Words by Aude Camus
Picture this – it’s 9pm on a summer night in Paris. The sky is still soft and glowing (because somehow the sun refuses to set before 10), and you’re sitting at a neighbourhood bistro’s terrasse. Glass in hand, voices rising and falling around you, a faint haze of cigarette smoke drifting through bursts of laughter. No one is in a rush. No one is checking the time. It’s just… easy.
It’s a feeling I always come back to when I think about Paris – that effortless way of lingering over a drink, stretching an evening into something that feels almost suspended.
And, if I’m honest, it’s something I miss in Hong Kong.
Terrasses here are rare, and cocktails often come with a side of formality – dimly lit bars, intricate menus, drinks that feel more like a performance than a simple pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cocktail bar. But sometimes, I just want a few drinks, a side of fries, and nowhere to be.
That’s exactly why I’ve found myself thinking about Jean-Pierre again. When it first opened last year, it already felt like a joyful escape – a little pocket of Paris tucked into Sheung Wan. But with the launch of its new cocktail menu, it leans even further into that mood. The terrace, in particular, comes alive in a different way now – less about dinner, more about settling in for the night.
At the centre of it all is Suraj Gurung, Jean-Pierre’s Maître des Cocktails, who approaches each drink like a story. Some are playful twists on familiar favourites. The Cornichon Martini, for example, is unapologetically savoury – briny, sharp, and exactly the kind of drink that makes you pause before going back for another sip (you will). Then there’s the Chambord Margarita, bright and slightly indulgent, the kind of cocktail that feels made for long, warm evenings.
Others lean more into narrative. The Madame Claude – a bold, sparkling take on the Pornstar Martini with its name a nod to France’s most famous brother keeper – arrives with just enough drama, while L’Étrangerbalances cognac, citrus and spice and is named after one of French literature most famous novel.
What I love most, though, is how it all fits into the rhythm of the place. You can sit at the bar, sure. But the terrace is where it really clicks. A glass of something cold – I personally loved the Spitz-inspired Club 55 which true to its name (one of the Riviera’s most legendary beach club) taste like an afternoon in Provence, a plate of fries or a Croque Monsieur on the side, conversations that stretch a little longer than planned.
It’s not trying to recreate Paris in a theatrical way. It just captures a feeling – that ease, that sense of staying out just because you can.
And for a moment, somewhere between your second drink and the hum of the city around you, it almost feels like summer in Paris again.
Jean-Pierre
https://www.jean-pierre.com.hk/
9 Bridges Street, Central
Picture this – it’s 9pm on a summer night in Paris. The sky is still soft and glowing (because somehow the sun refuses to set before 10), and you’re sitting at a neighbourhood bistro’s terrasse. Glass in hand, voices rising and falling around you, a faint haze of cigarette smoke drifting through bursts of laughter. No one is in a rush. No one is checking the time. It’s just… easy.
It’s a feeling I always come back to when I think about Paris – that effortless way of lingering over a drink, stretching an evening into something that feels almost suspended.
And, if I’m honest, it’s something I miss in Hong Kong.
Terrasses here are rare, and cocktails often come with a side of formality – dimly lit bars, intricate menus, drinks that feel more like a performance than a simple pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cocktail bar. But sometimes, I just want a few drinks, a side of fries, and nowhere to be.
That’s exactly why I’ve found myself thinking about Jean-Pierre again. When it first opened last year, it already felt like a joyful escape – a little pocket of Paris tucked into Sheung Wan. But with the launch of its new cocktail menu, it leans even further into that mood. The terrace, in particular, comes alive in a different way now – less about dinner, more about settling in for the night.
At the centre of it all is Suraj Gurung, Jean-Pierre’s Maître des Cocktails, who approaches each drink like a story. Some are playful twists on familiar favourites. The Cornichon Martini, for example, is unapologetically savoury – briny, sharp, and exactly the kind of drink that makes you pause before going back for another sip (you will). Then there’s the Chambord Margarita, bright and slightly indulgent, the kind of cocktail that feels made for long, warm evenings.
Others lean more into narrative. The Madame Claude – a bold, sparkling take on the Pornstar Martini with its name a nod to France’s most famous brother keeper – arrives with just enough drama, while L’Étrangerbalances cognac, citrus and spice and is named after one of French literature most famous novel.
What I love most, though, is how it all fits into the rhythm of the place. You can sit at the bar, sure. But the terrace is where it really clicks. A glass of something cold – I personally loved the Spitz-inspired Club 55 which true to its name (one of the Riviera’s most legendary beach club) taste like an afternoon in Provence, a plate of fries or a Croque Monsieur on the side, conversations that stretch a little longer than planned.
It’s not trying to recreate Paris in a theatrical way. It just captures a feeling – that ease, that sense of staying out just because you can.
And for a moment, somewhere between your second drink and the hum of the city around you, it almost feels like summer in Paris again.
Jean-Pierre
https://www.jean-pierre.com.hk/
9 Bridges Street, Central