The Chinese Library

My recent dinner at The Chinese Library came as a surprise – partly because I haven’t heard much about this contemporary Chinese restaurant inside Tai Kwun complex until my visit a couple of weeks ago. 

The restaurant shared the same floor with an Italian restaurant and a trendy bar/lounge by the same group, so one could imagine the décor and setting are more suitable for a trendy night out than a family gathering sort of a meal, and I thought it blended well with the classic building which was once the police station and prison right in the middle of the city. We were seated at one of the round booth tables on the side which were posh and more than comfortable. 

They got a surprisingly long a la carte menu for their dinner service but this time we were served the tasting menu with 8 different courses by Chef Junno. The young chef certainly belongs to the camp of non-traditionalists, combining modern cooking and presentation with traditional methods for a series of unique dishes not bound by a particular region or style. We started with a small bowl of “prawn noodles”, with mashed prawn meat paste piped into thin threads, marinated with huadiao wine and wine lees and served chilled with bits of braised fish maw. I like the combination of textures with the firmer fish maw and softer “noodles”, with the touch of spiciness from the drops of chili oil. 

The honey-glazed ham “sandwich” drew inspiration from a traditional Shanghainese dish but instead of serving with a piece of thin steamed bun, Chef Junno paired the sweetened ham with crispy pork rind on top and soft rice pudding underneath, adding to the substance and textures. The touch of Sichuan pepper was interesting too, quite unlike the version I am more used to. We were told the consommé with chicken liver originally came from traditional Sichuan cuisine, with the rich chicken liver mousse (slightly softer than traditional pate) paired with the mild and clear double-boiled consommé clarified by traditional method. The bits of lily bulb, bamboo pith and goji berries added to the color and the delicate flavor. 

A fair amount of local restaurants served this stuffed sea cucumber in one version or another, and here, it’s done stuffed with prawn paste, coated with a crispy batter, deep-fried and served with the traditional Sichuan chili sauce (干燒汁) prepared with chilies, garlic and soybean paste. I could live without the crispy batter but overall it was tasty with the sweet and sour sauce underneath. Our next dish was a variation of Cantonese “Bak Fa” chicken, with the prawn cake (in a firmer texture than the one used in the previous dish) wrapped in crispy chicken skin, deep-fried and basted to the nice bronze color. While the truffle sauce did more to the presentation than the overall taste, the few little pieces of corn kernels, battered and deep-fried, added to a hint of sweetness. I like the execution of this one.

We finished with two contrasting dishes – one sauteed wagyu tenderloin with pickled peppers, and then the braised winter melon and crab meat with a clear chicken broth gravy. The former has a good spicy kick – 8 in the scale of 10 but not to the extent of having to reach for water immediately, and the latter much milder and comforting. With the order that was served there’s a hint of sweetness to the winter melon too, possibly because the pickled peppers in a beef dish, done in the traditional Sichuan style, awakened the palate. 

Not much of a surprise with the desserts, with the sweet black sesame and walnut sweet soup done Cantonese style, the steamed spongy cake with salted egg yolk and egg custard, and a soy panna cotta. 

(Dinner was by invitation)

When? October 23 2022
Where? The Chinese Library, Block 01 Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central
Menu Highlights? Prawn Cake and Crispy Chicken Skin served with Truffle Sauce
Web: chineselibrary.com.hk