Just make sure you don't enter through the back door and walk through the kitchen. You will swear off Chinese food forever.
In some of the dumpling restaurants in Montreal and New York, the kitchen is in the front of the restaurant and visible to the public. They are either boiling, frying or steaming the dumplings. You can watch as they make the dumpling and boil it. Check out Mai XIang Yuan in Chinatown II on St. Catherine, you will learn something about dumpling preparation.The more traditional dim sum restaurants are making their own dim sum and the food is brought out in carts wheeled by your table for your inspection. You are free to accept or reject dishes as you wish.
The best seafood dim sum restaurant in NYC is Ping's on Mott Street. They are using very fresh seafood and the only thing I ever get there is their seafood dim sum. They have the best shrimp dim sum I have ever tasted. I can't see the kitchen there, but it's a higher end Chinese dim sum restaurant. We are not talking about your local Ming's Takeout making Americanized Chinese food or, as in Montreal, French Canadianized Chinese food, which means serving mayo with the dumplings. We are talking about authentic Asian restos where I am the only white face in the house, unless I am with a white friend, and not too much English is being spoken.
The place I referred to on the Bowery near Vandals is called Sunshine. It's also very good but not as high end as Ping's. Ping's is a place where you could possibly run up a bill of $20 if you massively gorge yourself with dim sum. I might have paid over $20 there once.