You can spend a lifetime chasing three Michelin stars without ever achieving them. Earning them even once is extremely rare. Repeating that feat at a second location is an accomplishment that few chefs in the world can claim. To do so at three restaurants, in three completely different cities and contexts, means entering a realm where superlatives begin to fall short.
In Dubai, Björn Frantzén has pulled off a remarkable feat. His restaurant, FZN, located in the historic and majestic Atlantis The Palm, earned three Michelin stars less than a year after opening. This achievement demonstrates—following his successes in Stockholm and Singapore—just how perfectly calibrated the former Swedish soccer player’s concept is and how Dubai continues to prove itself as one of the most fertile grounds for this type of dining
An atmosphere that breaks the mold
As soon as you ring the bell at the small wooden door next to the more casual Studio Frantzén, you immediately realize that this isn’t going to be the usual stuffy traditional fine-dining experience. The music—present but never intrusive—sets the pace for the evening. The atmosphere is relaxed, almost electric—a world away from the silent, formal rituals still so common in high-end dining. Guests chat, laugh, and enjoy pleasant conversation with a dining room staff that is precise and extremely competent, yet never comes across as stiff.
The experience begins in the lounge, an almost home-like setting where the first snacks are served and the ingredients to be tasted at dinner are presented. It’s a statement of intent—the moment when the guest immediately grasps the restaurant’s philosophy. No forced narrative about sustainability or supply chains. The ingredients are simply the best available (Norwegian scallops, Australian meats, white truffles from Alba...) and come from all over the world, often via private jet. There’s no green rhetoric; there’s only one priority: total control over the ingredients and the result on the plate. A result that, after all, is impeccable.
The cuisine: Nordic precision and Japanese influences
From the lounge, you descend one floor to the main dining room, where a counter wraps around the open kitchen, accommodating most of the diners. The kitchen team, led by Chef Torsten Vildgaard and his right-hand man Luigi Esposito, works in full view with pinpoint precision and a striking sense of ease. Because a service that seems to flow naturally, without any apparent effort, is clearly the result of meticulous planning down to the smallest detail.
The dishes remain true to Björn Frantzén’s style: a Nordic foundation, Japanese influences, and an almost imperceptible technique that perfectly balances sharp flavor contrasts. The menu opens with Norwegian scallops, delivered that very morning, nestled on a bed of brown butter and topped with a generous portion of white truffle. An opulent start that, as we said, leaves nothing to be desired.
Next comes a lobster tail with the underside coated in puffed Koshihikari rice, served with two sauces: a butter-and-yuzu emulsion and a “choron,” which is a tomato-based béarnaise. A dish with an incredibly refined flavor and an over-the-top sense of comfort, which works precisely because it isn’t afraid to be exactly what it is.
Next comes the chawanmushi with king crab, ikura, and fermented fennel. It’s a dish in which softness, saltiness, acidity, and temperature strike a very delicate balance, without ever becoming heavy—which is something one might expect from a dish like this.
The Signature Dishes
Of course, Frantzén’s signature dishes are a must, even if they’re presented slightly differently than in Singapore and Stockholm. The French Toast is perhaps the most iconic: spelt bread made with sourdough starter, braised onions, seared foie gras, and house-cured beef ham. A sumptuous dish but perfectly balanced, even though the description on the menu seems to promise excess. And then there’s the famous “onion, almond, licorice” combination, a staple on the menu, presented here as an onion velouté with chopped toasted almonds, milk foam, licorice cream, and almond oil. A play on sweetness and texture that places the dish on the ever-intriguing boundary between savory and dessert.
But there’s still one more course before we move on to dessert—probably the most interesting of the entire evening. A French pigeon glazed with smoked maple syrup and Earl Grey, featuring a much bolder flavor profile than the previous courses on the menu. Accompanying it is another icon of the Frantzén universe: the Parker House roll, a reinterpretation of the small American roll that originated in the 19th century at a Boston hotel of the same name, served here warm with a three-layer butter: salted French butter, truffle butter, and shallot confit butter. Irresistible.
The meal concludes with a dessert featuring raspberries, pistachios, matcha, and oolong tea mousse—perfectly balanced, just like everything else. Special mention goes to the wine pairings, which—despite a monumental wine cellar stocked with highly prestigious labels—also feature lesser-known selections, always maintaining the highest quality and delightfully complementing the dishes without ever overpowering them. It’s a smart choice that demonstrates confidence and maturity.
Why FZN Works
To wrap up dinner, shortly after midnight, we gather on the lounge terrace overlooking the Dubai skyline to sample petit fours and Scandinavian candies. A moment that’s almost mundane, yet perfect in its simplicity. And it is precisely here that you realize what FZN truly is: a place that manages to be both refined and surprisingly relaxed, luxurious without ever becoming stuffy. A rare balance that can’t be improvised and that requires a deep understanding of what you want to be—and what you don’t want to appear to be.
The fact that Michelin has recognized this approach so quickly is significant. Not only because of the quality of the execution (which is beyond question), but because it shows that today there is also room for a deliberate and conscious form of gastronomic luxury. A luxury that doesn’t need justification, but finds its legitimacy precisely in the honesty with which it presents itself. In a landscape where high-end dining increasingly tends to tone things down and seek the broadest possible appeal, FZN chooses the opposite path. And it succeeds.
Contact
Atlantis The Palm, Crescent Road, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
receptionfzn@restaurantfzn.com
