In the competitive world of Seattle's eastside dim sum restaurants, it is sometimes difficult to make a choice other than going to the one that is closest. Although a regular Chinese menu is available, Noble Court has a reputation for its expertise in dim sum, and can be counted as one of the better eastside restaurants.

Noble Court is about medium size compared to the other establishments, but the large glass windows overlooking a court yard with a stream running through not only gives the appearance that the room is expanded, but also provides a very pleasant setting for leisurly dining.

It is not necessary to have a leisurely meal, though, as the carts come by regularly with fresh dim sum items. Dim sum is served every day at lunch time. On weekends, though, a larger number of items are served, and I would definitely recommend sampling some of them if possible.

Sticky Rice Wrapped in a Lotus Leaf, a dim sum items served every day, fell short of the one served at Top Gun, but might be good if you are particularly fond of the large chunks of pork and sausage stuffed inside.

As is the case with most dim sum restaurants, the shrimp dishes were some of the best. Fried Shrimp Balls served with sweet and sour sauce were quite tasty with good quality shrimp. The balls were covered with golden fried flakes, and the sauce had a flavor and complexity far above the sweet and syrupy ones served in the typical U.S. restaurant.

The Congee was one of the best I have ever eaten, but did not match the one served at Rocking Wok in Seattle. The serving was small and inexpensive-- perfect for one person.

The Bean Curd Rolls were not quite as flavorful as at Top Gun-- again I think the problem with me was the large pork chunks inside.

Most of the additional items served on weekends seemed to be mini portions of what would normally be entrées such as General Tsou's chicken and noodle dishes. One that I found quite good was the Salt and Pepper Fish that barely had any fish flavor, but was spiced quite nicely.

Some Chinese people have told me that Noble Court is one of the more authentic restaurants in the Seattle area. It has quite an extensive seafood menu, and the dim sum does not seem to be its only forté.