Black Sheep Restaurants

Executive chef of Ho Lee Fook, everyone's favourite Black Sheep, captain of our Dragon Boat team, the queen of razor clams and now, a twice-published author. We want to extend a special congratulations to our multi-talented star and Hong Kong native Chef ArChan Chan on the release of her new book, ‘A Day In Hong Kong’. A love letter to Hong Kong, the book includes a lot of things she grew up eating. From traditional congee and Gai Bo to “not too sweet” treats like the iconic pineapple bun, ‘A Day In Hong Kong’ covers and tells the stories of 70 local signatures, designed to bring back memories and joys of experiencing them for the first time. While you can enjoy her loving approach to Cantonese cuisine in our Chinese restaurant with a Hong Kong heart night in and night out, this book is a treasure for anyone who loves this city we call home. Congrats again Chef, and we look forward to writing many more chapters together.

As we mark ten extraordinary years with the one and only Jack Gonsalves, the living embodiment of Black Sheep hospitality, we are thrilled to begin the fourth chapter of The Magistracy story with the opening of Jack's Racquet Room. Affectionately named in honour of our legend, Jack's Racquet Room is an homage to the sports rooms of prestigious recreational clubs in and around the Indian subcontinent, standing as our sanctuary to the triumphs and disasters, hope and heartbreak of sport. It is a celebration of Jack's two deep loves, hospitality and sports, and it is our shrine to the man and the lessons he has taught us along the way. In our boisterous 40-seater, every seat is the best seat in the house, with wall-to-wall screens buzzing with the biggest matches of the moment in cricket, tennis, rugby and more, but if there is a match on that you want to see, gathered over pints and quarts with your favourite people, or while making new friends out of strangers, let us know and we will always do our best to accommodate. Just the way Jack would.

This year, our Dragon Boat teams, the Black Sheep Cheeseburgers and Hot Fudge Sundaes, took home two gold trophies and our two boats finished among the five fastest boats on the day. At Black Sheep we talk a lot about our values — pursuing excellence, operating with integrity, choosing optimism, taking risks, putting our community first and playing big — and while we practice them all in many ways across many parts of our world, we love the sport of Dragon Boat because it gives us the opportunity to put them all into motion at the same time. All season long, our teams practiced like champions, both on the water and in the gym. We looked after one another during times of adversity, from sunken boats to pulled hamstrings, and cheered each other on during times of triumph, with shiny, happy faces — even when our number did not get called. Championship teams are not built by accident. They require deep commitment, full hearts, hard miles and a little bit of good fortune, but the more you have of each, the more victories you will celebrate. We are immensely proud of our paddlers for embodying those Core Values we hold most dear, and showing us that when we align our effort with the dreams we want to achieve, nothing is beyond our reach.

We are excited to mark the beginning of a new chapter with Prince and the Peacock, our ode to the opulence and beauty of India’s royal courts, where the stories and flavours that shaped one of the world’s most diverse and rich cuisines are lovingly brought to life. It is the culmination of over five years of hard work for us at The Magistracy, working to restore and reimagine this historic Hong Kong monument after it laid silent for decades, and a promise kept by Syed Asim Hussain and Chef Palash M. to continue to spotlight the culinary contributions of the Indian subcontinent among the great cuisines of the world. From the fragrant, slow-cooked Nalli Gosht Biryani that draws from Awadh traditions to the tender, melt-in-the-mouth lamb shank of the Gosht Rogan Josh and Chef Palash’s own expression of Moti Mahal-style Murgh Makhanwala, every dish is a love letter to the empires, kingdoms, tribes and their subjects that influenced these enduring delights. Stepping into Prince and the Peacock is like entering a Rajasthani royal home, as our hosts in custom shalwar kameez transport you to a beautiful dining room designed by Joyce Wang, who has transformed this previously bare space into a stunning reflection of the subcontinent’s grand yet understated regal residences, adorned with rich and vibrant touches of Indian royalty. Eclectic furniture, handmade rugs by artisans from the subcontinent and a bar inspired by the peacock’s vibrant plumage complete the experience. Guided by the culinary expertise of Chef Palash, Chef Kumaran Balaji and Chef Tara Mehta, we aim to do more than simply recreate flavours or dishes of another time or place, but express our version of the things that have touched our hearts and ignited our passions along the way. We invite you to join us on this journey, to experience the grandeur of India’s royal courts and to celebrate a cuisine that is a true testament to the art of dining and storytelling. Reservations are now open, and we look forward to welcoming you to our table. https://lnkd.in/g_JfHv5j

Over the last few months, our Dragon Boat team has dedicated three days a week to training. This past Saturday, the Black Sheep Cheeseburgers and Hot Fudge Sundaes showed up to their first race day of the season at the Stanley Dragon Boat Warm Up Races, coming home with a Bronze Cup Final comprehensively and placing on the Gold Cup Final, while posting the second and third fastest times of all teams that day. There are 18 people on the boat, and synchronisation and communication are key. If the team rows together, regardless of strength, you have power. A reminder that from sport to our work, together, everyone achieves more. See you at the big race on 10 June.

We believe in feeding people, not landfills. Starting this week, we will add a nominal donation of HK$1 to dinner checks to support Feeding Hong Kong's mission to combat food waste and food insecurity in our city. Through Black Sheep Family Fund, we commit to match every dollar donated, reinforcing the crucial work they do for our industry and community at large. Our partnership with Feeding Hong Kong offers us the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in this greater ecosystem we are a part of through a shared mission to reduce food waste in our city. We have been supporting Feeding Hong Kong since 2020 through a number of activations, including hot meal deliveries to the elderly, hosting community gatherings for their beneficiary charities, Bread Run takeovers and gala events. We thank you for your generous support as we strive to make meaningful change in our community and a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most. For more information about Black Sheep Family Fund, please visit https://lnkd.in/g9k-zAb5.

We are getting closer to unveiling Phase Two of The Magistracy with Prince and the Peacock, a tribute to the splendour and culinary heritage of India’s princely states. Earlier this month, we sent the opening team on a nine-day hospitality pilgrimage to six cities in India — Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai and Lucknow — to witness and experience the magic of Indian hospitality. Our mission with Prince and the Peacock is to pay homage to the royal houses of India and their culinary traditions. Like so many of our openings, there have been adjustments and recalibrations along the way to ensure that we communicate the narrative exactly as we envision it, and the team’s experience in India will help further refine and sharpen our focus. From ornate palaces and bustling street markets to roadside eateries and dining rooms that have become places of legend; they came home with much more than recipes, service moves or decor. We say there is no magic in magic; it is an investment of time and energy that we hope allows us to create something truly transformative for our guests, far from the homelands of where these things originate. We are thrilled to bring this storybook to life and wanted to share some photos from the their travels as we inch closer to opening day.

We are proud to announce the arrival of Chef alyn williams at the helm of Magistracy Dining Room. Born and raised in East London, Chef Alyn brings deep passion and experience gained over an illustrious career marked by tenures under Marcus Wareing, Gordon Ramsay and running his own namesake MICHELIN star restaurant in Mayfair to influence and elevate the menu and break the rules of what a London restaurant can be. With a focus on quality, innovation and the storytelling power of food, Chef Alyn’s vision not only honours his personal journey and the influences that have shaped him as a chef, but also aims to offer an elegant yet egalitarian dining experience that resonates with a wide audience, celebrating the rich tapestry of British cuisine. Chef Alyn’s new à la carte menu is available for dinner now and we look forward to having you in to dine at our table soon.

We are set to unveil Phase Two of the revival of Tai Kwun’s Central Magistracy with Prince and the Peacock, a living ode to the grandeur, recipes and traditions of the royal houses of India’s princely states.   Throughout the ages, the Indian subcontinent has laid the foundation for a rich assortment of kingdoms and cultures. In the era of the princely states, Maharajas and Maharanis, Nawabs, Nizams, Emperors and more reigned not merely as authorities looking to amass territories and consolidate power, but also as devoted patrons of the arts, governing their territories with a passion for the poetic and the beautiful — before, throughout and after colonial rule.    Among the lasting contributions to art and culture that these princely states passed down through generations, it is their enduring culinary legacies that stand as testament to their grandeur.     Chef Palash M. spent time early in his career working in some of these royal Indian palaces, which long ago planted the seed for this vision. With Prince and the Peacock, he welcomes guests on a multifaceted journey through the opulence and beauty of the nation’s majestic past, drawing from the culinary tapestries of the royal courts through dishes that resurrect the grandeur that adorned the royal tables throughout India's history — from ingredients to techniques to the legends that followed them, emblematic of our passion for telling stories through food.      The 60-seat space is an invitation to dine in the grandeur of the princely courts and is designed by the award-winning Joyce Wang of Joyce Wang Studio, who has worked closely with Indian artisans to bring the authenticity of regal Indian furniture and honour traditional Indian craftsmanship.   An idea that was years — or in a way, centuries — in the making, it is a restaurant that we have always dreamed of opening. We look forward to welcoming you next month.

What an honour to take the stage once again with the champions of the city's hospitality scene for Asia Tatler / Asia Tatler Dining / Hong Kong & Macau's Best Restaurants annual Dining Awards. Thank you Tatler for continuing to recognise talent from Hong Kong, Macau and beyond. Congratulations to Ho Lee Fook and New Punjab Club for earning their spots once again in the Top 20 Restaurants while continuing to operate each day like it is their first. At Ho Lee Fook, Chef ArChan Chan, last year's Local Champion and a standout nominee for Chef of the Year 2024, continues to make waves with her imaginative Cantonese cuisine. Thank you for the drive and fire you add to the Ho Lee Fook story. At New Punjab Club, Chef Palash M., Chef chhabil sidhu and Chef Tara Mehta continue to change the perception of Punjabi and South Asian cuisine, while pushing boundaries for the work we do across all of Black Sheep. We are incredibly proud of Magistracy Dining Room for their inauguration into this year's Top 20. Bringing this monument back to life during one of the city's most challenging periods remains one of our proudest achievements, and continues to represent our values of dreaming big, taking risks, storytelling and building legacy. This also sets the stage for Phase Two, as we introduce the world to Prince and the Peacock. We also want to express gratitude for the beautiful work of Melissa Collison at Falcone, nominated for Best Interior Design, which captures the chaos and whimsy of Napoli and also deserves recognition. Last but not least, our fearless leader, Syed Asim Hussain — Restaurateur of the Year for the second year in a row. To Asim, a now five-time awardee, it is not only a testament to his passion and commitment, but also to the community he has built, for without it, this award would be for nought. Thank you for believing in Hong Kong, shining a light on our industry and inspiring us day in and day out to share our stories with the same fervour, consideration and love that you carry. We are grateful and offer our congratulations to all of the winners and nominees.