Lunar is a New Destination for Authentic Chinese Food in Greenwich

The wait is over. Lunar is open at 420 East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich. Expect authentic Chinese Cuisine crafted from scratch, making for the ideal destination for family and friends.

Owner Bill Xia said the restaurant a few days earlier, following a renovation and work with the town to update the kitchen.

Anticipation had been growing since early July when Mr. Xia announced the bought the restaurant and previewed his concept, promising patrons could expect the best Peking Duck in the area, as well as bamboo fish, dried eggplant, barbecue style dishes and clay hot pots that are popular at Peter Chang’s in DC.

Chef Peter Chang operates an expanding culinary empire of about 20 restaurants, and Mr. Xia hopes to pick up where Chef Peter Chang left off in Stamford last year. In fact, Xia said members his kitchen team previously worked at Peter Chang’s restaurants.

 

On Wednesday, we sampled the Peking Duck, roasted and served  with pancakes and duck sauce. It did not disappoint!

The menu itself is an expansive eight pages, featuring 19 Dim Sum choices; soups including Egg Drop, Won Ton, and Miso; a lunch menu; and a list of Chef Specials, including numerous chicken and pork dishes.

Small plates range from Cumin Fish to Crispy Pork Belly, and from Salt & Pepper Tofu to Osmanthus Sweet Ribs, which we enjoyed on Wednesday.

The menu continues with Sizzling Platters with choices of meats. Other options include Scallion & Egg Fried Rice, Lo Mein varieties, Whole Fish and Cold Dishes such as garlic cucumber, Braised Beef Shank, Shredded Potato Salad, Wood Ear Mushroom Salad and Marinated Jellyfish!

The Hot Pot offerings include “Hot & Numbing Hot Pot” with fish fillet, beef, chicken, shrimp, baby bok choy, mushroom, napa cabbage, tofu, sweet potato noodles & bean sprouts. The Hot & Sour Hot Pot features baby bok choy, mushroom, tofu, jalapeno, sweet potato noodles and choice of chicken, pork, beef or fish.

The menu includes a full page of classic dishes including Moo Shu with choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or vegetables, and General Tso with choice of chicken shrimp or tofu. There is also a full page of vegetable dishes.

The restaurant name Lunar derives from the Chinese calendar, and Mr. Xia noted that since many of his customers are Chinese, he recommends that this weekend patrons secure a reservation given it coincides with the Chinese Moon Festival, second in importance only to the Chinese New Year.

Mr. Xia, who has owned STEAM on Greenwich Avenue August of 2023, said that restaurant continues to be very successful.

However, he said the two restaurants are unique.

For starters, Lunar is much bigger and has a spacious parking lot.

Lunar also offers an expansive outdoor seating area, set back from the roadway traffic.

There is also a full service bar, and the staff have been busy creating appealing seasonal cocktails and mocktails.

In between our sampling of pan fried pork dumplings and Osmanthus sweet ribs and Peking Duck, Francis Conti worked behind the bar to whip up a delightful and frothy green Macha Yuzu Gin Fizz, a concoction featuring macha, Yuzu fruit and gin.

Mr. Conti explained that Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit grown to be juiced rather than eaten.

There are also plans for a boba bar, with both boozy concoctions and alcohol free versions. All the boba drinks will be created from scratch – never from concentrate.

Manager, Jennifer Chavez, said one night this week there was a line out the door at dinnertime, and she offered patrons samples of an Asian take on Sangria, which she explained was a combination of Sake with red or white wine. The result was some extra patience and amiable chatter among hungry guests.

The point being that authentic Chinese dishes require considerable effort. Everything is from scratch. On Wednesday the team in the kitchen worked at a breakneck pace.

Mr. Xia said that with a booming economy in China, fewer Chinese aspire to become chefs, given the labor-intensive work required to prepare each dish.

He said he was thrilled to welcome chef Gong and chef Ye to Lunar in Greenwich.

Ms Chavez, who noted that Japanese whisky pairs nicely with Chinese food, said she was excited to create seasonal cocktails and mocktails. She anticipates a pleasant after-work vibe, where co-workers can gather and relax, and noted there are eight seats at the bar, and on warm nights, the patio is also a pleasant spot to unwind.