In the hierarchy of culinary preparation, the art of cutting foodstuff is often granted a lower position, overshadowed by skills that are more obviously palate-pleasing, like cooking, garnishing, and so on. But the Tai Kwun-located The Chinese Library, a part of the acclaimed F&B company Aqua Restaurant Group, has brought this underdog in the kitchen pantheon to the forefront with five new dishes that celebrate Dao Yi – the art of the kitchen knife.
The humble kitchen knife may not appear to be the most versatile of utensils, but in the hands of Chef Junno of The Chinese Library, it becomes a creative tool, artfully slicing and carving some of the most delicate and intricate creations.
The first demonstration of the chef’s technique that hoved tablewards was the Marinated geoduck & ‘Jade’ flower in sesame oil dressing – a delectable combination of meaty, umami-flavoured geoduck and crunchy celery. While the geoduck was, as anticipated, succulent and tender, it was the celery stalks, cut and presented like a green-hued flower that caught our attention. Thankfully, its flavours more than matched its presentation. Doused with sesame oil and sprinkled with Sichuan pepper, it was just the right amount of crunchy and savoury with the hotness of the pepper spicing things up even further.
Next up was the Crystal melon dumpling with Kung Fu teapot chicken consommé. While the previous dish had piqued our appetite, this one proved to be completely nourishing. With Chef Junno artfully using melon slices as dumpling coating, with crab stuffing inside, it was feather-light both to taste and to consume, with the twice-distilled chicken consommé being aromatic enough to bind the whole dish together.
When the Deep-fried whole mandarin fish appeared at our table, we knew it was going to be something special – and it was. Skillfully deboned and cut to resemble a lion’s mane, we could wholly comprehend the sheer craftsmanship that had gone into making this dish. The fresh flavours of the fish also lived up to our expectations, with the sweet and sour pepper sauce adding an interesting counterpoint to the crispy fish fries. But as it’s meant for sharing, please only order this dish if you’re going in a group of three or more, or if you are feeling especially ravenous.
While the fish was really an exuberant explosion of flavours, the Sweetened double-boiled birds nest with honeydew and melon which was served as a dessert was as understated as can be. But here too, the chef’s skill was explicitly visible, with the honeydew being chopped finely to resemble a bird’s nest. We mixed it with red sugar and ginger sauces rendering it with a mildly sweet flavour that was perfect on the palate.
And that, we believe, is where Chef Junno’s true success lies. While he displays mastery over the knife, nowhere does it overshadow the flavours of the dishes themselves, which are heroes in their own right.
The Chinese Library, Police Headquarters Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road
T 2848 3088 | www.chineselibrary.com.hk
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay