GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich has its fair share of Italian and Asian eateries, but one new restaurant in town has found a way to harmoniously combine the two cuisines.
Ollie’s 99, located at 99 Railroad Ave., in the space formerly occupied by MacDuff’s, features pizza and Asian fusion across an affordable menu with generous portions.
The restaurant soft-opened in November and is owned by Bill Xia, who also took over Steam at 372 Greenwich Ave., where he reshaped the menu with more authentic, Chinese dishes and more than doubled sales.
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Xia is a co-owner of Peter Chang, the Chinese restaurant that opened in the Stamford Town Center in 2018.
Xia’s daughters attended Greenwich Academy and grew up loving pizza and Chinese food, especially Dim Sum, said Xia, who lives in New Canaan.
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After MacDuff’s closed, Xia jumped at the opportunity to open Ollie’s 99 to provide an affordable, family-friendly restaurant for the community.
The pizza ovens were already in place from MacDuff’s, so Xia got connected to Chef Xiang Ming and Michelin Star Chef Victor Zhou, who developed the Ollie’s 99 menu.
“I tell people, ‘If you think it’s crazy, come over and find out,'” said Xia of the pizza and Asian fusion concept. “You’ll be surprised. Combined together, it works.”
Ming has over 30 years in the pizza industry, having studied in Italy with a focus on Neapolitan-style pizza. He helped blend the flavors of China with authentic, fresh ingredients from Italy to create unique pizza at Ollie’s 99, while Zhou used his experience from working at Michelin Star restaurants in Chicago and Los Angeles to develop the rest of the menu.
Menu highlights include the sesame chicken pizza, which has buffala mozzarella, sweet and sour sesame sauce, chicken, mushrooms, bok choy and tofu.
The curry chicken pizza, another top seller, has chicken, buffala, tikka masala sauce, onion, roasted peppers, fresh cilantro and cherry tomatoes — perfect for those who like a little spice.
The pancetta pie has buffala, a truffle white sauce, mushrooms and arugula. The pancetta provides a good saltiness, and the arugula has a pepperiness that works with the richness of the truffle white sauce.
Whatever pizza, the fresh ingredients are highlighted on Ollie’s 99’s wood-fired pizza dough, which utilizes 00 Flour from Italy.
Appetizers range from garlic edamame to fried calamari. “Rolls,” similar to a wrap sandwich, are made from the same pizza dough.
The kale salad has quinoa, cashews, parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes and avocado, tossed in a vinaigrette.
The Kung Pao chicken roll is a particular standout, with chicken, roasted peppers, zucchini, creme fraiche and romaine all rolled together in a thin dough to create a unique flavor that’s familiar but new.
Dim Sum comes out freshly steamed to perfection with dipping sauces. Offerings include several dumpling varieties like chicken, veggie or shrimp.
There are soup dumplings, shumai, a roast pork bun filled with BBQ pork, and a sweet and beautifully decorated egg custard bun that’s more like dessert.
The Lunch Special menu is $12.99 and has generous portions and options for a salad, sandwich or roll.
“We run a simple menu. We use very fresh and high-quality ingredients,” Zhou said.
Between Ollie’s 99 and Steam, Xia wants to spread his passion for traditional and authentic Chinese food.
“I’ve always believed if more people try Chinese food, they will have more of an understanding of Chinese culture,” he said.
Xia was born and raised in China and moved to the United States in 1997. In 2013, he moved from Chicago to New Canaan with his family.
Before he was involved in the restaurant industry, Xia traveled around the country through his company which supplies blades for highway and road construction projects.
Developing friendships with clients, and now restaurant patrons is a priority for Xia, and so is helping the community. A majority of the employees at Ollie’s 99 are nearby UConn students. Local artists have their work for sale on the restaurant walls.
“The customer is always the priority. They give you an opportunity, and If you don’t deliver, the opportunities are gone,” he said.
Xia is delivering at Ollie’s 99, evidenced by the empty plates seen at tables throughout the restaurant.
There are thoughts about opening additional restaurants in the future, said Xia, who is looking in Westchester and Fairfield Counties.
The kitchen at Ollie’s 99 is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The bar is open later on weekends. Ollie’s 99 also features live music.
For more on Ollie’s 99, check out their website or follow them on Instagram.
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