Then comes a make-it-yourself salad bar brought to your table with a choice of four dressings, and finally your choice of an entree, possibly local salmon or swordfish, lightly battered deep-fried prawns or various dishes featuring crab and scallops.

Dinner for two with wine at Shields Tavern on Duke of Gloucester Street, featuring scalloped crab and cornbread-stuffed quail and wild boar sausage for entrees, would cost $75.

Spring blossoms on view through May include daffodils, tulips, irises and galanthus, with 28 display gardens featuring magnolias, cherries, crab apples and azaleas.

The classy atmosphere is equalled by the comprehensive menu, which includes great huŏguō (hotpots; Y48-68) featuring beef, chicken, crab or frog and, once again, those delectable cumin ribs.

The seafood platter, too, is a must-try, featuring crab, prawns, mussels and locally smoked salmon and mackerel (£11.50)