A Northern Touch: Hometown Dumpling, the beloved mom-and-pop dumpling restaurant that used to be on Caine Road, is back after a three year hiatus. This time ’round, it has moved down the hill to Sai Ying Pun, but continues to serve handmade dumplings and other Northern Chinese delights.

Look & Feel: The new Hometown Dumpling is much smaller in size than its previous two incarnations. Set up as a generic local diner with a few communal tables taking up most of the space, the only trace of its old self is the strip of florescent floral wallpaper that runs along the walls.

On the Menu: Loyal patrons will be relieved to hear that Hometown Dumpling has kept its original menu pretty much intact. The signature boiled pork and lamb dumplings have prices hovering around $42 for 10 pieces. The doughy Northern-style noodles used to be handmade by the owner, Mrs. Pat, but are now ordered from a local factory instead — as the labor that goes into their creation has become too much for the 65-year-old proprietress. Shandong specialties like marinated kelp and shredded chicken also appear on the menu. Drinks-wise, both the hawthorn juice and soybean milk ($12 a glass) are made in-house.

Jeng: Bow down, hipsters: Hometown Dumpling owns the term “artisanal.” Mrs. Pat sweats through an entire shirt each morning as she pounds and rolls out the dumpling skins for hours on end — and we appreciate the effort. The skins have got that elusive chewy quality, and the humble-but-hearty meat fillings do them justice. You can taste the pulp in the earthy and tangy hawthorn juice. Not much more to report on this quick visit, but we’ll be back to sample the rest of the lengthy menu.

Not So Jeng: Be sure to manage your expectations on the soup base if you order any of the soup noodles: it is rather bland compared to the more savory southern-style broths that Hongkongers are much more used to for their (wonton) dumplings.

Great For: No-frills, quick and easy meal.

FYI: Mrs. Pat and her husband re-opened their restaurant at the insistence of their daughter-in-law, who wanted to continue the family business.

This writeup was based on an independent tasting. The Loop doesn’t guarantee/sell restaurant review coverage. See our editorial policy here.