The Kowloon Restaurant legacy springs anew at The Brook Casino

Andre Carrier and Bob Wong inside the Forbidden City lounge at 9 Dragons within The Brook Casino in Seabrook, NH. (Photo by Allegra Boverman)

In late September, patrons to The Brook Casino in Seabrook, NH, noticed something new in the back recesses of the facility: an arched metal door with a dragon-faced door knocker at its center.

Entering through the mysterious portal, one will be transported back to 1970s Hong Kong, when the likes of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris sparred on television screens in every home and movie theater. This time capsule is home to The Brook’s newest restaurant, 9 Dragons, created in partnership with the third-generation owners of the New England-famous Kowloon restaurant in Saugus, Mass.

It all started through a mutual colleague — a meeting of the minds between Andre Carrier, president and CEO of Eureka Casinos which owns The Brook, and Kowloon co-owner Bob Wong.

“It was like putting butane and a match together,” Carrier joked of his meeting with Wong for the first time.

More than a year ago, Carrier had unused space in the casino that did little more than house a copier machine that was older than he was. Carrier had the vision of a vibrant, entertainment space that served as part lounge, part high-end restaurant. Enter into the fray Bob Wong and the Kowloon restaurant legacy.

With a shaking of the hands, the two men set to work, creating a space within The Brook casino where patrons could dine and lounge after a day of gambling fun.

“It has been fantastically fun creating 9 Dragons and Forbidden City (the lounge) with Bob and his managing partners,” said Carrier in a press release announcing the new restaurant. “We set out to not just design a restaurant but an experience. All of us at The Brook are humbled to now be a part of the story of this legendary brand.”

One of the murals completed by Positive Street Art for 9 Dragons. (Photo by Allegra Boverman)

Kowloon’s distant cousin

Despite the atmosphere, carryover menu items and its name — “kowloon” translates from Cantonese to “nine dragons” — Wong stresses that “9 Dragons is not Kowloon. It is a totally different culinary and creative experience, though it shares a common history and culture with its older cousin.”

The new restaurant’s menu, styled after a 1970 edition of Variety magazine, features such Kowloon classics like Golden Chicken Fingers and Crab Rangoon, but also highlights other culinary fare such as General Gau Chicken, ribeye, lobster and more.

Through a hallway lined with Mahjongg tiles, patrons enter into the dining room, where brick walls envelop the space with warmth, some featuring murals inspired by Chinese actresses completed by artists with Positive Street Art in Nashua.

“You’re supposed to not feel like you’re in Seabrook,” Wong said.

Carrier says that 9 Dragons today is a lot like Kowloon in 1970.

“(9 Dragons is) at a different point in iteration, and that really resonates with people,” he said. “It’s kind of fun, like the music is from that period of time. The interior design, a lot of the inspirations are mid-century modern, and that happened pretty organically.”

Partnering with Wong on the vision for the restaurant happened just as naturally. As Wong said, “We do mesh well … We took it from soup to nuts. We were all in it on our own. And all of a sudden, when you collaborate, you have to give and take and be on the same page.”

Carrier agreed. “People say, choose your business partners more wisely than you choose your mate. Because if you don’t have this (connection) to begin with, you’re going to be faced with things that knock you off balance.”

That shared vision brought 9 Dragons from ideation to completion in just over a year.

A New England legacy

Now that the restaurant is up and running, Carrier mentions the key to its future success stems from trying to “do something great, because you want to live up to the legacy (of Kowloon).”

Wong’s grandparents initially opened the Saugus Kowloon in the 1950s and transferred ownership to Wong’s parents in 1958. Growing up in a restaurant family, Wong found a second home in Kowloon, washing dishes and taking names for reservations as a young teen.

“I know I was helping my parents, and that’s where you think of the business as helping your parents so they can take the day off, take the load and lessen the burden,” Wong said. “It got to the point where, when I graduated from college, I started to work full time (at the restaurant), and my parents could take off. You know, that’s when they played mahjong, and they knew (the restaurant) was in capable hands.”

Now in its third generation of ownership, Kowloon’s influence has expanded to include 9 Dragons, which ignites a new legacy under the careful attention of Carrier and crew.

“My folks were super honest in their observations,” Carrier reflected. “They said, ‘hey, I think this is a really difficult life. So, you really got to know.’ But I think my parents could see that screw loose — my passion. I was like this little punky, renegade entrepreneur. I just wanted to be in action.”

However, Carrier doesn’t force that life onto his own children. “This life is not for everybody. It is, however, my life. But that doesn’t make it your life.”

Wong concurred. “My parents never pushed me into the business at all. It organically grew because you loved your parents. You want to please them and give them a burden off, and then it becomes your passion,” he said. “And I never pushed my kids into it either, because I just want them to be happy.”

Instead, 9 Dragons continues the legacy that Kowloon created with new vitality and a dedicated team.

“For a restaurant to be a landmark like that … at a certain point it’s scary. You want to make sure you can’t make mistakes for too many days in a row,” Carrier said. “‘Best never let it rest till our good is better and our better is best.’ And you gotta apply that here. You got to when you’re doing something this new but that’s got this much legacy to it. You got to get better every day.”

Psychic and tarot readings take place inside 9 Dragons every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (Photo by Allegra Boverman)

9 Dragons features decorative items and murals reminiscent of 1970s Hong Kong, with a focus on Hollywood icons such as Bruce Lee. (Photos by Allegra Boverman)

100% invested

The Brook Casino at large is 100% employee owned under an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), so all 500-plus employees have stake in the venue’s future. To Carrier, it’s a way to show appreciation and ensure his employees’ voices are heard.

“It’s almost like you want to see your employees happier than even yourself,” he said. “You build your team when people want to work for you, not because they have to.”

The Brook is currently on the lookout to hire more team members in roles such as barbacks, facility porters, security officers, sportsbook ticket writers and much more.

With over 500 gaming machines, a poker room, restaurants, a 300-seat entertainment venue, a DraftKings Sportsbook stadium gaming area, and table games like blackjack, roulette and more, The Brook has various opportunities for prospective employees.

“If you can come into an environment where you feel seen, you feel safe, you feel financially rewarded, you feel pride,” Carrier said.

At the start, Carrier and his business partner, Gregory Lee, chairman and CEO of the Eureka Casino Resort, knew they wanted to build a business that focused more than just the dollars on the table. Carrier and Lee’s vision grew to become something more: “What if you could build the largest charity casino in America, and the largest charity casino in America was 100% employee owned? What if you could prove that people in profits can perform at that level where you’re pushing out $1 million a month to essential charities, and you’re providing a long-term retirement benefit for the people, and you’re providing affordable health care and you’re performing above average wage? What if you could put that all together? Doesn’t that call you into question like every other business model?” Since it’s recent transformation in 2019, The Brook has donated nearly $22 million to local organizations and charities through its charity gaming structure. According to its website, $8 million was donated in 2023 alone to local nonprofits, such as Make-A-Wish, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Crossroads House, the Workforce Housing Coalition and many more.

With the latest addition of 9 Dragons and its Forbidden City lounge, Carrier and Wong are on a course to further solidify The Brook as a one-stop establishment to work and play.

“Everybody’s got their something,” Carrier said. “If you’re living your life recognizing that everybody’s got their something, you become available to listen. And that’s if you can get five people to do that. But if you can get 500 people to do that? Watch out.”

‘Kowloon’ translates to ‘nine dragons’ in Cantonese.