Imaginative food, beverages and hotel equipment from Chiram

Chiram Strategic Group, led by energetic Moss Bakar, is one of Asia’s leading hospitality and trading organizations in Hong Kong, Macau and China.

Chiram Strategic Group is the epitome of the saying “to leave no stone unturned” in every aspect of its business. Not only does it feed both Hong Kong citizens and tourists alike from its specialty restaurants and quick service restaurants, it also provides a food logistics service for the majority of Hong Kong restaurants and it is also a leading provider of equipment to star-rated hotels and restaurant groups.

At the helm of the business is Moss Bakar, managing director of the operations of all the groups. Bakar, a genial young fellow, seems perfectly suited to the hospitality business. Graduating from Harrow School in London, receiving his undergraduate degree in business management from Boston University and further studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University left him multi-lingual and multi-faceted.

A work history in investment banking and experience at the highly rated Laris Restaurant at Three on the Bund in Shanghai left him perfectly capable of handling a large logistic and supply operation as well as outstanding restaurants.

“We are bullish on the future, having weathered the economic downturn without much fuss”, he said. “I travel constantly to major cities and hotel fairs to keep on top of the game. Brands come and go but we are always looking for the next trend”.

Bakar and a group of investors took over a 20-year old restaurant and hotel supply company five years ago, and the expansion has not stopped since then. His five specialty restaurants reveal his uncanny knack of finding a gap in the market and filling it.

In the restaurant arena, Duetto in the Sun Hung Kai Centre stands out for its unique combination of Indian and Italian food, with two kitchens to conjure up authentic dishes of each cuisine, along with spectacular views of the Hong Kong skyline and Victoria Harbour. This smart casual destination makes entertaining a mixed-nationality crowd of people easy as it covers almost all tastes.

Black Stump, with its authentic and original Australian cuisine, is located along the bustling Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui. It serves premium steaks and seafood, and of course, grilled kangaroo and Wagyu beef. Outdoor seating and a large, open kitchen, attracts locals and tourists alike.

Also in Tsim Sha Tsui is the famous Gaylord Indian restaurant, which opened in 1972, serving authentic Indian cuisine in a relaxed and comfortable setting. The restaurant offers live Indian music to add charm to the dining experience.

Chiram Strategic Group also has two popular dining options at another tourist hotspot, Stanley. Located near the famous Stanley market, Rocksalt gives diners excellent food, top-notch service and competitive prices with stunning views of the bay.

Saigon at Stanley, located in the rebuilt Murray building, gives diners the best of Vietnamese cuisine with a choice of indoor or verandah seating. Furnished with an old, colonial atmosphere, the rattan fans and large French doors, the interior is a cool celadon green, providing shade and respite from the hot Hong Kong days of summer.

The elegant, delicate Vietnamese dishes and the fine service lure people away from the bustle of the
Stanley Market for a relaxing meal.

Chiram Strategic Group hasn’t stopped there in the restaurant business but has acquired the world rights to one of the first quick-service pizza restaurant chains, (excluding the US, Japan and the Philippines). Established in the US in 1954 by Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson and Ed Plummer, Shakey’s Pizza has become a global phenomenon with 250 worldwide outlets, six of which are in Hong Kong and are operated by the Chiram Strategic Group.

Bakar is planning a new, high-end restaurant in the coming years in Hong Kong. “We are developing a fine dining concept”, he said. “We want to create a destination restaurant for that special occasion, one for anniversaries and birthdays, engagements and marriages”, said Bakar. “Hong Kong is a very good market because it is all about eating out, and we are looking to provide the restaurant solution no matter what the occasion”.

Hong Kongers enjoy convenience of dining at home and Chiram Strategic Group’s food logistic arm, which includes Dial-A-Diner, the market leader with 150 restaurants participation has the motto: “We deliver Hong Kong’s Best Restaurants”.

Within the dynamic group is the trading arm, Equip Asia Limited, which is the leading provider in Asia for five-star hotel equipment and has four divisions. Chinaware, flatware, glassware and other tabletop items are supplied through Equip Asia; table and bedroom linen & guestroom amenities are traded through Pacific Rim Trading Ltd, information technology hardware and software are provided via Hostech Ltd, and high-end spa equipment is supplied through Pure Spa Asia Ltd.

Naturally Macau offers Equip Asia Ltd. hotel supply group ample opportunity to provide high-end goods to the raft of new six, five and four-star hotels and casinos opening there.

Counting the Wynn Hotels, the Venetian, and the City of Dreams among its current clientele, the group is bidding to serve more. With an office in Macau, the company aims to be total solution provider for procurement management from the beginning to completion as well as offering maintenance services through its four subsidiaries.

Shanghai, where the group just opened an office, is the home of the newly refurbished Peace Hotel, where Equip Asia assisted the renovation, and the group also supplied the Peninsula Hotel, along with new tourist hotels in Hangzhou and Suzhou.

Bakar said, “We are looking to open an office in Sanya, Hainan as it is targeted that 40 five-star resorts will open within the next two years.

With the majority of the brands represented by Equip Asia Limited being the top-tier brands from US and Europe, Bakar believes they will be in high demand in China as hotels are seeking only the best and most well-recognized brands to be in their portfolio to satisfy their clientele.

In addition, the EAOutlet is Equip Asia’s retail store containing hundreds of homeware essentials and designer home accessories, specialty kitchen products, handmade crystal glassware, modern chinaware and more, at unbelievable prices.

“Chiram Strategic Group will be growing and expanding aggressively in the next few years to continue our edge as being the leading trading and hospitality group”, said Bakar. “And we won’t stop there! We plan to expand our reach in the Asia Pacific region”.