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If you are looking for a different Fine Dining experience in Taipei, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant under the helm of an Argentine chef ZEA Definitely worth a try! This restaurant combines fresh Taiwanese ingredients with Latin American flavor creativity to bring a refreshing culinary journey.
This article will introduce the dining experience in detail, including the details of the cuisine, the pairing of wine and food, and the overall dining experience. It is for reference for friends who want to try early adopters or go on a date.
Taipei Michelin Restaurant ZEA Taipei Taipei Latin American Cuisine Taipei Fine Dining Argentine Cuisine Taipei Michelin One-star Restaurant Taipei Dating Restaurant Recommendation Creative Cuisine Restaurant ZEA Restaurant Evaluation Taipei Fine Dining Restaurant Taipei Food Recommendation
(Dining in January 2025)
ZEA｜Innovative cuisine created by Argentine chefs
Most Michelin restaurants in Taiwan are mainly French or Japanese, and Latin American styles are rare. ZEA is helmed by an Argentine chef. The concept of cooking is novel and challenging, which greatly increases people's curiosity. This time I finally got the candidate in place, so I came to experience it in particular.
ZEA menu introduction and dining experience
Appetizers and appetizers
Ouchi avocado/folk cocoa/Clear Soy Sauce at the bottom of the flower bed pot
The cracker crust is paired with avocado rolls, the meat crisp is wrapped in the middle, and the upper layer is decorated with soy sauce jelly and cocoa crumbles. It has a slightly bitter flavor and a rich taste level. Although some people say that avocado + soy sauce = salmon sashimi, I haven't eaten it at all.
Smoky Tiger/Madai Tea
Roasted smoky tiger with Madai tea oil, the concept comes from Madai Tea, the "national drink" of South America. In theory, it should be able to remove oil and relieve greasy, but the actual flavor is too light and there is no memory point.
Pingtung Crayfish/Aromatic Marigold/Quinoa (highly recommended! ）
The best of the game! Mashed potatoes and cabbage are the base, paired with crayfish, sweet beans and fried red quinoa. The shrimp soup is brewed with basil and marigold. The overall flavor is rich and the layering is strong. It is the most evocative part of this set meal.
Homemade country bread/Zuccardi family olive oil (recommended! ）
Homemade sourdough bread is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is already very layered to eat alone. The focus is on the restaurant's offering of 4 top Argentine Zuccardi olive oils. The flavor ranges from light and elegant to strong, so that people can savor it carefully. I like the first version with a rich herbal aroma and a warm finish best.
Seafood main course
Purple Potato/Ossau Iraty Cheese/Yilan Carmine Shrimp
Ossau-Iraty is French goat milk cheese, paired with purple potatoes and tender cochineal shrimp. It has a rich taste, but the overall flavor is too unique. This one is the one I don't understand the most.
Yilan abalone/sweet Pepper
The roasted sweet pepper is filled with scallop mousse. It has a delicate taste when eaten alone. The northeast corner abalone is soft and tender, but when the two are combined, they are separated and there is no sense of fusion.
Golden Snapper/Torrontes liquor/Wooden Shirt dregs
Torrontes is a representative white wine of Argentina. It is mixed with the dregs of the wooden shirt wine into a thick soup. It has the visual sense of Costco thick soup and the fish is delicate, but this dish is eaten separately, and the flavor has no sense of fusion.
Meat main course
Fangyuan Yulu Duck/Chestnut Pumpkin/White Pomelo
After the duck is cooked for 15 days, it is grilled over charcoal. The skin is crispy, but the meat is very hard. It is served with a sauce made from duck bone stock. Underneath are smoked chili (slightly spicy, highlighting the sweetness of duck meat), chestnut pumpkin (dense), pumpkin seed nut sauce (adding taste), pumpkin seed nut sauce is very delicious, but it doesn't match the main meal, and it doesn't taste of white pomelo at all.
Changhua Sheep and Pig five Flowers/Leek/Tree Tomato
This dish is inspired by Mexican Taco and is served with leek & tree tomato salsa, but the pork five flowers are too greasy and people don't like it at all.
Desserts and snacks
Yunlin Peanut/Lemon (recommended! ）
Peanut ice cream is very rich, with crushed lemon peel and lemon foam. It has a balanced sweet and sour taste and a layered taste. It is the most impressive dessert.
Sweet potato with red heart/Costa Coffee/caramel
Sweet potato puree, sweet potato syrup, and sweet potato balls are paired with fried cream crackers. The sweet and sour coffee sorbet contrasts sharply with the caramelized sweet potato. The coffee sorbet is delicious, but the taste of other sweet potato elements is light.
Bunuelito/Xiaomi/Alfajor/Cabsha
Bunuelito fried noodle balls, with jalapeno & pistachio flavor. Millet taga strawberry. Alfajor Argentine classic caramel milk biscuits), the taste is similar to Taiwanese sandwich biscuits. Cabsha truffle chocolate, filled with pepper milk sauce. These dim sum dishes are very distinctive, but they are based on opinions and opinions, and it depends on personal taste whether they are delicious or not.
Birthday cake (recommended! ）
It is made in a complicated process of three kinds of cream, and the outer layer is sprinkled with coconut flour. It has a rich taste. It is the most delicious dessert this time, and it is more satisfactory than Petit Four.
Meal and wine pairing
There are a total of 7 glasses of wine pairing this time, 2 of which are particularly favorite. It is recommended to find a drink.
Personal feelings
Very creative Latin American cuisine, a rare style in Taiwan, the matching of ingredients breaks through the traditional framework. The handling of crayfish is delicate and can show the chef's skills. Bread & olive oil are rich in products, offering a choice of different flavors, and a high sense of experience.
Some dishes are too avant-garde and the flavors are not coordinated enough, such as purple potato & goat milk cheese and pig five-flower Taco. The overall taste is "eat your own" and lacks a sense of integration. The restaurant environment is too noisy, which affects the explanation by the clerk. Points are deducted for the Fine Dining experience that needs to be savored carefully. High chairs are not suitable for long-term meals, and sitting for 3 hours is really a bit tiring.
Overall, the concept of ZEA is novel and the ingredients are exquisite, but some dishes are too avant-garde to be understood. It is recommended that friends who like novel experiences come and try it, but if they pursue traditional and exquisite flavors, they may feel slightly uncomfortable. It's worth a try, but maybe not everyone will like it.
Overall rating and cost
- Overall rating: 7.5/10
- Price: NT$4,500/person
- Wine pairing: 7 glasses/NT$2,480
Restaurant information
- address： No. 5, Alley 20, Lane 300, Section 4, Renai Road, Daan District, Taipei City 106
- https://www.instagram.com/zea.tpe/
If you are looking for a creative and challenging food experience, ZEA is really worth it. But it must also be reminded that not everyone can quickly accept this avant-garde and bold taste combination. It is recommended that you understand the style of the dishes in advance, and be mentally prepared to visit again, so that you can enjoy this unique cooking journey even more.
In short, whether you are used to Latin American style cuisine or not, ZEA provides a new vision and may also inspire you to imagine more about food. On the next special day, you may wish to bring friends who are willing to take risks with you and have a novel experience of taste buds together!
