Dim Sum Library Elements (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

An integral part of our company's DNA is calling it a career this month. Big Brother (大佬) who's been around the company for nearly 40 years (well before my time) is leaving us in a few days. I had the pleasure of having him on my team for a run of 5-6 years (2008-2013) so I was of course sad to see him leave. A couple of days before his last day, I decided to gather a few guys to bid farewell with him. Too bad with the current policy, it could only be a party of four.

I picked Dim Sum Library at Elements mall for no particular reason other than the fact that none of us have been here before. I'm sure everyone could use some fresh air during COVID-19 so a new place like this would be welcome by all of us.

Black truffle har gau / shrimp dumpling (黑松露蝦餃) - I have been to their Admiralty outpost a couple of times before so I knew their dim sum menu well enough to order for everyone. First off, some truffled shrimp dumplings. I love the thin wrapper and the touch of truffle just perfect.

Black garlic siu mai / pork & shrimp dumplings (黑蒜燒賣) - Always found the combination of black garlic and siu mai a little odd. The sweetness of the black garlic made this a tad too sweet, even for me.

Wild mushroom dumplings with beetroot (紅菜頭野菌餃) - Beetroot lover like me always fell head over heels over this. The diced wild mushrooms were very nice again.

Hokkaido king crab & sea urchin spring roll (海膽蟹肉春卷) - Here comes my favorite dim sum made with king crab meat and sea urchin from Hokkaido! I miss Hokkaido so much. In fact, I miss traveling so much.

This was just a wonderful marriage between creamy uni and fresh crab meat. The flaky spring roll gave it some additional texture to work with. Hands down, the best dish of the afternoon and I'm not a bit surprised at all.

I love it so much that I had to take a few more shots of it before it goes into my tummy.

Crispy taro puff with snails (田螺芋角) - A fusion dish blending French escargot with our traditional crispy taro puff.

This was seriously good with the runny sauce and sauteed snails meshing well together.

Dan dan xiaolong bao (擔擔湯包) - Another signature dish at Dim Sum Library that I ordered for our big brother.

The burst of mala sauce was again very good. But I like the Hokkaido king crab & sea urchin spring roll, crispy taro puff with snails and wild mushroom dumplings with beetroot a bit more (in that order).

Steamed Matsutake mushroom bao (松茸冬菇包) - My little nugget's favorite buns. These were just okay. Spongy enough but a little too "moist" inside.

Iberico pork fried rice with sakura shrimps and fennel seeds (櫻花蝦茴香豚肉炒飯) - Some fried rice and noodle to complement the parade of dim sum since we're all grown men here. This was pretty decent. The sakura shrimps, fennel seeds and puff rice provided some strong bite to an otherwise average fried rice.

Singapore Rice Noodles (星洲炒米) - This was much better than the fried rice. The rice vermicelli was done right backed up by a nice spicy kick. There were also enough barbecued pork and seafood there to keep everyone happy.

I was planning to visit this branch of Dim Sum Library well before the pandemic so it was nice to finally get it out of the way. Big Brother seemed delighted with the meal too but I'm sure he had other things on his mind right now. Leaving a place you call home for 40 years won't be easy. I'm just grateful it would ever happen to me in my lifetime cuz I don't think I will work for the same company for more than 20 years!

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop 1028B, 1/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kowloon Station

Tel: +852 2810-0898

Website: www.dimsumlibrary.com.hk

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 10:00pm daily