Triple Michelin-star chef Björn Frantzén confirms two-venue Australian debut with Crown
Swedish chef Björn Frantzén, who is the only chef in the world to hold three Michelin stars across three restaurants simultaneously, has confirmed he will open two fine-dining venues with Crown Resorts, marking his first move into the Australian market.
Frantzén will take over the former Oncore by Clare Smyth space at Crown Sydney with a new restaurant, Én by Björn Frantzén, opening early next year. A second venue, Brasserie Astoria, will open at Crown Perth in the same timeframe, giving the chef a two-city Australian footprint in one hit.
Speculation about the deal had been building since November, when Smyth announced Oncore's closure and Good Food reported Frantzén was the frontrunner to take over the site.
Both restaurants will lean on the techniques that built Frantzén's reputation, including a mix of Nordic, French and Japanese influences, with Crown Resorts describing the offering as a "multi-sensory dining journey" built around Frantzén's "hallmark techniques and storytelling."
Frantzén said the move was a natural fit. "For a chef, Sydney is impossible to ignore," he told the SMH. "It sits at the crossroads of amazing ingredients, international influences, and a dining public that genuinely cares about food. That's an exciting combination.
"I've always been drawn to projects that challenge us to think differently.
Opening in Sydney gives us the opportunity to start with a blank canvas and ask ourselves what the next chapter of hospitality should look like."
While diners can expect the same culinary DNA, Crown has indicated Én won't be a straight replica of Frantzén's existing restaurants Frantzén in Stockholm, Zen in Singapore and FZN in Dubai. "I've spent much of my career chasing perfection, but what motivates me today is creating new experiences that people talk about years later," Frantzén said.
Pricing structure for Én hasn't been locked in, with a Crown Sydney spokesperson unable to confirm whether the format will be tasting menu, à la carte or a mix of both. For context, the tasting menu at Frantzén's Stockholm flagship runs to $815 a head before drinks, with Singapore at $640 and Dubai at $780. Oncore was priced at $395 before it closed in February.
Brasserie Astoria will occupy a new dining space under construction at Crown Towers Perth, joining existing Astoria sites in Singapore, Stockholm and Marbella. The Perth venue is expected to mirror the brasserie format of à la carte dining, a cocktail-driven bar program and tableside service.
The openings add to a wave of high-profile international chef arrivals in Australia, following Waldorf Astoria Sydney's announcement that Australian-born chef Curtis Stone will bring a California-inspired concept to the hotel next year.
Brian Geraghty, owner-chef of Berowra Waters Inn, welcomed the news. "I have a Swedish wife and two half-Swedish children, so it's my second home. The [Stockholm] restaurant is an institution, not just for the country but Europe. The cooking is clean, focused, refined and the produce is of exceptional quality. If they do it well, it'll blow Sydney out of the water."
Jonathan Jackson, 21st July 2026
