Read the first character
Xiao huntun (小馄饨) means small wontons. Keep the 小 when pointing to a menu: a general English label of 'wonton soup' can hide an important choice. A larger filled wonton and a light bowl of small wontons offer different relationships between dough, filling and soup.
Judy's first-person account for The Woks of Life describes the Shanghai bowl of her childhood through especially thin wrappers, a little pork filling and stock made with chicken and pork bones. Her published recipe is one family reference, rather than a standard every Shanghai shop must follow. It gives you a good reason to notice the wrapper before judging the quantity of meat.
Soup outside, rather than a surprise inside
With xiaolongbao, the hot broth is enclosed with the filling. In a bowl of small wontons, you can spoon up the surrounding broth and a parcel together. That changes the way you eat: the wrapper, a little filling and a spoonful of soup arrive in the same mouthful.
Start without adding vinegar or chili. Try a spoonful of broth, then a wonton with some broth. A delicate wrapper can be difficult to describe in isolation, but the comparison makes its contribution clearer. Let the soup cool enough to eat comfortably, and use the spoon rather than trying to balance a loose parcel high above the bowl.
A garnish can change the whole bowl
Judy also discusses versions with egg strips, dried shrimp and seaweed, while preferring the simpler bowl she remembers. Her preference is useful as a reminder that 'traditional' often carries a person's own reference point. It does not require you to reject a bowl with a different garnish.
If you have dietary restrictions, the soup needs its own conversation. Pork in the filling, meat in the stock, wheat in the wrapper and additions such as dried shrimp are separate questions. Removing a visible garnish does not establish what has already gone into the broth. Explain the restriction before ordering.
Give the small bowl its own stop
If you are sampling breakfast in several places, ask about the bowl size before pairing it with buns, rice rolls and noodles. 'Small' describes the wonton, rather than a guaranteed light serving. Share where practical, or let the soup be the pause between richer tastings.
Take away the Chinese name and your preference for the broth and wrapper. Those details are more useful on your next menu than a general verdict about dumplings. A bowl whose main pleasure is a thin fold of dough deserves to be remembered for exactly that.