All the latest news and notes about Princeton's favorite Asian restaurant

The Princeton Packet, October 5, 2007: A New Vision at Sunny Garden

A new vision at Sunny Garden
Over the last past 19 years, owner Yu-Lien
Yen made Sunny Garden one of the most popular
Chinese restaurants in the Princeton area. Now he
.is passing the torch to new owner Eric Chen; who ,
wishes to assure Sunny Garden's patrons that he
doesn't intend to totally revamp the restaurant
they know and love, just "kick it up a notch."
A seasoned restaurateur, Mr. Chen intends to
give the dining room at Sunny Garden a facelift,
fusing traditional and antique decor. By bringing
in three master chefs from his other restaurants to
supplement the talents of Sunny Garden's Chef
Chan, who is staying on as head chef, Mr. Chen
intends to offer "innovative entrees, as well as
new takes on familiar dishes."
Coming from a strong sushi background (his
father and brother-in-law were both sushi chefs),
Mr. Chen intends to expand the sushi bar, which is
currently a small alcove closed off from other diners,
and open up the area. He envisions a sushi
menu that is "clean, basic and without flash."
Mr. Chen began working when he was 14
years old, doing bike deliveries for his uncle's restaurant.
"I learned the ropes from the bottom," he
explains. Mr. Chen's first restaurant venture, Hanami,
was so successful in Englewood (Bergen
County), that two more locations were opened, in
Cresskill and Westwood. Just eight years later, in
2006, he opened Typhoon, an Asian fusion restaurant
located in Englewood.
Sunny Garden is located at 15 Farber Road,
West Windsor. Private parties and catering are
welcome, and delivery is also available. For more
information, call 609-520- I881.
- Michael Redmond