FZN by Björn Frantzén

Review Highlights

Alexander brings 21-year-old Tuomas Tolsa from Finland — the winner of a 15,000-player giveaway — to the grand opening night of FZN by Björn Frantzén at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. This is the second leg of Tuomas's prize journey after losing his fine-dining virginity at Alexander's Michelin-starred restaurant in Hungary just two days earlier. Executive chef Torsten Vildgaard, a 12-year Noma veteran who helped secure its World's Best Restaurant title in 2021, leads the kitchen at what is now Björn Frantzén's 8th restaurant across 5 countries. They settle into a 9-course tasting menu (€520) that begins with canapés in the Scandinavian-inspired living room before a tour of the wine cellar — home to Dubai's heaviest wine list with over 1,400 labels — and on to the main dining room.

• ·Choux bun with cheese mornay and charred scallions — served warm by Chef Vildgaard himself; "a simple bite with a beautiful, balanced temperature" and a satisfying crunch that gives off a comforting, homey vibe
• ·Signature potato wafer — takes 48 hours to make; a crispy shell filled with cream, spices and roe, topped with pickled shallots. A Frantzén icon that appears at Zén and Frantzén as well
• ·French onion soup — Chef Frantzén's signature take using just three ingredients: onion, almond and liquorice. Served alongside a show box of fine ingredients that previews what's to come
• ·Otoro — bluefin tuna belly, the fattiest and most luxurious cut, with Japanese black turnip petals, radish, fermented strawberries, tomato water and strawberry juice vinaigrette, finished with coffee oil. "A very clever dish" that "balances fattiness, sweetness, acidity, and crunchiness perfectly — like a beautiful melody"
• ·Norwegian langoustine with warm ginger butter emulsion — served without cutlery so guests eat hands-on, with rose water for cleaning fingers. "The meat is perfectly cooked"
• ·Chawanmushi — Japanese savory egg custard steamed in a cup, seasoned with smoked beef broth and topped with a generous amount of N25 caviar and gold leaf. Tuomas's favorite dish of the night — he's officially hooked on caviar
• ·King Crab in saffron beurre blanc — with sea buckthorn, salmon roe, and kinome leaves for a tingling sensation. Alexander calls it "bloody amazing"
• ·Duck — dry-aged 15 days, grilled, served with miso cured in citrus, foie gras with Japanese wasabi, and two sauces: kampot pepper with vinegar and vanilla, plus melted foie gras fat with brown butter. Served with fresh dinner rolls, homemade XO sauce, and French salted butter with olive oil and black pepper

Alexander compares FZN's team to an all-star supergroup: Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Ariana Grande backed by world-class musicians, conducted by Vildgaard and composed by Björn Frantzén — "they play and perform in perfect harmony." Unlike kitchens where egos clash, the 35-strong team of chefs and servers works as one, with cooks stepping out to refill water glasses when needed. For Alexander, there is "no doubt that FZN will soon become a 3 Michelin-star restaurant," and the warm, unscripted service stands in stark contrast to the "algorithmic, mechanical" hospitality that plagues so much of fine dining today.

About

FZN by Björn Frantzén is a fine dining restaurant at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, opened in November 2024. It is the 8th restaurant from Swedish chef Björn Frantzén, whose flagship Frantzén in Stockholm and Zén in Singapore each hold three Michelin stars. With just 27 seats and a team of 35 led by Noma veteran Torsten Vildgaard, FZN earned three Michelin stars in the 2025 Dubai guide only six months after opening, making Frantzén the only chef in the world to simultaneously lead three three-star restaurants.