Pivoting to Hong Kong: Bouillon brings a taste of Paris to the heart of Sheung Wan

Johan Ducroquet is already a familiar name in Hong Kong for his elevated Parisian cuisine at Wan Chai’s Le Bistro Winebeast, and the French-educated chef has opened Hong Kong to a new bistro experience with Bouillon Bistro Parisien, which opened in Sheung Wan this past October. 

During a period that has seen no shortage of challenges for the local food and beverage scene, Chef Ducroquet joins a host of restaurateurs who instead envision the opportunity that lies ahead for Hong Kong’s culinary landscape. Alongside business partner and French Concept founder Gregory Alexandre, the two have expanded Hong Kong’s dining options for Francophiles from the restaurant’s daily broth to its rum babas and beef bourguignon.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out to Ducroquet for his take on French cuisine, how Hong Kong has inspired his own cooking, and what makes the city such a special place for food.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Tell me a bit about yourself, your history and cooking background and how you initially ended up in Hong Kong?

Ducroquet: That is a very long story, actually. I'm Parisian, and started cooking at the age of 14. Cooking was always one of my passions since I was a child. I had the opportunity to be admitted as an intern in a one-Michelin Star restaurant and studied at the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts. From there, the rest was passing through Le Crillon for some years, and other Parisian gastronomic restaurants.

When I met Cristina (my wife), we decided to move to San Sebastian in Spain, and later to South America — to Ecuador, Cristina's country of origin. We opened our own restaurants there. South America was a rich experience, the people, the language and the products, and I was very in love with the Ecuadorian culture, despite the social, political and economic conflicts. Later we decided — precisely due to those conflicts — to return to France, and later moved to Hong Kong, searching for new adventures, and here I am!

Describe Bouillon in your own words — what are some of the inspirations behind the dishes?

It's precisely what I could define as a casual, nicely-executed, non-pretentious Parisian bistro, where people could come and dine in  and feel transported immediately to France through the cuisine that we propose here. You know, I have the blues for my hometown, and Bouillon represents this need of connection with my motherland. The dishes are inspired by my love of classical and simple dishes; I love to cook classics, because these recipes are always in vogue!

What sort of lessons did you take from Winebeast that helped you create Bouillon?

It was a fantastic experience and super grateful to have left a print there. I made the opening of the place and stayed there for six years. From that experience, I learned how to manage local staff and understand local consumers, particularly how to manage the cultural differences and the different types of protocols you should follow with your clients. I had also met a lot of very nice customers and suppliers that later became my good friends. Then, encouraged by this positive feedback from people, I decided to take a chance to do things on my own with my partner, Gregory Alexandre.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about French cuisine?

That is expensive and the sizes are tiny, or that french cuisine is too rich, this is not true at all. 

Have local influences played a role in your cooking or approach to food?

Definitely! You can't live almost seven years in Hong Kong (as is my case) without being influenced by all the extraordinary products you find that are coming from all parts from Asia and the world! Also, Cantonese cuisine takes care of the respect of cooking techniques, and this is similar to French cuisine. This is something that I admire from local cuisine.

You’ve been here through a couple of challenging years for the city and for F&B in general. What made right now feel like the time to open a new restaurant?

Well, if you survive these last two years, you could survive anything! It has been two painful years and a nightmare from an F&B perspective; my thoughts are always with all fellows colleagues in the industry, as many people couldn't survive the last crisis. I think Hong Kong and its people are resilient, and the dynamism of the city to recover is admirable.

What makes Hong Kong such a special place for food?

I'm amazed to find here people from all corners of the world. When you walk on the streets of Hong Kong, you can find all types of cuisines, restaurants, coffee shops and other F&B outlets — the most incredible variety from every square meter of the world! This makes the uniqueness of Hong Kong and why I adore being here. 

What advice would you give anyone thinking about opening their own restaurant?

I have some, but two are particularly important: Be receptive and listen to your clients every time. Make sure you are ready to sacrifice a lot of time and energy to make your project come true.

“Pivoting to Hong Kong” is a series created with support from our partners at InvestHK. InvestHK’s vision is to strengthen Hong Kong’s status as the leading international business location in Asia. InvestHK works with overseas and Mainland entrepreneurs, SMEs and multinationals that wish to set up an office – or expand their existing business – in Hong Kong.

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