LUNAR — Restaurant in New York

It’s aight. And by aight I mean by NYC standards which is not bad at all. Service was also good for us.

Now to provide some critical feedback and a reference of what we enjoy, our no.1 Chinese restaurant has always been 穿山甲 / Szechuan Mountain House.

The first dish of the fish stomach is great, a unique texture. It’s also pretty much “you get what you see” in terms of the content.

Then comes the ginger duck and one of the rabbit dishes. And our enthusiasm slowly dropped over the meal.

First of all, the portion is relatively small, the bowls look filled to the brim compared to the first dish but the actually eatable meat is less, and despite being more expensive.

Secondly, it must be some industrial level cutter that smashes the duck and rabbit into pieces to the point it has massively shattered bones. A nail sized tiny piece of meat will have up to 5+ small bone fragments in it. We are Chinese, we are used to eating things and spitting stuffs out. We grew up eating chicken feet and fish with lots of bones. But this is some next level shi. Both me and my girlfriend got so frustrated and stopped eating a bit earlier despite not feeling full.

Another added reason so we didn’t “push thru” is simply they weren’t super amazing. They are GOOD, but not so good we’d go the extra mile to get the meats out. The later two dishes tasted similar and not spicy enough despite the 3 spicy sign. Their Thai chilli / bird eye chilli (小米辣) is some less spicy version than what we can buy on the market and use at home daily, it’s a bit underwhelming.

All in all, the first dish of fish stomach is a highlight, then it went kinda mid with frustration of the bone fragments. They do have a symbol to show which dishes have bone fragments so use that as a warning because we were NOT prepared for the level of...

This is a new addition to the Szechuan scene in midtown, and a welcome one at that. Situated across from the crowded Chili, Lunar offers a slightly more modern feel of Szechuan food. The interior is dim, with black-dressed waiters, and slow music in the background. However, that doesn't make this place any less cozy a spot to hide from the cold weather and enjoy some heat to your taste buds. The plates are great sized meals, even the small ones. I got their Dan Dan noodles and the cold noodles and they both were filling plates in and of themselves. Their maps tofu is also very sizeable, definitely perfect for sharing, though rice must be ordered on the side. In general, many of their dishes are perfect to share between three or four people. The flavors of Mala are clearly pronounced and it builds pleasantly on the palate. I came to lunch with friends and they offered us free passionfruit tea on their soft opening. My friends love the spring rolls, which are made fresh, and so require some patience when ordered. The tea is excellent. They currently do not have the white rabbit drink nor alcoholic drinks, but I suspect that will come later. As a pleasant surprise, we got free dessert 凉粉 on our second visit and it was delicious, with hawthorn and raisins over jelly. It would be perfect for the summer. Overall, the atmosphere and staff are excellent. Waiters are courteous and quick, despite (in my opinion) being a bit understaffed. They are very attentive and add a lot to the whole experience. We will be...

I came here to eat because I saw many good reviews on social media called little red book. However, I was disappointed as soon as I sat down. Cause there was a piece of paper on the table stating that if you leave a good review on little red book, you get a free drink and dessert. First, about the food: it was quite mediocre. The "Bullfrog & Pork Intestine" (肥肠爱上蛙) and "Diced Chicken with Chili Pepper" (歌乐山辣子鸡) were both marinated in almost the same sauce and then deep-fried. The only noticeable difference was that the bullfrog dish had a bit of sugar added. The "Whole Fish with Fresh Chili Pepper" (鲜椒过水鱼) had a flavorful sauce, but the fish itself had a strange taste, like earthy or grassy notes. Suffered lotus root with sticky rice(桂花糖藕) and sauteed Chinese long mushroom(金丝茶树菇) were fine. Next, the service: when we sat down, we were informed that since we didn't have a reservation, we would need to finish our meal within an hour and a half. That was fine with us; we were seated at 5:20 PM and finished ordering by 5:25 PM. However, our last dish wasn't served until 6:10 PM. With this serving speed, how fast do they expect us to eat? There was hardly any service throughout, except for...