A new Bethesda dining room features two views that seem at odds with each other.

Look through a window along the back and you’ll see the kitchen of the latest outpost of a Michelin-recommended restaurant. An assembly line hand-forms the signature soup dumplings on the menu.

Then, on one end of the curving corridor of booths and tables, a clear wall overlooks neighboring dining establishments: Chipotle, Charleys Cheesesteaks and Panda Express, among others — and a storefront advertising a Boeing 737 flight simulator.

Take your seat at Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, which opened in October at Montgomery Mall sandwiched between the food court entrance and Macy’s.

The eatery, which first opened in New York as Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao in 2006, has nine locations across the Northeast — with planned openings in states where it’s already established and debut establishments in Georgia and Illinois. The shop specialized in its namesake little steamed buns that originated in Nan Xiang, a town outside of Shanghai, and earned a recommendation from Michelin, the prestigious French dining guide, from 2009-17.

Seasoned Montgomery County diners are likely familiar with soup dumplings — from restaurants across the county but primarily centered in Rockville such as Bob’s Shanghai 66. The soup in the dumpling is effectively a broth created by the steaming of flour wrappers. The filling is typically seasoned ground pork or seafood.

Early online reviews showed how intently many had anticipated Nan Xiang‘s opening. Some customers cited wait times as long as two hours — though many were seated far faster.

The dining room was half-full on a recent Wednesday visit just after lunchtime, with no wait for a table. The server suggested one of his favorites: pan-fried crispy noodles with seasonal seafood. It was a fine effort of crackling egg noodles topped with shrimp, scallops and a whitefish, which the server couldn’t immediately identify, swimming in a clear sauce of shredded cabbage and carrots with straw mushrooms.

I added other selections, including an order of scallion pancake that was delivered by an uncanny robot that charmingly beeped and booped as it wheeled dim sum around the dining room. (Did it say “thanks,” or was that a chili oil-induced hallucination?)

The pancake had a crisp enough exterior but lacked enough scallions and the flaky layers that define the finest versions of the dish. Shanghai-style pork buns, with an underside fried on a pan, were more welcome on my table, with a slightly sweet dough counterweighting the juicy pork within.

But let’s talk about the main attraction: a Lucky Six selection of the signature soup dumplings for $14.50.

I was instantly taken by the grass-green dumpling filled with a mixture of gourd luffa — yes, think the shower sponge — shrimp and pork. It blended a sharp richness from the proteins with the brightness of the gourd. The other two seafood dumplings, scallop and pork, and crabmeat and pork topped with a fleck of crab roe, were almost as impressive in their balance of flavors.

The remaining three dumplings, filled respectively with chicken, pork (the signature namesake) and black truffle and pork, were fine enough. The wrappers on these tasted on the thicker side, and the fillings had less complexity than their steam basket mates.

Given Nan Xiang’s heritage, it’s hard to say that the transplant is a worthy enough pick to skip over its locally owned soup dumpling competitors. (Not to mention, my own affinity for its food court neighbor, Panda Express, which deserves placement in a guide for fast-casual culinary wizardry.)

So maybe think of it similarly to a different New York import — and another Montgomery Mall tenant — Shake Shack. Is it the best version of soup dumplings that you’re going to find in Montgomery County? Probably not. But is it a welcome choice of refuel station between holiday shopping? For sure.