I’ve rarely, if ever, said no to yum cha. I’m a dedicated devotee of the dumpling smash, a disciple of dim sum dens, and a card-carrying connoisseur of salt and pepper calamari.

But, of course, there are dumplings and there are Eric Koh dumplings. They are exceptional, so much so that one requires a pair of pants with forgiving elastic. But it’s not just about the dumplings at Queen Chow, Merivale’s push into the inner west, housed in the Queens Hotel, Enmore. There’s a trifecta of quality chefs on the woks.

Christopher Hogarth and Patrick Friesen, of Papi Chulo, have created a menu of contemporary Cantonese treats that match magically with Koh’s craft.

There are Merivale trademarks everywhere, with that old-meets-new decor in a venue that has a multitude of areas for a multitude of uses.

Downstairs, they’re packed in like sardines in front of the kitchen, yet there is a sense that beer-swilling may dominate dining. It is a pub after all. Upstairs, the Smelly Goat bar’s homage to taxidermy leads to a dining room with a beer garden feel.

Koh’s steamed dumpling plate has a mix of lobster, crab, mushroom, pumpkin, garlic and chive dumplings. Each morsel is tastier than the last.

Yuzu adds an exclamation point to beautifully sweet Hokkaido scallop sashimi, though the crunch of fried quinoa detracts slightly from the dish’s textural beauty. Pickled long beans and mushroom floss crown silken tofu and snow pea leaves deliver a grassy touch.

Barbecued duck lands with a natural, not sweet, plum sauce. Pippies get a lick from black bean and chilli, and although mud crab, the house specialty, is satisfying, the garlic and chilli crumb with it is a bit too much. But Queen Chow isn’t. It’s next-level local Chinese. Go for a beer, stay for the dumplings.