The restaurant has a good selection of fresh seafood, and about 10 to 15 choices each for soups, vegetable, chicken, pork, and beef dishes. Included in the appetisers are the usual cold cuts and an assortment of Japanese dishes, but we opted for the unfortunately-named sesame sea blubber ($55), which was actually jellyfish marinated in sesame oil. Not as much sesame flavour as some would like, but the thinly sliced strips of jellyfish were enough to prime our taste-buds for the rest of the meal.

The thick soup of braised conpoy with mixed meat ($88) certainly tasted like conpoy, but we did not see any pieces of flavour-rich dried scallop. The broth had a healthy mix of julienned vegetables, such as carrots and bamboo shoots, and was more than enough for four.

Crispy-skinned roast chicken ($68 for a half) also gained our approval. Chinese gourmets often say the measure of a good restaurant can be found in its crispy-skinned chicken.

Most of the fat on the chicken drips away during the cooking process, resulting in a juicy, sweet bird covered in a crackly, golden-burnished skin. It was just salty enough that we did not need the accompanying soy sauce. Some, however, might want theirs cooked a little longer.

Asparagus is not easy to find in Hong Kong, even in the springtime, so we decided to try the braised asparagus with crabmeat ($78). After the conpoy soup, though, this seemed a little on the bland side.

The asparagus might have been better just steamed on its own, because the sauce - crabmeat suspended in an over-cornstarched and oily medium - looked unappetising.

The highlight of our dinner was braised tofu with mixed vegetables and seafood ($68). Everyone raved at the flavour and consistency of the beancurd, which was unlike any we had ever eaten before. The texture and consistency was like a velvety custard, with a rich, eggy taste. The cubes of tofu were quickly snatched up: this was probably the one item everyone wanted more of. Indeed, the tofu was still the subject of conversation as we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant.

We tried two desserts, both of which were a little disappointing. The mango pudding was too firm. It was studded with pieces of the fruit, and came topped with dollops of whipped cream and bright red maraschino cherries.

The other dessert was a tapioca and taro root pudding (perhaps 'sweetened soup' would be a more apt description), which was served hot in a small porcelain pot. This creamy pudding may be more pleasing to those who do not like overly sweet desserts.

The restaurant was not very busy when we visited on a Monday evening, so it was quiet for a Chinese restaurant - a pleasant change. Although we could hear the click-clacking of mahjong tiles in the room next to us, it was hardly noticeable.

Service was very good. The friendly waiters were attentive and filled our teapot frequently. The only complaint was that they asked our non-Chinese dining companions if they had ever used chopsticks before.

Still, we were impressed by the lighter food, which was not marred by excess oil. Prices are reasonable: dinner for four was $700, including a tip.

Dynasty Court Seafood Restaurant, 1/Floor, Polly Commercial Building, 21-23A Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Tel: 2907-2288, Open: 11am-4pm, 6pm-midnight