For three years, Mr. Dumpling co-owner Andy Li’s wife, Ashley Li, studied the art of dumplings in Wenzhou, located on the east coast of China. Working at a restaurant in her hometown, Ashley would wake up at 3 am and work until noon, taking in reps on making dumplings.
“It’s what we’re making here,” Andy Li says. “It’s what most people eat there, especially for breakfast.”
Beyond fields of car dealer lots and apartment complexes near Valley River Center is Mr. Dumpling. It’s not an easy find, and you might need to rely on a map app or a rabid fan (like me) to reassure you to pass VRC, keep an eye out for a small sign off Goodpasture Island Road and turn left on Alexander Loop. The restaurant opened summer 2024 and has since earned its place in the hearts and bellies of dumpling lovers everywhere.
Sure, Ashley Li could’ve learned how to make dumplings and wontons in the U.S., but by going back to her hometown, Andy Li says, she perfected the fine art of the food and now passes that on to the staff at Mr. Dumpling.
To make the perfect dumpling, it matters how you prepare the dough and choose meats that aren’t too fatty or tender. And then you have to have the right proportion of other ingredients in the dumpling, Li says.
What’s key for the Lis’ traditional Chinese menu is freshness. Everything is made in-house, Andy Li says, including noodles, steamed buns and the dumplings. But he’s also focused on his customer service. Making just about everything in-house isn’t just a part of the restaurant’s ethos, but customers know when something has been reheated from the freezer. Considering the number of restaurants in the Eugene-Springfield area, he says he keeps in mind the competition in keeping the dining room filled.
“If they’re not happy once, they might give you a second chance,” Li says. “But if they’re not happy the second time, they’re not coming back.”
With a name like Mr. Dumpling, the meat-filled doughy dish is front and center (and vegetarians, don’t worry, you aren’t left out). The restaurant also has wontons and the steam bun bao zi. But with a menu that boasts xiao long bao that oozes flavorful pork juice, let’s take a look at something that has a bad rap in America: green beans.
Mr. Dumpling’s green beans are nowhere near the flavorless canned version that so many Americans ate growing up. In fact it makes you wonder how the two varieties can be considered the same vegetable. Mr. Dumpling’s stir fried green beans is a crunchy explosion of spices from the chili and garlic. And the dish has been improving Eugeneans’ view of green beans, one day at a time. Over a typical weekend, Li says the restaurant sells more than 40 to 50 pounds of green beans.
“Green beans are very light. We go through probably two buckets worth,” he says with a laugh. “People say, ‘These don’t taste like green beans. What are you doing to them?’”
Dumpling is in the restaurant’s name, but I also had to venture off to Li’s favorite dish: pickled beef soup. That soup and green beans is what Li says he can eat every day.
Turns out, I could, too.
The pickled beef soup starts with a broth made by simmering oxtail overnight. Then Mr. Dumpling throws in noodles and tender beef brisket. The soup broth has a little bit of sourness from pickled mushrooms and cabbage. Eugene may have various places for hot pho, but the pickled beef soup has the potential to become the next big soup in town.
“We want to bring something new to the community so people can learn what traditional Chinese food should be,” Li says.