I hate how so many Chinese restaurants are buffets. First, I feel bad for the owners, because the margins are small. But really, I feel bad for uninformed diners, because they are only eating Americanized Chinese food. That’s why the recently opened Dumpling Haus in Hilldale Mall is refreshing.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that the food isn’t salty or full of MSG. You may even feel the urge to add more soy sauce than already comes on the plates of dumplings and shumai. But trust me, this is way it should be: steaming hot and naturally delicious.

The aforementioned Haus Jiao Zi and Pork Shaomai are served in sets of 10 and eight, respectively, so come with a friend or two so you can order several different dishes and actually finish them. The four main categories of dumplings, noodles, bao zi and sides each had 5-10 subitems from which to choose along with a decent vegetarian selection. Each dish is brought to your table the moment it’s cooked to maximize freshness.

The Haus Noodles also were delightful. The beef that came with mine were perfectly tender (you can also order pork), and the bok choy was quite fresh. I like spicy foods, so I added some Sriracha, which, surprisingly, is not at the station where you get the chopsticks, napkins, soy sauce, etc.–you actually have to ask for it.

Really, the only disappointment of the meal were the Barbecue Bao (buns with slow-roasted pork), as these were just the store-bought, frozen variety that were simply heated up. With everything else on the menu made-from-scratch, why skimp on the buns?

I had heard the Dumping Haus had a rough opening, usually running out of food early in the day (even the dry erase board was asking for patience as they go through growing pains), but I had no hiccups with my meal. The space is not large, but you also can order for carryout.