With a guiding hand-all the staff are suitably opinionated when it comes to the menu-we picked over what, at first, seemed like the standard array of Chinese fare. Having come on the behest of our own Lady from Manhattan, who'd spoke of foie gras and outre dishes, we were bemused. Still our Chinese companion selected some favorites, and we turned our minds to more important matters: the wine list.

We forewent our usual hot laochu and bottles of Taotsing and perused the selection of Californian wines. Once again the manager came to our rescue, pulling out a range of non-listed bottles from under the counter. We settled on the the Jenner Vineyard's Sauvignon Blanc (JY4,500), whose crispness and pineapple afterkick perfectly complemented the food.

We started with a selection of meats (JY2,000), which included well-spiced charshu BBQ pork, duck, chicken with whole-grain mustard, roast pork belly and some piquant vinegared Chinese cabbage. Dim sum followed: The shark's fin steamed gyoza (JY450) and nira manju(JY450) came together on a bed of radicchio with a balsamic reduction. We agreed that the green onion manju were so good that another plate was called for, and this time they came with equally delicious shrimp dumplings (JY450). More shrimp followed, this time cooked in a crock with glass noodles (JY1,600), and we continued with the manager's recommendation of greens sautéed with dried scallops (JY1,810), which gave the dish a good, deep flavor. Things were rounded off with the pork filet in bread crumbs (JY1,500), again complemented with a balsamic sauce-perfectly tender and juicy.

As we polished off the remains of our wine and surveyed the busy restaurant-which manages to maintain a sense of intimacy even when full-we contemplated dessert. Unable to decide, we opted for the selection plate (JY1100). The mango ice and three kinds of pudding were well presented if erring on the bland side, but after the robust tastes of our main selection we didn't mind too much.