Who doesn’t love a dumpling? For the Chinese they are an integral part of the New Year celebrations and for me they do everything from soaking up the beer in my belly to giving me pause for thought at the time and effort that goes into something so quickly and unthinkingly eaten.

What used to be just yum cha trolley fare is now the stuff of specialty restaurants: Brisbane has several. Fat Dumpling in Fortitude Valley’s latest food precinct, King St, is the second in the Fat Dumpling series. And it doesn’t stray too far from its Brunswick St predecessor.

The new one is internally smaller and perhaps a little less atmospheric, but still has plenty of visual appeal with much of its space given over to outdoor seating.

All of King St is fresh and new so Fat Dumpling relies on theming and bric-a-brac to peddle its wares, and a very good job has been done in giving it some street appeal.

Menu-wise it’s a replica of the Brunswick St restaurant: small dishes, main dishes; dumplings poached, steamed and pan fried; plus a single dessert (peach spring rolls).

Among the small dish selection is a plate of crystal cucumber salad ($7.50), potentially the menu star. There’s not much to it – cucumber wedges dressed in vinegar, sesame oil and sugar, slivers of chili. It’s brilliant: in no way a dumpling, but a great foil for their meaty plumpness. It might even be good for you and shows that even something as absurdly plain as cucumber can be dressed to thrill.

What should be the dish of the day – xiao long bao (soup dumplings) – is sadly disappointing; tasty enough, but completely lacking the expected soupy burst.

Steamed fish dumplings ($8.50 for six) are fabulous, however; subtle, moist, textural. And pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings ($8 for six) aren’t far behind.

Then there’s a main dish of pork belly braised in soy ($15.80) which is suitably rich, sweet and decadent.

Service is brisk and unadorned and the food comes quickly. The restaurant is still waiting for its liquor licence so you’ll need to sip tea or BYO ($5 corkage per person). When the licence arrives it will offer the same as Brunswick St: several beers (Tsingtao the highlight) and a succinct but pertinent wine collection.

Even if the xiao long bao failed the soup test, I do marvel at the work that goes into all of the little parcels. Try making a few sets at home; it’s a gruelling business and yet at Fat Dumpling and its ilk the dumplings are ours in a matter of minutes, for the price of a song.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.