Three Michelin-starred Zén restaurant is to reopens after an extensive, three-month-long refurbishment on 25th August.
While “staying true to the DNA that has made it one of Asia’s most acclaimed culinary destinations”, Zén has returned in a more contemporary, intimate form, where architecture, hospitality, and storytelling in a “renewed expression”.
Guests now begin each dining experience around a newly installed, intimately lit 16-seat counter served directly by Zén’s chefs. Offering a series of seven canapés, each inspired bite is the prelude to the six courses that follow and can be accompanied by a pairing of sake and wines.
The meal continues on the second floor for the main courses of the experience. Guests enjoy dishes such as Crudo: shima aji, artichoke bariguole, quince & nasturtium; Chawanmushi, abalone, coriander, shiitake & beef broth and Wagyu, oxtail pressé, morel & fermented kampot pepper. All ingredients for this island city-state are imported, and at Zén, sourced from trusted regional suppliers and delivered from Japan four times per week. Menus evolve with the seasons, with full changes three to four times per year. Each visit concludes on the third floor lounge, with desserts, petit fours and a selection of the fine digestifs.
The team’s creative vision has been realised in a bold reimagining of the interior, refining the space and elevating every aspect of the guest experience. This results from a close collaboration between the Frantzén Group and JOYN, an interior architectural studio based in Stockholm.
Shades, touchpoints, and elements in earthy brown tones now draw guests in and up through the building. Paler colours of biscuit and hazelnut, calming and neutral, represent a fresh simplicity, while richer tones of cinnamon and chocolate represent luxury, affection, and delicious food.
The soft and ambient lighting illuminates drinks and ingredients, as well as the pine-block wood stairwells and ornamental displays. Shelves display ferments and pickles, while the artwork, selected by the Frantzén Group, features an eclectic mix of Scandinavian pieces. The collection includes the traditional Dala horse – a symbol of good luck, strength, and hospitality.
The papery, light texture of raffia in wall coverings contrasts with the smooth, fossilised, matt stone found in countertops, as does the clay-like surface of dark limestone stucco with the sheen of Kit Kat Japanese tiles. Textile blinds in ethereal sheer cotton, linen, and silk diffuse the strong tropical daylight.
In the main dining room, a dramatic chandelier of the famous Snowball candle holders, by Ann Wolff for Kosta Boda, casts water-like reflections off the copper shade and high-gloss ceiling above. The calming elegance of the minimal colour palette, textures, and materials seamlessly melds a Swedish design aesthetic with its Japanese and SE Asian counterparts.
From the moment they arrive at Zén, guests are immersed in a world of familial relaxation. Now with three of the island’s most skilled Singaporean-born leaders at the fore: Head Chef, Kelvin Ng, General Manager Rachel Ezekiel and Head of Beverage Warren Estrop, the team continue to build on the prestigious Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award they collected during the ceremony at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023.
Zén, 41 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089855