LeDomduVin: Dinner at Chouchou Restaurant - Hong Kong

DINNER AT CHOUCHOU RESTAURANT - HONG KONG

Very nice dinner at the pre-opening night of Chouchou restaurant (@chouchou.hkg), a new modern French restaurant in the J Residence building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. 

In very good company with Daan (@daanbeirnaert1), enjoying the succulent food from Chef extraordinaire Cedric Tsia (@cedric.tsia) and great service from his team, led by Remi Brunet (@remibrnt) and Clement Jacquel (@clement.hongkong) (all above in the picture above).  

Chouchou officially opened on January 26th, but Daan received an invitation to the pre-opening night on January 23rd. He invited me to come along. It was a delightful experience from start to finish. 

Pesto Butter and Sourdough Bread

Amongst the many dishes on the menu, we chose: 

1. Crab rolls (simple but very nice)

2. Croque Monsieur (highly recommended)

3. Œufs Mayonnaise (a classic not to be missed)

4. Feuilleté aux Champignons (really nice)

5. Tournedos Rossini (perfectly cooked, a delight) 

6. Chocolate Tart (very elegant taste)

Accompanied by a wine from China that was really good. After all, why not? We are in Hong Kong. 

2018 Puchang Vineyard Beichun, Puchang Red, Xinjiang, China

2018 Puchang Vineyard Beichun, Puchang Red, Xinjiang, China

A cocktail for Daan and a Maury (@mas_amiel) for me with the dessert. 

 

Mas Amiel Maury Vintage 2023

Languedoc-Roussillon, France (@mas_amiel)

served by Anna, Chouchou's Sommelier 

We had the pleasure of bumping into Victor Petiot (@victorpetiot - Director of Caprice & Wine at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts) who generously offered us a few glasses of Nicolas Rossignol Bourgogne 2015 in magnum (@domaine.nicolas_rossignol). Excellent choice. 

Domaine Nicolas Rossignol Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015 (Magnum)

Left to right: Ledomduvin (me, Dominique Noel), Victor Petiot, and Daan Beirnaert

It was a very pleasurable experience, great company, food, wine, and service. Definitely a night to remember. Great space too, good vibes and good music. What else to ask for? 

Thank you for inviting me to come along, Daan Beirnaert

Thank you to Daan for the invitation. Thank you to Cedric and his chefs for the excellent food. Thank you to Remi, Clément, and their team for the excellent service. And thank you to Victor for his generosity and friendliness.

We will definitely be back. 

From left to right: Clement Jacquel, Remi Brunet, Victor Petiot, Cedric Tsia, 

me (Dominique Noël), and my colleague and friend Daan Beirnaert

Cheers! Santé! And again, thank you all for this lovely evening. 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #dinner #friends @chouchou.hkg #chouchou #restaurant #newrestaurant #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #lovewine #lovefood

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LeDomduVin: Elegance & Minerality

Elegance & Minerality

Opened recently for a private dinner, I love these wines for their elegance and minerality.  

2016 Pierre Peters Cuvée Spéciale 'Les Chétillons' Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Brut

It was my first time trying this cuvee in the 2016 vintage, and it was delightful. This 100% Chardonnay was disgorged in 2023, with a gentle dosage of 4 g/L. The result is beautifully crafted champagne, pure and mineral, offering delightful, fresh notes of chalky minerality, citrus fruits, and lemon. The palate is sharp, focused, and smooth, with lively acidity. The finish is quite long, with a lovely mineral expression. In fact, it drinks more like a wine rather than a champagne. A refined and enjoyable experience. Kudos to #rodolphepeters!

2020 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy

I know this bottle well, as I have opened quite a few bottles of this wine lately. Beyond its pale-yellow hue, the nose was light, fresh, and refined, with notable minerality, yellow stone fruits, and zesty citrus notes. Initially slightly restrained, the palate gradually opened, showcasing a fresh, dry, mineral texture with good density, abundant lemon flavors, sharp acidity, and subtle buttery, toasted oak nuances. Although somewhat light for a Batard-Montrachet compared with some of its peers, it was very pleasant, more mineral, fresh, elegant, and subtle than rich or powerful, without shading its complexity. Nicely done!

2020 Domaine Pierre Girardin Echezeaux Grand Cru Burgundy

Son of Vincent Girardin, Pierre Girardin, a 13th-generation winemaker, established his own Domaine in 2017 and quickly became one of the rising stars of the Côte de Nuits, focusing on sustainable viticulture and capturing precise terroir expression in his wines. That’s exactly what this Echezeaux 2020 is all about: a stylish wine with aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, violet, and spice, along with earthy notes, a velvety texture, and refined tannins. The wine is elegant and finely structured rather than purely powerful, with high cellaring potential. It is surely too young to be opened now, but for a Sommelier, it is important to taste wine at various stages of its life to be able to follow its evolution and convey the right message to his or her customers. Lovely!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #pierrepeters #champagne @familygagnard #fontainegagnard #batardmontrachet #burgundy @domainepierregirardin #pierregirardin #echezeaux #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #tastingnotes #ilovemyjob #lovewine

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2026, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, logos, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, lyrics and even music and video (when and where applicable).