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Zén has been located at its Bukit Pasoh 3 storey shophouse (after Restaurant André has closed) since it opened 7 years ago. It serves Nordic-Japanese course menu and currently one of the 3 Three Michelin Star restaurants. The 3.5h dining experience is meant to be a house visit concept where guests gather at the 1st floor sofa and kitchen area to relax, enjoy some canapes and drinks. Guests are then brought to the kitchen area where the staff gives a good introduction of the fresh ingredients including country source that would soon be prepared for the meal. Guests then proceed up to the 2nd floor dining area, where the meal is served course by course, with the final finishing done by the side table. Finally, guests will move up to the living room area to enjoy some fruits and petit fours, with optional drinks.
Zén has been located at its Bukit Pasoh 3 storey shophouse (after Restaurant André has closed) since it opened 7 years ago. It serves Nordic-Japanese course menu and currently one of the 3 Three Michelin Star restaurants. The 3.5h dining experience is meant to be a house visit concept where guests gather at the 1st floor sofa and kitchen area to relax, enjoy some canapes and drinks. Guests are then brought to the kitchen area where the staff gives a good introduction of the fresh ingredients including country source that would soon be prepared for the meal. Guests then proceed up to the 2nd floor dining area, where the meal is served course by course, with the final finishing done by the side table. Finally, guests will move up to the living room area to enjoy some fruits and petit fours, with optional drinks.
22 Sep 25
Ingredients Showcase
Ingredients Showcase
Looking at this aready makes me salivate. Hearing about the source and how the food is prepared makes me look forward to the meal!
Level 1
Level 1
Window View
Retro Furnishing
The Kitchen
The Kitchen
Tartlet
crustacean & Thai basil
Yuba
otoro, burrata, pomelo
Croustarde
girolle & shiroita kombu
Beignet
hazelnut &
Zén Réserve caviar
My favourite canapes are the tartlet with the sweet tasting crustacean meat, and the beignet which is usually served as a dessert. But with the caviar, it has been transformed to an elevated savoury sweet canape!
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2 is the Dining Room, primarily in light wood and cream tones. The restaurant name does give one the impression of 'Zen' which the Dining Room is more in sync, compared to Level 1.
The Dining Room
The Dining Room
Crudo
scallop, artichoke,
Amalfi lemon, galangal
Chawanmushi
awabi, matsutake, garum
Marron a la minute
sea buckthorn kosho
I did have high hopes when the staff showed us the fresh scallop and artichoke. One of the prettiest dishes and the scallop was good, especially with the lemon, zesty flavour. I was very glad I kept the foie gras. It was light yet creamy and added a meat flavour to the chawanmushi. The lobster tail was an optional item and good if you are a big fan of lobster.
Madai
mussel, saffron, salted fennel
Onion
almond, liquorice
Venison
lardo, arctic bramble, stout
The thing about such fine dining restaurant was that the menu items are not listed. However, one can inform the restaurant dietary preferences prior to the meal. We had quite a number of items that we do not consume and the staff did a great job to take note and the meal course was prepared with individual preference in mind. For the Madai, those who did not like mussel had mushrooms instead. The main course was venison and the alternative we had was kurobuta pork. I was not sure if Wagyu beef was an option for that day but it was also something we did not enjoy. Between the venison and pork, I find that the venison was tastier.
Shikuwasa
sencha, verbena
Side Table Preparation
Peach
cloudberry, sesame
The last 2 menu items served in the Dining Room were the palate cleanser of Shikuwasa sorbet, as well as Peach dessert. Even though this was a dessert dish, this was one of the most effort required side table preparation. The other one was Onion soup. Halfway through the preparation, they remembered some of us did not like liquor and they went to re-do the sauce for us.
Level 3
Level 3
I am not sure if it was the rainy and cloudy weather, but this level felt the most Nordic of all. This level comprises of the Living Room, with bigger sofa seats for guests to lounge in after the meal. The shelves have extensive display of alcoholic drinks, which guests have the option of purchasing.
The Living Room
The Living Room
Optional Drinks
camomile, latte
Seasonal Fruits
Shine muscat grape & verjus
Masui Dauphine fig & shio koji
Crown muskmelon & Manzanilla
Madeleines
kokuta & miso
Actually I expected more desserts, or rather a variety of petit fours. Instead, it was only Madeleines, which to be fair, was one of the nicest Madeleines I have had. However, the chef was sweet enough to prepare a chocolate cake for my birthday. So that was a nice sweet end to the meal.
It has been a number of years since I had such fine dining. One being I no longer enjoy the mains, I very much prefer canapes or small plates concept nowadays. That being said, I figured the prices will only go upwards. I would like to experience the Frantzén philosophy and how it differed from Restaurant André. 3.5h dining may sound daunting and super filling but the time passed by quite reasonably and stomach did not feel super tight at the end of the meal.
It has been a number of years since I had such fine dining. One being I no longer enjoy the mains, I very much prefer canapes or small plates concept nowadays. That being said, I figured the prices will only go upwards. I would like to experience the Frantzén philosophy and how it differed from Restaurant André. 3.5h dining may sound daunting and super filling but the time passed by quite reasonably and stomach did not feel super tight at the end of the meal.
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