Zen's New Menu

The show goes on at the dinner theatre that is Zen - where fun, food and hospitality are served over three floors at its house of good cheer in Bukit Pasoh. Some four months after making a splash with its Christmas debut, the Singapore offshoot of the three Michelin-starred Frantzen in Stockholm continues to perform at a similarly high level under the stewardship of head chef Tristin Farmer. Working in close partnership with the mothership (so close there's even a live video connection between the two restaurants), Chef Farmer has rolled out a new menu that continues in the vein of seasonal ingredients and sharp techniques but down-to-earth flavours. There's never anything too complicated to eat here, although the amount of work involved in creating something that you gobble down in seconds is slightly guild-inducing. But only for a moment.

There's a fair bit more table action this time round, as steamed kinmedai fillets are casually torched at the table to crisp up the skin, which is then meticulously plated with tender-chewy Koshihikari rice, Bafun uni, matsutake mushroom and a swirl of emulsified vin jaune sauce. For dessert, there's some serious fiery flambe involved in putting together comforting toasty waffles, salted Hokkaido milk ice cream and wild strawberries. Other new dishes that are less flamboyant but no less tasty include an updated chawanmushi made with pork dashi, king crab and foie gras; a glistening snack of asparagus tart and creamy Brillat Savarin cheese, and a grown up apple and cloudberry cobbler with tonka bean ice cream.

Zen is at 41 Bukit Pasoh Road. Tel: 9236 6368