Other
Tristan Farmer
Leads Restaurant Zén
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Japanese ingredients set the working line across Restaurant Zén and Maison Dali, where Tristan Farmer’s cooking is defined by restraint, precision, and product-led decision-making. The format shifts from the measured sequence of a multi-course table to the more direct register of a brasserie, but the craft position stays consistent: texture, balance, and ingredient clarity come before elaboration. “This is a duck and foie gras sausage with caramelised onions, cheddar cheese and mustard mayonnaise in brioche.” Tristan has said.
The Trajectory
Kitchen discipline is often formed before authorship enters the room. In Tristan Farmer’s case, training at Restaurant Zén sits alongside an early start as kitchen porter / pot washer at family-owned hotel, placing the mechanics of service before the language of menus. Repetition, stamina, cleaning, timing, and close-quarters work are part of that foundation. High-pressure restaurant kitchens sharpen consistency as much as technique. The move to head chef at Gordon Ramsay's London restaurants in London placed Farmer inside a daily rhythm built around pace, standards, and repeatable execution. Work with Jason Atherton added another serious kitchen to that progression, extending the accumulation of method through demanding service environments. International hotel and restaurant markets require a chef to hold standards while reading a different dining culture. In 2017, Farmer was head chef at Marina Social in Dubai, adding that layer to his experience. A later leadership role at Restaurant Zén in Singapore placed him in a highly structured dining format, aligned with his precision and his work with Japanese ingredients. The current post is chef of Maison Dali.
Current Practice
Maison Dali uses a three-floor, 14-course structure, giving the meal a formal architecture in which pacing matters as much as individual plates. Within that frame, Tristan Farmer works with Nordic and Japanese touches, drawing on his specialty in Japanese ingredients while keeping the focus on clarity, seasonality, and detail. The Mediterranean-Japanese brasserie format calls for a different register from a strict tasting-menu room. At Maison Dali, the ingredients-first philosophy is the operating principle: the dish is built from what the product can offer, rather than from forced decoration. That allows the food to carry both structure and ease, with the warmth expected of a brasserie and the control expected from a chef trained in more exacting formats. Restaurant Zén and Maison Dali represent two connected modes of craft. One is long-form precision, where cadence, detail, and progression have to be held course after course. The other is brasserie service, broader in appetite and more relaxed in tone. Japanese ingredients remain the through-line in Farmer’s work, giving the cooking its center without requiring excess.
Credentials
Middle East Chef of the Year, awarded twice, marks industry recognition for Tristan Farmer’s work in the region.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Tristan
What is Tristan Farmer's current position?
Tristan Farmer Leads Restaurant Zén.
Where did Tristan Farmer train or study?
Tristan Farmer trained at Restaurant Zén.
What recognition has Tristan Farmer received?
Middle East Chef of the Year, two-time winner.
