There's a new Chinese restaurant in North Dallas embracing two hot trends: Called Uptown Dumpling, it's a new place located at 18101 Preston Rd. #204c, which opened in March serving two of the cuisine's most popular items — namely, soup dumplings and Peking duck.

The restaurant is in the space previously occupied by Tian Tian, a Chinese restaurant that relocated to Austin, with a full menu that spotlights flavors from the Jiangnan region — birthplace to xiao long bao, the famed soup dumplings which are known (and beloved) for being extra "juicy," thanks to a dose of broth inside the dumpling in addition to the filling.

Uptown Dumpling is from chef Hao Wen Jie, who lists his credits as having led banquets at the United Nations headquarters, and as a Chinese cuisine consultant for the Davos Forum.

Dallas is not the only Uptown Dumpling in the works: According to a spokesperson, they're opening a spinoff in Santa Monica, California, sometime this spring.

"The owners spend most of their time in California, but also have family in the Dallas area," the spokesperson said.

Their menu features six varieties of xiao long bao: pork and green pepper, pork and shrimp, and Wagyu and black truffle, which has a black-tinted wrapper; there are two dessert options — chocolate and taro — plus a "huge" option which is at least twice as big.

To make their dumplings, they describe their special technique which involves rolling and boiling/steaming ("sinking and floating") to ensure the sourdough wrapper is delicate yet strong enough to hold soup and fillings.

Other menu signatures include their roast Peking duck, served with pancake, duck sauce, green onion, and cucumber. And in addition to the soup dumplings, they do regular steamed and pan-fried dumplings as well.

Starters and veggie dishes are varied and intriguing such as:

• Assorted Cold Vegetables with potato, kelp, and bean sprouts
• Fungus Salad with black fungus, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce
• Drunken Chilled Chicken with red dates, and ginseng
• Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs with Plum
• Mango Walnut Shrimp with mango, walnut, and green tea wasabi

One of their most popular dishes has been their matsutake mushroom beef soup with beef short ribs, as well as their Taiwanese braised beef noodles. It's one of a number of noodle dishes that also include Sichuan dandan noodles and Beijing noodles, featuring thick, chewy noodles topped with a minced pork sauce. There are also traditional Asian dishes such as veggie egg rolls, wonton soup, chow mein, fried rice, and fried rice cake.

One pleasant standout is their Chinese tea program, featuring four teas: jasmine tea; Longjing tea; Dian Hong tea, aka Yunnan red tea; and aged tangerine peel pu'er tea, believed to contribute to digestion and well-being.