As a city that outwardly prides itself on its dining scene, FZN by Björn Frantzén is what Dubai has been waiting for.
For more than a decade Dubai has been busy setting tables; customizing glassware; securing better produce sources; tempting timid diners to dare dance out of their comfort zones (yes, there is life beyond burrata, black cod and a sushi platter); and trying to convert the Gulf’s habitual sense of hospitality into the exacting telepathy expected at the very highest-level of the world’s best restaurants.
The standards have climbed (maybe not as much as the pricing, but climb they certainly did) enough to seduce the owners of the world’s most in-demand taste buds—the ones who hand out the hats and sprinkle the stars—to grace us with their presence. The place is now set.
Björn Frantzén is not a household name [although, if he is known in your house, please invite us over for dinner]. He is not Gordon Ramsay, or Wolfgang Puck, or Nobu Matsuhisa—but, unlike those industry icons, the highly-acclaimed Swedish chef is currently at the peak of his powers, and the form of his life.
With an already incredibly accomplished eight-restaurant portfolio—two of which are holders of the maximum three-star rating [Frantzén in Stockholm, and Zén in Singapore]—Atlantis won the bidding war to bring him to Dubai. The hotel giant are hoping that the two new Björn Frantzén restaurants (the more casual Studio Frantzén and the exquisite FZN) will be the centrepiece of plans to reinvigorate Atlantis The Palm’s dining offerings.
We, like the rest of the city, however, are curious as to whether FZN can deliver Dubai’s first three-star masterpiece. The answer, in a word, probably.
As far as restaurant experiences (or evenings in general) go, it is hard to top. Each service (Tuesday to Saturday) is divided into two parts, starting in the ‘living room’ where the first four or five dishes from the preordained menu are served as canapés, then, after a brief tour through the backrooms and impressive wine cellar, you are walked down to the dining room for the main event.
The next ten meticulously prepared courses are served in a flawless performance. The food, intimate ambiance, cozy atmosphere and even the team’s friendly patter is executed with ritualistic precision. Nothing is left to chance here, and it shows. Even though the restaurant’s 27 covers are in high demand, you must insist on sitting at the chef’s table for front-row seats to this culinary production of the very highest order.
It’s a lot, and for AED2,000 per guest, you would certainly expect so. But when you’re dropping that amount on a meal it is not longer about the money, you want the experience, and that’s what you get.
Whether FZN by Björn Frantzén catches the stars its chasing, who knows (or cares?), because for the city, it has already succeeded. After twenty years of insatiable perseverance to raise its game to the highest levels, it now has the proof in its pudding.