I’m very particular about dumplings. Whether prawn, siu mai, pork or, the sexiest of them all, xiao long bao (soup dumpling), they all hit my pleasure buttons, but only when they’re good.

When a bamboo basket of prawn, bug meat and Chinese kale siu mai lands in front of me at Westfield’s latest rooftop restaurant, Duck & Rice, I know they’re going to be good. With velvety ripples of dough and glistening bug meat, the artful attention to detail is alluring to the naked eye.

They’re bloody great and so too is pretty much everything else at this large Cantonese eatery with a vast bar and an outdoor terrace. Next door to newbie Babylon and owned by the same company Mantle Hospitality Group, Duck & Rice is a real boon for the city.

The design takes inspiration from Shanghai circa 1920 with banks of Chinese iron lanterns suspended between glass ceiling and green marble-top tables. The booze list of quirky cocktails and a solid wine offering clearly has imbibers as well as diners in its sights, while service is sharp, friendly and ever-present.

Chef Kago Fong has designed a menu that’s not as long-winded as most Cantonese restaurants, but it’s diverse and packed with promise and, as you’d expect, duck features heavily. Yuzu duck san choy bau is a highlight, the thick chunks of roast duck served in an iceberg cup with ginger and soy. Silky scallop wontons with fried shallots steal the show, while slivers of pickled cucumber are a nice foil for a light rendition of honey-glazed pork cheek.

The signature five-spice duck fried rice with a smack of XO sauce is the sort of dish you could scoff like no one is watching – light umami heaven.

To finish? Deep-fried ice-cream with red bean and coconut, perhaps, or hit the bar for a black sesame rum old-fashioned nightcap.