The Magistracy Dining Room
British Gastronomy inside the Former Supreme Courthouse in Hong Kong
Is British food really that bad?
If made correctly, yes.
I’d grown up hearing that stereotype. The British just boil everything into mush, and deep fry everything else. The last time I changed jobs, I was offered the opportunity to relocate from New York to either London or Hong Kong.
I’ve heard all about the food in London. I’ll take Hong Kong, thanks.
Imagine my surprise when I arrived in London for the first time and experienced a classic Sunday roast, my first Yorkshire pudding, a hearty shepherd’s pie or a steak and kidney pie with a pint.
Since then, British gastronomy has always held a special place in my heart and I keep an eye out for British comfort foods wherever I go.
Hong Kong has a long history with the Brits, being under their rule from the conclusion of the First Opium War in 1841 until the handover back to the Chinese in 1997. Many Hongkongers still reminisce upon the time of colonial British rule fondly, and many of its traditions remain strong in city state - from the private members clubs, the sports betting culture as well as the stratification of social classes.
A central piece of Hong Kong’s colonial history is a compound housing the first British-built prison, police station and magistracy in the heart of Central, Hong Kong. The building was originally built in the early 1840s, upgraded over three generations, decommissioned in stages and finally abandoned by 1979. A decade long restoration and redevelopment project started in the 2010s, converting the space for mixed-use, with a series of bars, restaurants, shops and arts & cultural spaces woven into and around the historically-preserved buildings.
Walking through the complex, you can see some of the artefacts of Hong Kong’s colonial history, as well as beautifully restored buildings serving as home to many new bars and restaurants that have opened in the past few years.
The restaurant at Central Magistracy building was first opened as the Magistracy under Matthew Kirkey in 2022, but without much fanfare, perhaps due to the COVID regulations putting damper on dining at the time. More recently, Alyn Williams succeeded Chef Matthew and worked to put his personal touches on the space.
I’d known of Chef Alyn through his namesake restaurant, Alyn Williams at the Westbury, which opened in 2011 and was awarded its first Michelin star in 2013. He left in 2019 and eventually found his way over to Hong Kong, taking over the kitchen, redesigning the menu and relaunching the restaurant as the Magistracy Dining Room in 2024.
The cozy, wood-panelled dining space is quintessentially British, surrounded with wooden banquette seating - round tables and seating in the center and rectangular banquettes and comfy armchairs along the sides of the room. A newly built spiral staircase winds up to a private mezzanine area, and a pair of heavy wooden doors open out to an outdoor gin bar in the botanical garden outside.
I was joined by some friends and we were all really looking forward to a great meal. Our sommelier, Hugo, recommended a Spanish white from his “private vault” and I entrusted one of my friends to do the important work of selecting the starters, and boy did he come through in spades.
We had some a half dozen fresh, briny oysters served over crushed ice with a shot of Vesper martinis, some dressed Dungeness crab, prepared tableside and served with an almost squishy crumpet and their famous tomato tart, peeled chunks of heirloom tomatoes on top of a creamy mousse on a delicate tart shell. Unpictured were some amazing razor clams and a “Arnold Bennett” souffle, a very light and fluffy smoked haddock and cheese souffle made famous by its century long position on the menu at the Savoy Grill.
For a main, the highlight of the dinner and the reason I made the reservation in the first place, the Three Yellow Chicken Pot Pie. The Chicken breast and thighs are carved table-side, and served with an amazing chicken stew and pastry topping. With crisp, salty skin on the breast and thigh almost completely separating from the well-brined meat during cooking, a hearty chicken stew made with the rest of the chicken meat, an absolute treat.
For dessert, a classic baked Alaska - a fluffy, light meringue covering pistachio and cherry ice cream, flambéed with some dark rum. A bit heavy for one, but perfect for a table of three.
Finally, they brought over a trolley with three massive bottles of dessert wines - A Graham’s 40, and two French fortified wines, a 20 year and a vintage 1985. I never pass on an aged Tawny, and my friend tried the vintage Mas Amiel. Both were amber, raisin-y, nutty and viscous, although the Port edged out the Mas Amiel slightly on sweetness.
According to an old colleague of mine, Portuguese law used to prohibit the sale of these large bottles of port and it was his work over the course of a decade that convinced the Portuguese authorities to reverse the ban.
All in all, an amazing meal with good friends - we ended up staying so long, we ended up being the last table seated and the friendly staff invited us upstairs to two new restaurants to join them for a drink. Truly, a night of classic British culinary excellence to remember.
Total Damage: ~6k HKD/3 people
In an epilogue, a hidden door nearby takes you to another piece of history - the first speakeasy in Hong Kong recently relocated to the same Tai Kwun complex...
