"Coming soon to the Encinitas Village Shopping Center, Dumpling Bar is a new dumpling restaurant backed by the team behind Taste of Hong Kong, Kanpai BBQ, and the resurrected China Max. Customers will be able to watch dumplings being handmade in an open kitchen, with varieties that include soup dumplings (xiao long bao), potstickers, steamed dumplings with Kurobuta pork and shrimp or vegan fillings, and chicken won tons in chili sauce. Another specialty will be mini pan-fried “thumb buns” piled into containers balanced on tumblers of soda, Thai tea, or boba milk tea, mirroring a popular street snack in China, and dessert dumplings will be offered with chocolate, red bean, or black sesame fillings. Co-owner Shuai Liu tells Eater the team is “excited to bring a great dumpling restaurant to North County where the dumplings will be house-made, not frozen.” The menu will also range from appetizers and soups to fried rice and stir-fried noodle dishes. Construction is complete and the team is waiting for final city inspection, so the opening could be any day now." - Helen I. Hwang