Moon, a stylish new restaurant that celebrates Japanese, Chinese, and Thai ingredients and flavors, completed the final stages of top-to-bottom renovations after the unexpected interruption by COVID-19 back in March and opened in November in Greenwich, CT. Spearheaded by New York-based Ambias Hospitality Group, Moon sets its sights on presenting an elevated dining experience wrapped in stylish décor and hospitality.
Formerly the home of Asiana Café, the restaurant’s newest incarnation is designed by New York/Shanghai design team New Practice Studio. The 3,100 square foot space features a 13-seat open Omakase bar, a 55-seat dining room with curvilinear banquette seating, an intimate cocktail bar, and open-air dining during the warmer months, all of which have been adapted for safe-space dining. Autumn larch wood panels wrap the space, contrasted by the light-colored terrazzo floor and Venetian wall plaster. Chic Bolle pendants, Luna lighting fixtures, and a circular backlit window revealing Moon’s curated wine collection accentuates the modern Fnji furnishings.
Ambias Hospitality Group is led by founder and CEO Kevin Yin, whose business prowess most recently resulted in the reconfiguration and successful rebranding of Szechwan Absolute in Queens, NY. Ambias Chef Advisor is Matthew Madera who trained under two Michelin star Chef Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex at Relais Chateaux’s Auberge De L’lle Barbe, in Lyon, France and whose New York culinary landscape includes time at A Voce Columbus, Gunter Seeger, Jean-Georges, and the world-renowned L’ Atelier de Jöel Robuchon NYC.
General Manager Moses Laboy is a New York City hospitality veteran with a specialty in the modern cocktail movement and is a member of The Court of Master Sommeliers. He has created beverage programs for such iconic eateries as Alfred Portale’s Gotham Bar & Grill, Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster and David Burke Kitchen by Chef David Burke.
The Moon culinary team is comprised of Sushi Chef Isamu Yamada who studied culinary arts in Nagoya, Japan before honing his skills at the celebrated Imanas Tei sushi restaurant and leading the Omakase program at Sushi Izakaya Gaku in Honolulu. His talent then took him to New York’s prestigious Sushi of Gari Group working alongside Master Chef Masatoshi “Gari” Sugio and the Sushi Ryusei Japanese restaurant. Chef CJ Barroso hails from the Philippines and has cooked in some of New York City’s top kitchens, including the famed Aquavit, Michelin rated restaurant Public, the Bowery’s Saxon and Parole, and Brooklyn’s popular seasonal American restaurant, The Finch. Chef Barroso brings a vibrant style and sensibility to Moon’s eclectic menu. Chef Nisorin Paulino was born in the Dominican Republic and is a graduate of The New York Intentional Culinary Center. His culinary experience has taken “Chef Niso” into some of the most prestigious kitchen throughout New York, including work as the Chef De Tournant at Chef Michael White’s upscale Park Avenue French restaurant Vaucluse and as Sous Chef at the trendy L’Atelier De Joel Robuchon. Moon is excited to incorporate this array of culinary influences into the restaurant’s contemporary kitchen culture.
The Moon menu is a virtual culinary tour around the globe, finding its greatest inspiration from the ingredients and techniques found in Japanese, Chinese, and Thai cuisines. From the ultimate Omakase adventure where your meal is left to the creative freedom of the Sushi Chef, to composed entrées such as Colorado Lamb served with miso eggplant and Black Cod with coconut-lemongrass espuma, the Moon dining experience is bold, flavorful, and unexpected.
The beverage program embraces the restaurant’s culinary ethos with an exciting combination of fresh ingredients, balance, and creativity, while infusing premium and artisan spirits. A global wine list, craft and Asian beer selections, a collection of sake, and house-made “ABV 0%” mocktails, teas, and tonics round out the beverage offerings. To learn more about Moon in Greenwich, CT, follow them @moongreenwich or visit their website.
