Cart

About Black Sheep

Founded in 2012 by Syed Asim Hussain, Black Sheep is Asia’s most compelling hospitality movement with over 50 restaurants built on connected storytelling and a deep love for the people, places, times and memories that inspired them. At the intersection of art, culture, innovation and hospitality, Black Sheep crafts narrative-driven experiences that have revolutionised the hospitality industry in Hong Kong, the city it calls home, and abroad, with restaurants delivering Black Sheep’s signature hospitality in Singapore and Dubai.

A catalyst for the future of hospitality, Black Sheep is community-focused and committed to doing work with a social conscience that will make a positive impact on the world. Since 2015, Black Sheep has maintained the Black Sheep Family Fund, the company’s social impact arm and registered charity since 2023, dedicated to partnering with charities, mobilising global relief efforts and supporting the extended community. Since its inception, the Black Sheep Family Fund has been a cornerstone of Black Sheep’s mission, embodying the team’s belief that genuine hospitality begins with taking care of the community first and connecting the hospitality movement to a greater cause.

By choosing to collaborate with others who dream big and by approaching their work with joy and optimism, Black Sheep crafts memories for the guests in the dining room and for those who are part of its journey and has woven itself into the fabric of hospitality’s future.

Black Sheep has time and time again established itself as a pioneer in the field of service, defining its own brand and rules of hospitality. Its collective work has received notable recognition from some of the world’s leading culinary awards, including MICHELIN Guide, Asia’s 50 Best and La Liste.

The Founder

SYED ASIM HUSSAIN

In 2012, Syed Asim Hussain founded Black Sheep becoming one of the most prolific innovators at the forefront of Hong Kong’s ever-evolving culinary scene. Since then, he has revolutionised hospitality in the city, building almost 40 individual restaurant concepts with connected storytelling, creating an organisation that is centred around community building with a social conscience and bringing a sense of deep-rooted hospitality to everything within the Black Sheep worldview.

In addition to the awards and accolades accumulated that recognise Black Sheep’s work within the hospitality industry, Hussain has established community resources such as the Family Fund and partnerships with local NGOs to support those most in need in the city.

During COVID, he authored the team’s COVID-19 playbook which was shared as a free resource for anyone in an industry that was devastated by the pandemic, and became a spokesperson for the industry at large, locally and on a global scale. He has appeared in media such as Bloomberg, CNN, the BBC World Service, The Atlantic, Tatler Asia and the Financial Times and was invited by the government of Hong Kong to contribute his advice on reopening the industry within the city.

Outside of his day-to-day service in the restaurants, Hussain is passionate about serving his community both in Hong Kong and at home in Pakistan. He was named to the Foreign Minister’s Honours list for Young Overseas Pakistani Leaders and is the youngest board member for CARE Pakistan, a non-profit organisation on a mission to provide quality marketable education to the underprivileged children of Pakistan.

In Hong Kong, he was a guest lecturer at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel & Tourism Management before accepting an appointment on the school’s advisory committee and he works with the city’s Correctional Institute to offer young offenders the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in Black Sheep kitchens. Hussain also leads the team’s efforts to volunteer and support the Sikh community, as a patron donor for the historic Wan Chai gurdwara.

Our latest news, Weekly perks and the herd exclusives. Sent directly to your inbox.

Join