TOTAL FLOOR: 59P+44P(343㎡) PRINCIPAL USE: RESTAURANT COMPLETION DATE: 2021.5-2021.12 SITE: TAIPEI CITY DESIGNER: SHIHCHIEH JENG + EMILY SU

A Jam Session 自由即興 | INTRO Kitchen

斑駁的紅磚、街頭塗鴉，雨後路面的潮濕氣息；東倫敦的 East End，從來不是城市聚焦的光鮮門面。它承接了工業邊陲、移民與階級聚落所交織出的複雜紋理；在這片都市景觀中，來自底層的動能彼此碰撞，孕育多元個性的創造力——音樂、藝術、料理與社群，在這裡自由生長。

如果有一種聲音，是城市無法定義的節拍，那它或許正源自 East End 的街頭——從 Britpop 時代的嬉笑怒罵，到 Garage Rock 裡粗糙的吉他聲軌，亦或錄音室裡緩緩流洩的 Lofi 殘響——它們混雜而真實，如同城市生活的 B 面，頹唐而柔軟。

Weathered bricks, graffiti-lined streets, and the damp scent of pavement after rain — this is East London’s East End. Far from the city’s polished front, the East End has long absorbed the grit of industry, migration, and class divides. Within its urban fabric, raw energy collides and coalesces, giving rise to a diverse creativity — music, art, food,and community flourish freely here.

If the city had a rhythm that defied definition, it might well be found on the streets of East End — from the brash wit of the Britpop era to the gritty guitar lines of Garage Rock, and the slow, murmuring echoes of Lofi drifting out of recording studios.These sounds are layered and raw, like the B-side of urban life — bruised,tender, and true.

INTRO Kitchen 正像這樣一處被音樂與生活滲透的所在。位於台北士林住宅區的靜巷中，內外流動的日常風景，如公園般融入了街區的閒散與愜意。品牌主理人Tien為爵士鼓手，曾旅居倫敦主修音樂，為了延續記憶中情有獨鍾的英倫況味，Tien攜手室內設計團隊 JSC Studio，將東倫敦不拘一格的隨性氛圍，結合音樂、社群、空間與餐飲，拼貼出屬於台北的另一種樣貌。

沒有醒目的招牌與色彩，JSC Studio 以外簷一道絲緞般霧銀的金屬飾面，自然銜接住宅建築的外觀，讓光影的律動形塑獨特的藝術氣質。修長的落地窗間，穿插霧黑的金屬鐵件與木質紋理，入口牆面深淺錯落的灰白方磚，透過洗鍊的材質鋪陳，開展空間輕快俐落的前奏。門側點亮如 Live House 復古燈箱的場次告示，推開褪色斑痕的舊木門扉，瞬間遁入讓人自由沉浸的時空。

INTRO Kitchen carries the same kind of energy — where music and everyday life flow into one another. Tucked away in a quiet residential lane of Taipei’s Shilin district, its rhythm moves between indoors and out — as fluid and unhurried as a park folded into the neighborhood.

Founded by Tien, a jazz drummer who once studied music in London, the space draws from personal memory and a lasting affection for East End culture. To translate that spirit, Tien collaborated with interior design team JSC Studio to bring together the unpolished charm of East End with music, community, food, and spatial storytelling — composing a different kind of cityscape on the quieter edge of Taipei.

There’s no signage, no loud colors. JSC Studio conceived the exterior with restraint — a satin-finished silver metal canopy extending from the eaves, subtly merging with the residential façade. The play of light and shadow across this brushed surface introduces a gentle, almost musical rhythm to the architecture.

Between tall glass panels, matte black steel and wood grain emerge in measured intervals. The entrance wall, clad in pale grey and off-white tiles, sets the stage with a crisp architectural prelude. A retro-style lightbox beside the door, like a live house schedule board, flickers beside a faded timber door. Step inside, and you’re somewhere else — suspended in a space between freedom and time.

誠如其名， INTRO 如一日之始，是意念與可能性的萌芽，也是音樂曲目編排的引介開場；菜單便以 Intro、Chorus、Solo 與 Outro，分別代表前菜、主菜、特餐與甜點，完整味蕾的饗宴。店內映入眼簾整面的黑膠唱片牆，有如小型的音樂視覺藝術策展，Tien 以多年的音樂收藏迎接每位到訪的來客。延展的弧形吧檯，靈感源於鼓面及環繞的鼓架，散置的鼓棒隨意點綴著壁面層架，檯面下方一道優雅的弧線光暈，映襯出細緻釉亮的磚面。

櫃檯一側大面的黑鐵牆面，承續了東倫敦未經修飾的工業氣息；錯落的天花與地面以混凝土拼接木面，與台階有如相映的層次倒影，並劃出流暢的動線與用餐區域。裸露的水泥筋骨，下端覆以仿舊的銅質飾面，細膩形塑空間的質感肌理。落地窗引入舒適的日光，室內光影化為感官的濾鏡，暈染出空間的質地筆觸；吧台磚面淋漓的乳白對比濃墨基調，桌面微醺的暖杏與殷紅，鋪陳交織出空間的色彩節奏。

True to its name, INTRO unfolds like the beginning of a day—an awakening of ideas and possibilities, and a prelude to what follows, much like the opening bars of a track. The menu mirrors this rhythm, guiding diners through a full spectrum of taste — from starters to mains, specials, and desserts.

A wall of vinyl records greets guests upon entry, resembling a miniature curatorial statement — a visual playlist drawn from Tien’s personal collection, and a declaration of the space’s intent: music at its core, food as its medium. The elongated curved bar takes inspiration from the circular form of a drum and its surrounding rack. Scattered drumsticks appear almost casually on wall shelves, while a soft halo of light beneath the bar casts a glow over the glossy, kiln-fired tiles.

To one side, a surface of blackened steel carries forward the raw industrial air of East London. Above and below, concrete planes intersect with wooden inserts, folding into one another like mirrored tiers that define circulation and dining zones. The exposed concrete structure is tempered with patinated copper cladding, adding both depth and a tactile richness to the space.

Floor-to-ceiling windows usher in daylight, its shifting shadows filtering gently across surfaces, revealing the space’s material depth. The bar’s glazed brick surface juxtaposes milky white with deep inky tones, while tabletops transition from light apricot to rich carmine. Together, these tonal contrasts compose a measured rhythm of color throughout the interior.

沿台階而上的後側，宴客餐敘的長型主桌配上條紋織面的木質餐椅，混搭簡潔的可調式金屬吊燈；半開放式的廚房延續了空間的流通的動感，讓料理也化為場域的即興演出。台階的高低差即成為現場演出的舞台，同時維持場域的靈活彈性，並規劃配置了專業的音響系統。

綠意盎然的庭園如隱身城市中的綠洲，半戶外區的沙發如暖陽下的慵懶棉褥。臨窗與前側的用餐區，餐椅的雅緻線條勾勒歐式的風韻輪廓；後側沙發區，復古地毯襯上柔軟的舊皮質沙發。家飾、家具與燈具物件皆來自 Tien 的老件收藏：從 Mid-Century Modern 時期 Eames 夫婦代表性的 LCW 休閒椅，到 70 年代金屬骨架的 Falcon First Armchair 「獵鷹椅」老件，甚至是壁面充滿懷舊玩心的 Vestaboard 翻牌顯示器，皆在空間中各適其所，像是放鬆沈澱、激盪靈感的錄音間與休息室，亦如好友公寓中最熱鬧或自在的角落。

Along the raised platform, a long dining table for gatherings is paired with striped-upholstered wooden chairs and a duo of pared-back adjustable metal lamps. The semi-open kitchen extends the sense of flow through the space, turning cooking itself into a kind of improvisational performance. The difference in levels becomes a stage for live events while maintaining flexibility, supported by a professional-grade sound system.

A lush garden introduces a sense of urban oasis, while the semi-outdoor lounge invites a languid ease beneath the sun. In the window-side and front dining areas, chairs with refined silhouettes trace a European contour, while vintage carpets ground worn-in leather sofas. Furnishings and lighting fixtures are drawn from Tien’s collection of classics: from the Eames’ iconic LCW chair of the Mid-Century Modern era to the Falcon First Armchair of the 1970s. Even the wall-mounted Vestaboard split-flap channels a nostalgic sense of play. Each piece contributes to a layered atmosphere of familiarity and timeless ease.

原始而細膩，懷舊與實驗；INTRO Kitchen 像無法被定義，卻風格與機能具足的場域平台。

「我曾經很嚮往那種『應該有的樣子』，但後來發現，那些真正留下記憶的地方，往往是有點亂、有點舊、有點過時的。」

「East End 就是這樣，混亂又自由，什麼都不多，但什麼都有；INTRO 就像 East End 的樣子，有邊界，也有縫隙，讓人可以自在地留下自己的東西。」 Tien 說，而JSC Studio透過空間的語言詮釋。

擷取感性的記憶，延續氛圍餘韻，扎根於台北的節奏。JSC Studio理性地梳理材質、結構與形體，也敏銳地回應流動的日常；讓音樂、料理、空間與生活，在這裡就像一場自由即興的 jam session，在流動中交織融合，並創造新的可能。

Raw yet refined, nostalgic yet experimental, INTRO Kitchen resists definition—yet remains a platform where style and function are fully realized.

“I used to long for places that looked the way they were ‘supposed to,’ but I later realized that the ones which truly stay in memory are often a little messy, a little worn, even a little out of date,” says Tien.

“East End is just like that—chaotic yet free, never too much, but somehow everything is there. INTRO carries the same spirit: it has edges and intervals, spaces where people can freely leave something of their own.” Through the language of design, JSC Studio translates this sensibility into space.

Drawing on the emotional imprint of East End, while rooting the atmosphere in the rhythms of Taipei, INTRO Kitchen unfolds as a dialogue between memory and place. Structure, material, and form are thoughtfully mapped, yet attuned to the flux of everyday life. Music, food, space, and daily ritual come together like a jam session—layered, responsive, and always unfolding. In this ongoing flow, they intertwine and evolve, giving rise to new expressions.

攝影PHOTOGRAPHY/ Ivan
文字ARTICLE/ Yuwei
ENGLISH/ Yuwei