SEABROOK, N.H. — In the pantheon of Massachusetts culinary iconography, Kowloon is up there alongside Dunkin’ Donuts and Market Basket. A beacon of nostalgic, neon gluttony on Route 1 in Saugus, it’s a kitschy constant in a transient world. The potent drinks. The lagoons, the palm trees, and those heaping Polynesian portions. I don’t need to tell you — you already know, even if you don’t quite remember.
But now, even Kowloon is modernizing. Owner Bob Wong is the licensing partner behind 9 Dragons, a Kowloon offshoot at The Brook casino in Seabrook. It opens to the public this week.
The Brook owner Andre Carrier grew up in Massachusetts and was a longtime Kowloon fan, like the rest of the world. Now, he runs Eureka Casino in Las Vegas; before that, he was at the Golden Nugget. Wong, for his part, saw the chance to expand with a trusted partner — and, hey, he does enjoy the occasional bet, though usually on the Strip.
“When I go to Encore, I’ll see customers, and they’ll watch me,” he says, grinning.
Here’s what to know about this new Kowloon incarnation.
The name, and the vibe, is a Kowloon homage. In Chinese, “Kowloon” translates to “nine dragons,” referring to the area’s signature peaks. Meanwhile, the design is intended to evoke 1970s Hong Kong pop culture. There are large photos of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan on the walls, and Fleetwood Mac and “Kung Fu Fighting” on the speakers, though a DJ will take over after 10 p.m. on weekends.
“Andre says it best: If we named it Kowloon, people might be disappointed. When you go to Kowloon, it’s an over-the-top experience. This is a sister, a big cousin,” Wong says.
A cinematically naughty, slightly mystical cousin: There’s a dim DJ booth, a fortune teller’s lair, and gold-framed tarot cards mounted on the walls. One could imagine losing a lot of money in these shadows.
Move over, Saugus: Hollywood is the star here. The menu is designed to mimic a Hong Kong tabloid version of Variety, the Hollywood entertainment newspaper. The dateline: September 1, 1970 (two days before Carrier was born.) There’s a profile of starlet Lin Dai, a “star to watch” (who actually died in 1964, but most patrons probably aren’t fact-checking the menu); off-screen gossip; and a review of Bruce Lee’s “Way of the Dragon” (which came out in 1972, but again, probably not the point).
Kowloon staff mingle with Vegas in the kitchen. Longtime Kowloon operations manager John Chang is supervising the opening here; veteran Kowloon chef Fiona Huang is overseeing the menu with input from James Beard nominee Sheridan Su. Su runs Fat Choy restaurant in Las Vegas inside Carrier’s Eureka.
The menu spotlights the most popular Kowloon classics. Wong and his team pored over records to tally the most popular items on their voluminous menu. Crab Rangoon with duck sauce and hot mustard ($14), golden chicken fingers ($14), Saugus chicken wings in sweet garlic sauce ($19), barbecue boneless spare ribs ($14), General Gau chicken ($17), and beef and broccoli ($18) made the cut.
But there are also new creations. You won’t find red-braised short ribs in a red wine soy glaze with bok choy ($39), stir-fried basil cod ($24), or ginger scallion lobster over garlic noodles ($48) on Route 1. Wong enjoys the short ribs, but sadly, he’s allergic to lobster. In fact, his personal favorite Kowloon dishes don’t appear on this menu at all.
His father, William Wong, opened the restaurant in 1958, and the kids all chipped in. Before his shifts as a teenager, he’d devour simple beef with mushrooms over white rice.
“It’s still my go-to when I’m really hungry. It’s really amazing, and it really is the most basic and simple dish,” he says. “When I want something more fun and exotic, my second-favorite is a Thai dish called Phuket shrimp. It’s spicy.”
Wong doesn’t drink, but customers still can. Despite the hedonistic verve at both restaurants, Wong isn’t a drinker.
“I was in a fraternity in college, and everybody drank beer. I’d drink it, but I never really liked it. I’m not a drinker, because I worked every weekend throughout my young career. I don’t like the taste. But people like to get that buzz,” he says. Fair enough. While Wong will sip virgin pina coladas or water (“I love water,” he declares), there’s the $36 Mahjong Party for three, a creamy rum and coconut elixir; a $28 Scorpion Bowl for two; and a $13 Mai Tai.
Despite the fears, the original Kowloon will live on, in some form. In 2021, news broke that the Kowloon would close, and much of Massachusetts sunk into deep mourning. And, while it seems that the original location eventually will be demolished to make way for mixed-use construction, a new Kowloon will be part of those plans.
“We’ll put something in that’s smaller, maybe 20,000 square feet, which is small compared with what we do. But we’ll see. I don’t like to push those stories out. They’ll say we’re crying wolf. It’s like the Eagles going on their third reunion tour,” Wong says.
9 Dragons, 319 New Zealand Road, Seabrook, N.H., 603-474-3065, www.livefreeandplay.com
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.