After a decade of dishing up elevated prawn toast, fried rice, XO pipis and fried ice cream in a sexy CBD laneway setting, it’s still on must-try lists whether for the impeccable perfection of its handmade steamed dumplings, the elegant experience or the watertight brand of Merivale hospitality. The tasteful dining room has aged just as gracefully, transporting diners back to the heady days of 1930s Shanghai.

The menu is big and the wine list even bigger. Start with bamboo baskets of prawn shumai and soup-filled pork xiao long bao steamed dumplings, then collect juicy renditions of prawn toast that come as plump, bite-sized balls. Settle in for king crab fried rice “typhoon shelter style” – Hong’s take on the famous Hong Kong dish of deep-fried crab topped with a crunchy mound of fried garlic and chilli. Crispy fried eggplant with a sweet, sour and spicy sauce is delightfully rich despite being meat-free, and kung pao chicken sets off a display of tingling Sichuan fireworks that’s best followed by deep-fried ice cream with a butterscotch sauce.

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