Wang's dumplings delight food critic

"I just don't really like Chinese food," my friend, the Hesitant Eater, tells me, wrinkling her nose. "It's just... kind of gross."

I sigh. It's no surprise, considering the dismal selection around Tufts. Viscous, greasy plates of sweet and sour chicken, lackluster beef with broccoli, and crab rangoon are all she has ever eaten _ so of course she thinks Chinese food is bad. She will probably never try Wang's Fast Food on Broadway, right next door to Hannah's and only a stone's throw from campus. And I feel sorry for her.

Because Wang's dumplings are fabulous.

Dumplings, contrary to what Dewick-MacPhie and Kee Kar Lau would have Tufts students believe, are not supposed to be Peking Ravioli (And why "Peking Ravioli?" What's wrong with calling them dumplings? Is pad thai Bangkok Linguine? Is chicken tikka masala Bombay Stroganoff?). Dumplings are not meant to be the squatting lumps of dough with gluey meat logs trapped inside that appear in big metal steam trays from time to time in the dining halls.

So when I heard that Wang's was supposed to have some of the best handmade ones in Boston, I was thrilled. I am dumpling-obsessed; I imagined our table laden with plates of them, small and steaming and delicate. It was going to be perfect.

So, with high hopes, we arrived at Wang's around 6 p.m. on a Sunday. The restaurant was warm, quiet, and tiny, with only six tables in its awkward, C-shaped dining room. Its d?©cor is cheerfully un-chic: salmon-orange walls above brick wainscoting, blue and pink strings of Christmas icicle lights hanging in windows, and bare fake-wood tables with metal-backed chairs. A large whiteboard hanging by the front door lists the specials in Chinese. As we ordered, charmingly inappropriate music for a small Chinese restaurant (Marvin Gaye's "Lets Get it On" anybody?) played softly from a stereo under the takeout counter.

The young server, soft-spoken and friendly, came to our table quickly. "You should try the scallion pie," she told us. "It's very good." We took her advice and later were glad we did. We also ordered soups as starters and five different types of dumplings to share for our main course.

Wang's has an expansive menu, but the first two or three pages seemed boring and skippable. Our soups from the first part of the menu were unremarkable, though the scallion pie ($3.50) was very good, crisp on the outside with satisfying, chewy layers of dough.

The Hot-and-Sour soup was hotter than most, but otherwise non-descript. Meanwhile the House Special soup wasn't special at all, with the suspicious gluey texture found in disappointing Chinese restaurants. But the back page of the menu, the dumplings page, was a gem. The dumplings listed more than made up for the mediocrity of the soups.

At less than $5 for a plate of 12, you can order them boiled or pan-fried. We didn't discover the second option until after the meal _ but it would be worth trying. The waitress brought them out quickly, big platefuls of them quivering and almost translucent _ just the way I had hoped they would be.

The Vegetarian Spinach dumplings were mellow, subtle, and rich. Filled with a mixture of garlic, spinach, tofu, and tiny cellophane noodles, these are also the purported favorites of "Ming Tsai, Celebrity Chef" as the menu keenly advertises. And the celebrity chef knows what he's talking about; I think I'd eat these every day, if I could. Best of all, I can: 50 frozen dumplings to take home with you costs only $12.

The two male friends I came with tried to convince me that the Pork and Leek dumplings would be better than the Vegetarian Leek dumplings because, according to them, "everything is always, always better with meat." They were wrong. While Pork and Leek was ordinary, and my least favorite dumpling, the Vegetarian Leek -- with shreds of leek, egg, and more cellophane noodles -- was pungent, juicy, and much tastier than the meat version. Even the men admitted it.

The Chicken with Chinese Cabbage dumplings were probably the mildest of the bunch while the Shrimp Delight with Pork were salty strong, and the favorites of the men at the table (with Vegetarian Leek a close second). Even the Pork and Leek plate, the only one that still had dumplings on it at the end of the meal, was better than any dumpling Golden Light has ever offered.

We left full and in high spirits, our wallets only $10 lighter, and vowed to come back to try some of the actual entrees listed. But the dumplings were so good; it will be hard to stray from them.

And there was one last, wonderful thing about Wang's. As we reviewed the takeout menu on the snowy ride home, we discovered two words that would make my friends very happy during the blizzard a few nights later: "Free Delivery."

Why would anyone suffer through Peking Ravioli again?

Wang's Fast Food, 509 Broadway (4 blocks past Ball Square), Somerville, MA 02145. Free delivery with orders over $20.00 and credit card accepted for orders over $15. (617) 623-2982.