Terroirs by LQV restaurant review: Typical French comfort food and an incredible wine list, in a cosy and convivial atmosphere in Central, Hong Kong

Le Quinze Vins feels like something of a Hong Kong institution these days. Originally founded in the 5th arrondissement of Paris in 2010, the first Hong Kong outpost opened four years later in Wan Chai. Eight years on, the company is flourishing with another wine bar in Central and now Terroirs, its first proper restaurant – having celebrated French wines in Hong Kong, the team are looking to shift their focus onto French cuisine.

To that end, Terroirs offers a range of typical French comfort food. The LQV Croque Monsieur 2.0 (HK$168) comes made with Janier Comté 18 months cheese and Charcuterie Bobosse truffle ham sandwiched between home-made bread. It’s a delightful classic, the truffle ham adding a luxurious umami flavour.

The pissaladière (HK$88) is a famous savoury tart from Nice, on the border with Italy. A flatbread made with home-made dough topped with caramelised onions, anchovies and olives, it’s an intense saline assault that battles with the sweetness of the onions and the doughy underbelly.

The pan-seared black pudding (HK$148) won’t win any awards for presentation, looking as it does like a burnt slab of toast only enlivened by the pickled Basque peppers. However the noir de Bigorre pork at the base marries a tender, fine texture with a powerful flavour, replete with hints of dried fruits courtesy of the Agen prune and Pastis jam.

For all of this, LQV founder Hugues Rondouin has insisted, “We are first and foremost a wine bar,” so the impressive bottle list shouldn’t be ignored. There is an incredible range on offer, with more than 2,000 wine references. It’s not all just high end stuff, either. There are around 300 bottles of wine priced below HK$500 – although things do go right the way up to the HK$220,000 mark.