I’M AFRAID that I’d stop enjoying what I’m doing, but luckily I don’t feel it.

TO AVOID THAT, it’s all about doing new things. Creating a new restaurant; working on a different concept somewhere; travelling to a different part of the world. I need new stuff to get me going.

I’VE A DIFFERENT GAME PLAN when it comes to my restaurants. I’d approach my restaurant as a guest first, then I’ll work on the food. This gives me the full angle of the guest experience when I eat the dishes from start to end.

IN SWEDEN, aside from Swedish and English, you need to choose a third language. I picked French because I thought all chefs are French. After six months, I quit French because it was too hard.

I’M NOT SAYING IT'S EXPENSIVE, but it’s a lot of money to eat in a Michelin-star restaurant. Because of that, we have a responsibility towards the guests to make sure that they are getting what they pay for.

I CAN CONTROL what we are doing and how we want our guests to feel when we serve them, but I can’t control what you’ll think about the meal.

OUR PLAYLIST is banging on with Black Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses. People who come in would ask, Is this really the music you’re gonna play? Yeah, because I like it and I want to be relaxed. Music, to me, is energy and emotions. I don’t want elevator or piano music.

MY PLAYLIST is obviously a combination of songs that I like, but it’s also important that it doesn’t become... “commercial energy radio”. You can’t put in U2’s “With or Without You”, even though I think it’s a great song; if you’re gonna play a U2 song, it needs to not be a radio hit. 

I’M TERRIBLE at playing any instrument. The same goes for singing, but music has always been a big part of my life in whatever I do. I used to be a professional footballer and I’d listen to new music in the dressing room ahead of the games. Same when you are running or driving a car; music can create so many emotions depending on what you play.

THE GREATEST ROCK-AND-ROLL band is U2.

EATING STEAK FRITES at my friend’s parents’ French brasserie was the tipping point that led me to become a chef. Would I have become a chef if I hadn’t eaten there? I’m not sure... maybe not.

I’VE HAD SIMILAR HALLELUJAH MOMENTS, as I call it, with food and beverages but you can only have that proper hallelujah moment for that first time.

IF A RESTAURANT HAS STREAK FRITES, 99 per cent of the time, I’ll order it.

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CONSIDERATIONS in opening FZN in Dubai. One, it needs to be a place where I’d like to go. Two, there needs to be a partner that I can work with. Three, are we able to get our hands on good ingredients?

IF WE AGREED ON SOMETHING, we have a deal. But if you’re not fulfilling your end of the bargain, you’re either lazy or, most likely, you are lying.

WHEN YOU RUN three Michelin-star restaurants, everyone you work with is really serious and keen on what they do. It’s such a privilege to work with people like that.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, it’s always your fault most of the time because either I have hired the wrong people or I’ve trained them wrongly.

IN BALL SPORTS, either the ball is moving or you have an opponent trying to make it difficult for you to move it. For golf, you have this little ball lying there, and you know exactly what you need to do to get it into the hole. You can plan for it but ultimately, it’s all down to you. In so many ways, golf is the most difficult sport in the world. 

WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS, you stop taking things so bloody seriously.

YOU'D WORRY about kids but then you realise, maybe it wasn’t such a big issue when your delivery arrives late or something trivial that’s not going your way, you know?

IT ALSO FORCED me to adjust my life: I don’t want to miss their little moments because I’m chained to the stove. Closing [Restaurant Frantzén] on the weekends was a big move that came about because of having kids.

To others, I’m a chef. To my daughters, I’m just a dad who makes sandwiches for them.

THOSE KITCHENS in London in the ’90s and the beginning of 2000s were the toughest in the world. A lot of violence and screaming and shouting. People working 16, 18 hours a day, six days a week. I saw a lot of people leave after eight or 10 months because it was too hard. 

GETTING NEW HIRES to replace the ones who left slows down operations, and it’s a slog to keep that train moving forward. So, staff retention has always been important to me and for the success of a restaurant.

OF COURSE, you’d also need to have a successful restaurant to be able to charge the prices so that your staff has that work-life balance.

WITH A FAILED FOOTBALL CAREER, being a chef was plan B and I’m glad that worked out. So, now I’m gonna have to stick with being a chef because I don’t have any more back-up plans.

LEGACY? I feel really young, so I don’t think about that.