Three-Michelin-starred Zén reopens in Singapore after a three-month refurbishment, debuting a new 16-seat counter and a redesigned three-floor journey
One of the Lion City’s most coveted restaurants, Zén, has reopened following a three-month refurbishment that has reworked the dining room without touching the restaurant’s culinary DNA. The relaunch introduces a new 16-seat counter, a redesigned three-floor guest journey, and an interior overhaul led by Stockholm studio JOYN in collaboration with the Frantzén Group.
The Design Story
For the new iteration, JOYN and the Frantzén Group have leaned into earthy, layered tones — biscuit and hazelnut in the lower registers, cinnamon and chocolate deeper into the space, with materials like raffia wall coverings, fossilised stone counters, dark limestone stucco, glossy Kit Kat tiles, and sheer cotton, linen and silk blinds doing a lot of the talking. A chandelier of Ann Wolff’s Snowball candle holders dominates the main dining room, throwing copper-toned reflections off a high-gloss ceiling, while Scandinavian references like a traditional Dala horse nod to Frantzén’s Swedish roots.
Where before guests moved straight to the table, the experience now opens at an intimately lit counter served directly by Zén’s chefs, with seven canapés setting up the six courses to follow, which are in turn paired with sake, wine, a non-alcoholic selection, or a mix of both. It’s an evolution that puts the kitchen’s hands, not just its plating, in front of guests from the first bite, a small change that says a lot about where the restaurant wants attention to sit.
Seasonal Focus
The dining experience then moves up to the second floor, where the main course menu, devised by acclaimed chef Björn Frantzén (above) and executed by head chef Kelvin Ng, includes a shima aji crudo with artichoke bariguole, quince and nasturtium; a chawanmushi of abalone, coriander, shiitake and beef broth; and Wagyu with oxtail pressé, morel and fermented Kampot pepper.
Nearly everything is sourced through a select group of regional suppliers and flown in from Japan four times a week, with the menu reconcieved three to four times a year as produce moves through the seasons. The meal closes on the third floor, where desserts, petit fours and digestifs complete what is now a uniquely vertical dining experience.
One for the Expense Account
Zén remains one of the region’s hardest three-star tables to get into, and the new counter format effectively adds a fourth act to an already long tasting menu, so plan for a longer evening than before.
