TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang
盛陽斜灑五色彩線，悄然映照於磚紅牆面的 ZEA 字樣，玉米的淳樸意象點出了拉丁美洲的飲食精髓，為主理人兼主廚 Joaquin Elizondo 不忘本的情感象徵，以豐饒奔放的謙遜本質融合新奇，試圖於相異的風土民情中，尋得你我意外共感的舌尖記憶。
異曲同工之妙
出生阿根廷，主廚 Joaquin 擁有實力堅強的廚藝經驗，曾任於香港米其林一星餐廳 MONO 副主廚，談起一年多前來台發展的契機，實則源自背後支持他的溫柔身影——妻子 Di，身為鄰居相識的兩人，循著緣分牽引回到了 Di 的家鄉，一段從零開始的創業旅程就此展開。「主要的差異在於語言和習慣，但核心價值觀非常相似，這讓我感到非常驚訝。」橫跨 1832 飛行公里的阿根廷與台灣，對 Joaquin 來說，卻擁有著難以言喻的熟悉。相似卻不盡相同的共通點，也恰巧成了他料理創作的靈感來源，如木薯在台灣常用於做花與珍珠原料，相對拉丁美洲則是飲食文化的根本，而另一相似處便是對食物的重視性，「食物意味著相聚、家庭、朋友，對我們來說，這就是生活之一，透過分享締造餐桌上的美好回憶。」當望見賓客用餐時的笑容，賦予了 Joaquin 滿滿安心，逐漸拋開過多的擔憂疑慮，盡情揮灑拉丁美洲的道地滋味，恣意遊走於辛辣、酸甜、淡鹹，細膩之中不失盛情。
熟諗故鄉風味
面對台灣食材的差異性，讓 Joaquin 坦言是目前最大的挑戰，「台灣的農產品選擇很多，更換的步伐非常快速，這就是為何每天會微調菜單的原因。」擁有如此多變的季節特性，卻也放大了料理的無限可能。深入挖掘台式風味，讓他驚然發現街邊常見的「大腸包小腸」竟與阿根廷熱門小吃「香腸三明治 Choripan」有著異曲同工之妙，「它也是豬肉香腸，但我們用麵包代替米飯，豬肉的炭香與飽滿的肉汁，再加上一點醬汁，實在讓人難以置信，彷彿好像回家一樣。」對此 Di 悄悄透露，先前在香港生活時， Joaquin 並沒有如此深刻的感受，妙不可言的故鄉連結令人莞爾。「當我們剛開始營業時，有一個小點心是油炸南瓜、地瓜麵包和糖漿，是來自拉丁美洲的傳統食譜，卻讓客人立即想起了夜市的炸地瓜球。」饒富趣味的用餐體驗，為 ZEA 與食客專屬的互動橋樑。
慷慨款待美學
以木材和線條呈現暖黃色調，優雅大氣的居家氣息，完美勾勒出 Joaquin 心目中的用餐場景，其中最讓他流連忘返的非「香草花園」莫屬，不僅是工作時的透氣小天地，其種植的香草與辛香料也經常成為餐盤的點睛之妙，更笑說未來的夢想是能在台北擁有一塊農地，種植番茄、馬鈴薯和辣椒，為餐廳捎來新鮮直送的農產品。而談起自身的個人特質，他說答案或許是「有趣、勇敢、樂觀」，「開一間餐廳的確需要勇氣，擁有篤定的心志，這便是我和 Di 一路走來所堅持的，很幸運遇到不少幫助我們的人。」尤其獨特的拉丁美洲 Fine Dining，於亞洲和台灣相對稀少，身為領頭羊之一的 Joaquin 期許能透過「慷慨款待」與「卓越品質」，向眾人展現他心中的優雅美學，望見那些再次步入 ZEA 的熟悉身影，內心也油然產生了向前馳騁的動力，「 Let’s see where we are in the future.」他與 Di 相視笑著。
As the rays of sunshine cast a shadow of colors on the sign saying ZEA, the pure image of corn captures the essence of Latin American cuisine—it is a symbol of thankfulness for director and chef de cuisine, Joaquin Elizondo. Integrating humility into innovation, he is searching for a universal memory of flavors in a land of different cultures.
Best of Both Worlds
Born in Argentina, Elizondo acquired strong culinary experience during his time as the sous chef of MONO, a one Michelin star restaurant in Hong Kong. The opportunity to come to Taiwan presented itself because of his wife and biggest supporter, Di. Neighbors, the two decided to return to Di’s hometown and begin the journey of entrepreneurship. “The main difference is in the language and customs, but the core values are pretty similar, which was surprising to me.” Despite having traveled 1832 kilometers from Argentina and Taiwan, Elizondo was welcomed by a familiarity that couldn’t be described with words, which also became a source of inspiration for his culinary creations. For instance, while cassava is the main ingredient for making edible flowers and tapioca in Taiwan, it is the essence of Latin American food. Besides ingredients, another similarity lies in the emphasis on food. “Food is equivalent to gatherings with friends and family. To us, it is a part of life, a chance to create beautiful memories on the dining table.” The smiles on the faces of the guests as they enjoyed the food brought peace to Elizondo’s mind. Gradually letting go of his worries and concerns, he began to cook freely with the authentic tastes of Latin America and explored the possibilities hidden within the spicy, sour, sweet and salty flavors.
Co-founder Di Yeh (left) and director and chef de cuisine Joaquin Elizondo (right).
Tastes of Home
To overcome the difference in local Taiwanese ingredients is the biggest challenge Elizondo currently faces. “Taiwan offers a wide selection of agricultural products and it changes very fast, which is why the menu is adjusted on a daily basis.” In spite of that, the changing seasonality also opens up endless potentials when it comes to creating a dish. While exploring Taiwanese flavors, Elizondo discovered the signature Taiwanese sausage with sticky rice is actually very similar to the Argentinian street food, choripan. “Choripan also uses pork sausage, but instead of rice, we wrap it in a bun. From the grilled meat, the juicy texture, to the sauce drizzled on top, it is so unbelievably familiar, it felt like I was home.” With this in mind, Di points out that Elizondo didn’t experience such a feeling when they lived in Hong Kong. For them, the unexplainable connection shared between their hometown and Taiwan is a delightful surprise. “When ZEA had just opened, we served a traditional Latin American snack that comes with deep-fried pumpkin, sweet potato bread and syrup, but it somehow reminded guests of the fried sweet potato balls from the night markets here.” As time went on, such fun dining experiences and interactions became the bridge between ZEA and its customers.
Beauty in Generous Hospitality
From the warm yellow tones of the wooden interior to the elegant and grand atmosphere, the dining space perfectly captures Elizondo’s ideal dining scene. Of all the corners, his favorite is the herb garden. Not only the go-to place for a short break during work, it is also the source of herbs and spices that can be found in the dishes served. Smiling, he says his dream is to own farmland in Taipei and plant tomatoes, potato and chili so that his restaurant can use the freshest ingredients. When asked about his personality, he describes it as fun, brave and positive. “It does take courage and determination to open a restaurant. It is something Di and I have never given up on and we are lucky to have met a lot of people who were willing to help us.” As of now, Latin American Fine Dining is considerably rare in Asia and Taiwan. With one step ahead, Elizondo aspires to show the public the elegant aesthetics through generous hospitality and exceptional quality. The familiar faces constantly revisiting ZEA become his motivation to strive forward. “Let’s see where we are in the future,” Elizondo says, as he and Di look at each other and share a smile.
