Located diagonally across the road from DV8 on Jinhua Street (金華街), the Zen Bar offers a very different kind of ambiance. This quiet little corner bar, which has been open less than a month, is striving to fill a niche for a bar where one can read, write or chat in comfortable surroundings of attractive art and furnishings.
The ground floor has a distinctly Southeast Asian flavor, a blind of beads hanging over the front window giving the exterior a warm, welcoming feel. A tiny porch area has a single table and two chairs, but is outstanding for sitting out on a fine night. For larger parties, there is upstairs a big, low-ceilinged tatami-clad space with antique wooden furnishings ideal for lounging.
The menu isn't big, but offers a range of reasonably priced beers with Grolsch topping the list at just NT$130. Corn chips, peanuts, fresh popcorn and a cheese plate are available to help the drinks down, and cheese on toast with a number of fillings is soon to be added.
Hseih Bin-kung (謝賓恭), who manages the establishment, said he has plans to make Zen Bar a center for poetry readings and small exhibitions by local artists. In some respects it will act as an extension to Mare Nostra Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant located nearby and also owned by his family, which already hosts exhibitions and book launches.
Facing a tiny park, the place has a feeling of spaciousness that more swank establishments aren't able to achieve, and there is great potential for spilling out of the cafe onto the pavement.
Zen Bar (流蘇) is located at 55-1 Yungkang Street (永康街55-1號). It opens until midnight, "or 2am if we have customers arriving late." Closed Monday.
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