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Karden opened two months ago in Ridgefield, serving a modern take on a typical Korean restaurant. The restaurant is owned by the Chung family, who live in the borough.
"We use a lot of spices, a lot of vegetables and grilled meat," Carter Chung said.
Karden uses a lot of the family's recipes, and Chung's mother has run a catering company in Fort Lee for many years. The family immigrated to the United States from Korea from 2000.
Chung said he feels they are filling the void in Ridgefield, which he feels does not have as many Korean options as a place like Fort Lee or Palisades Park.
Hanpan, a Korean BBQ dish, is one of the more popular items on the menu. It features assorted meats like smoked pork belly, marinated pork, side dishes like spicy rice cake, kimchi poutine, sauces like wasabi and a kimchi stew or k-soy bean paste stew.
"That's been everyone's go-to," Chung said.
The restaurant has been well received by the community and to make sure the Korean cuisine was up to par, Chung said they made sure to serve their family and friends. Chung said the restaurant aims to feel like "fine dining" but not "fine fine dining."
"People really love that something like this came to Ridgefield," Chung said. "It's been nothing but positive reviews."
Karden aims to be a place where people can come and meet up and just chat. Chung said people have said the restaurant feels almost like a café.
"Instead of eating and leaving, we want people to bring their friends and family and just talk and enjoy each other's company," Chung said. "It's very cozy and relaxing. We've had people sit here for three hours."
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