Villa Frantzén is a part of the Frantzén Group, a modern, casual fine-dining Nordic restaurant & bar with Asian influences located in central Bangkok, selected by MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2024 & 50 Best Discovery.
We want to see you again and again.
This is how we craft your experiences at the restaurant and the cocktail bar. With our special multiple selection 6-course tasting, you can have a different experience each time you come back and enjoy a different menu in a different part of our Villa.
It is the most Nordic restaurant in the entire Frantzén Group.
Björn Frantzén
INTERIOR & DESIGN
Villa Frantzén is designed by Joyn Studio in collaboration with Frantzén Group. Joyn Studio is a small interior architectural studio located in Stockholm, run by three Swedish women: Helena Eliason, Lisa Grape, and Ida Wanler.
FRANTZÉN PROJECTS & SWEDISH CRAFT
Inside, you may find many items from Swedish craftsmen and Frantzén Group Projects.
From Gense cutlery, Calle Forsberg handmade ceramics, woodworks from Erik Mossnelid at Renskalla, knives from Morakniv handpainted by Pernilla Nordman, hand wash and lotion from a Frantzén Group and Björk & Berries collab to Reijmyre glassware designed by Björn Frantzén and Stefan Gissberg.
ILLUMINATION
At dawn, the outdoor and indoor spaces become a show of lights from the renowned light architect Matteo Messervy.
MEET THE TEAM
BJÖRN FRANTZÉN, CHEF PATRON | FRANTZÉN GROUP
From steak to stars
Both the innovator and the critic, Björn constantly questions himself in pursuit of perfection. Born in 1977, he represents the young generation of successful chefs dedicated to their calling. At the age of 12 once he was served the perfect steak, with french fries and béarnaise sauce – this very first strong culinary memory inspired his career. His journey towards stardom started with interning at Edsbacka Krog to later work at restaurants such as Chez Nico’s, Dining Lettonie, and L’Arpege.
He opened his own restaurant – Frantzén in 2008. In 2013, Frantzén was appointed “The chef of all chefs”, by Sweden’s top gastronomic critics.
NILAS CORNELIUSSEN, EXECUTIVE HEAD CHEF | VILLA FRANTZÉN
Thai boxer turns chef
A Swedish Dane, geeky about Thai cooking and fluent in Thai, Nilas Corneliussen seamlessly bridges Frantzén Nordics & Asian influences. But Nilas never imagined a career in cooking. The tangled path that landed him the Executive Head Chef role in Bangkok started with Thai boxing in high school and training camps in Thailand. After a bad injury, he gave up the sport, and a day after graduation he was on a one-way ticket to study economics in Thailand.
Halfway into his master’s, he found his calling in the kitchen. He then returned to Europe and worked his way up from Stockholm’s trattoria to Michelin-starred Esperanto, Noma, amidst winning silver on the Swedish team in the Bocuse d’Or finals. Before Villa Frantzén, Nilas headed Stockholm Surfers–an authentic, somewhat nerdy Szechuan restaurant.
APICHAYA LEEWATTANAPORN (FAI), GENERAL MANAGER | VILLA FRANTZÉN
The queen of pursuit
Bangkok-born, Apichaya (Fai) was once captivated by the intricate world of ladybugs. Her entomologist dream faced much disapproval, so she pursued a new passion: pastry. Still, her father envisioned a more corporate path for her and steered her toward hospitality. Determined to become a pastry chef after graduating, Fai could not secure a pastry internship, so she began with front-of-house roles instead. Her time at Chef Fatih Tutak’s outlet at the W Hotel interested her in beverages, so she secured a spot in Diageo’s Global Graduate program as one of six candidates out of 280 applicants. Unfulfilled in her passion for service, she left the corporation and returned to restaurants (Gaa, Sawaan), quickly advancing to management roles.
As the General Manager at Villa Frantzén, Fai demonstrates her love for order, logic, and structure. With a methodical approach, she uses analogies to communicate complex concepts to her team and believes that every detail has a purpose and that good service is backed by reason.
GABRIEL VALDÉS, BAR MANAGER | VILLA FRANTZÉN COCKTAIL BAR
Scandinavian landscape in a glass
Gabriel Valdés’s humor ups the casual evening vibe at the bar. Before joining the team in Bangkok, Gabriel has been interpreting a 16th-century pharmacy at Pharmarium in Stockholm.
He loves to cook and travel. This translates into his vast awareness of ingredients, preservation techniques, and the use of uncommon, savory ingredients in cocktails, like fermented blueberries, beetroot, cream cheese, or whey. His signature mixtures reflect the Nordic landscape in bold, sharp flavors, textures, or sterile purity. Working in Bangkok, he introduces pan-Asian influences to his Nordic creations.
