Living in Dubai, we are inundated with venues shouting about the latest unmissable experiences they can offer diners, whether it be tableside performances, viral dishes (read: copious amounts of dry ice) or panoramic views. However, if you listen closely, you’ll find it is the restaurants that don’t have to shout that are deserved of the most attention; venues where expertise and, frankly, a passion for food, are what’s getting diners through the doors.
The door that leads to FZN by Björn Frantzén is one that can be easily missed, though you would be devastated if that should actually occur. For inside, via private elevator rides and hallways lined with shelves of pickled vegetables, is a unique dining experience guests won’t soon forget.
FZN is a two-storey restaurant with 27 seats that only accommodates one seating per night. Upstairs is the whimsically decorated living room where the first part of the evening unfolds. Here, guests are treated to a parade of canapés from the comfort of enveloping armchairs and get acquainted with the ingredients that will be used throughout the evening’s multi-course tasting menu (which lands approximately around the 19 dish mark, all in all).
Canapés successfully demolished, guests are led downstairs to the dining room and meet the team of world-class chefs that will be preparing the evening’s European-Japanese menu from an expansive open kitchen. Each course is as mind-boggling as the next; the langoustine, a stand-out amongst stand-outs and one of Björn Frantzén’s signature dishes, is plump, gently adorned in koshihikari rice and encouraged to be eaten with a sea buckthorn, yuzu and dried pine butter emulsion. Another chart-topper is the chawanmushi, a velvety smooth egg custard dish hailing from Japan that’s infused with smoked beef broth; the newly launched seasonal menu sees it topped with bafun uni and razor clam.
Other seasonal dishes include scallops with fermented apricot and turnip, and turbot with beurre blanc, walnuts and Frantzén selection caviar, as well as the intriguing matcha waffles with carrot ice cream and pistachios for dessert. To complement the meal, FZN offers a grape, mocktail or mixed pairing – the latter affords the opportunity to explore far-flung labels as well as innovative non-alcoholic concoctions.
Post-indulgence, diners retreat to the living room where, after no-doubt declaring that you can’t eat another morsel, a trolley of irresistible hand-crafted chocolates and sweets appears, as well as lighter-than-air miso macaroons to round-off an evening of decadence.
Although thoughts of tasting menus and Michelin ratings typically conjure images of stuffy experiences where one feels the need to whisper, FZN shatters the stereotype. While every moment is three-star worthy, the team is warm, approachable and excited by diners’ curiosity, and the space is equally inviting thanks to classic rock spilling from the speakers and kitchen-side seating that allows for conversation with the chefs. Despite being open for less than a year, FZN’s three-star rating solidifies its status as one of the world’s finest restaurants (not to mention, the accolade makes Chef Björn Frantzén the only chef in the world to have three restaurants awarded three Michelin stars apiece). Whether you’re searching for a destination for a special occasion or simply an evening to remember, FZN by Björn Frantzén ticks every box – including those you didn’t know existed. Book now
