 45 landed hot with two stars within their first year. With Atlantis the Palm firepower and an excellent FZN team with a long Frantzén pedigree, anything is possible. We did not get to see FZN’s menu pricing, but I expect it to be face-draggingly expensive.
The remains of the tart tatin, with a message to the chefs.
The evening’s service was memorable and floated towards true hospitality; something frequent diners like me complain about bitterly in Dubai, especially at high price points. This preview—while meticulously orchestrated and a showpiece, one-night only event—raises questions about whether FZN could become Dubai’s benchmark for elegant service.
FZN by Björn Frantzén 6-course preview dinner menu.
Our 6-course preview tasting menu reinforces Frantzén’s food ideology cooked under the expert hands of Torsten Vildgaard, Executive Chef at FZN (and, fun fact, brother to Eric Vildgaard, of Restaurant Jordnaer in Copenhagen).
Torsten Vildgaard is the second chef on the right plating the duck.FZN’s food was excellent, quietly capable and understated. The ingredients speak for themselves; the dishes both calculated and calibrated, but nothing felt risky. The most intrepid moment came in a ramekin of mushroom-based XO sauce which I slathered remorselessly over a bread, so soft, that geese will trade in their feathers for its downy feel. Moreover, a few dishes felt reminiscent as if I had enjoyed a version somewhere before, but not quiet as good.
All bread should be like this all the time, plus mushroom XO.
A dainty amuse bouche tartlet shingled with black truffle and Jersualem artichoke is brightened by the green apple that lingers in the mouth with an intense, lasting finish. It helps it is chased down with Krug Champagne 170eme. The plating is dreamy, elegant and fine as evidenced with a chutoro starter of Japanese radish and fermented strawberry resembling a flower in bloom. Gossamer sheets of apple unfold like an accordion with the slightest pressure of a fork on a tart tatin lacquered with Punsch, a Swedish liqueur.
FZN by Bjorn Frantzen: Chutoro with Japanese radish and the apple tart tatin.
A langoustine—so broad and hench, it was probably a Crossfit world champion—is flash fried then plunged like a seafood tender into a suave ginger emulsion. A 10-day aged duck is wood grilled to a blushing pink and anointed with a coin of foie gras and locally-grown wasabi leaf (apparently, Atlantis the Palm just grow the leaves).
The langoustine course followed by the presented BBQ Duck before carving.
The standout dish of the evening was arguably the bone marrow chawanmushi with delicately smoked beef broth and a caviar bump the size of a newborn’s fist.
The wine was serious. Premier Cru Burgundian whites from Saint-Aubin followed by a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir where my only gripe was when it was gone.
Just two of the standout wines and champagnes served during the dinner. FZN by Björn Frantzén promises to hold a very special wine cellar when it opens in November.
FZN by Björn Frantzén, what’s the verdict?
Can Björn Frantzén slide into Dubai as the first restaurant to claim three Michelin stars? Is this his three Michelin star hat trick after Stockholm and Singapore? It would seem ridiculous to some that any restaurant could do this within one year of opening, except Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler did just that. Oh, and so did Zén, by Frantzén. Note that Dubai’s Row on 45 landed hot with two stars within their first year. With Atlantis the Palm firepower and an excellent FZN team with a long Frantzén pedigree, anything is possible. We did not get to see FZN’s menu pricing, but I expect it to be face-draggingly expensive.
The remains of the tart tatin, with a message to the chefs.
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