The menu changes from time to time!
Popular French bistro with generous portions of Iberico pork Matsusaka

Text / Photos bySan Gao Chi Han

On this rainy evening during the plum rain season, we still braved the weather with umbrellas and walked for over 10 minutes. Zepi is close to Tonghua Night Market, which I hadn’t visited in a while—but unfortunately, the heavy rain made it impossible to stroll around after our meal.

Zepi is a French bistro. I heard it’s hard to get a reservation, so I booked a table two or three weeks in advance. There aren’t many seats—mostly for four or six people—so it’s quite likely that two diners might share a table with others. It was pouring rain today, and I had booked an 8:30 p.m. slot, so there weren’t many customers.

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The menu at Zepi also changes every so often. I had already decided what I wanted to order, so the rotation caught me a bit off guard. The menu design showcases the main ingredients with images and graphics rather than sticking strictly to dish names. The patterns on this menu are actually stamped with carved seals—how cute is that? To ensure no one gets confused, they also provide a separate text-only menu, which is really thoughtful~

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Before the main courses arrived, we started with some French bread for appetizers. The flavor was just okay, but I think it would’ve been nice if there were some appetizers to go with the bread~?

I found the watermelon option intriguing, so I ordered it. The grilled yellow watermelon was sweeter and more fragrant than I expected, blending with the walnuts to create a sort of grilled caramel flavor. Paired with the crispy-soft cheese and salty prosciutto, it wasn’t bad at all~

The large, meaty portobello mushrooms were stuffed with cheese and poached eggs. As soon as you cut into them, it’s like a dam bursting—the juices flow out, and in the center, there’s a rich smoky bacon aroma.

This was part of that week’s supply. As soon as it was served, you could see the glistening white fat. The portion was hearty, and even from a distance, you could smell the rich aroma reminiscent of high-end steak fat.

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Cutting into a piece, the texture is tender yet slightly firm. The aroma mentioned earlier becomes even more intense and powerful in the mouth, and the more you chew, the more juicy sweetness is released. You could eat several pieces without getting tired of it—absolutely delicious~

Compared to the Iberico pork, this dish was a bit underwhelming. The lamb chops came with a sauce made from spinach and Chinese chives, but the sauce didn’t quite hit the right note for me, and the meat was just average with a slight gaminess. On the side were fried eggplant dumplings.

It’s rare for J to voluntarily order dessert, but it was pretty good—a decent apple pie paired with vanilla ice cream. The apple in the middle wasn’t overly sweet or cloying. The total bill was about 2,800 NTD (card payments accepted). Originally, we planned to go for drinks at the nearby L'arrière-cour backyard, but it was a miscalculation—we hadn’t made a reservation, and in the pouring rain, even the neighboring Shaka was fully booked. Oh well, we’ll have to try again next time~

Zepi Bistro

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Address: No. 129, Jiaxing Street, Xinyi District, Taipei City

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Business hours: 12:00 AM–2:00 PM, 6:00 PM–10:00 PM (open only evenings Wed–Fri, closed Mon–Tue)

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Phone: 02-27329987

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