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The owners of the Asian fusion restaurant N’Joy have been at work upgrading the former Tokyo Japanese restaurant in Babylon Village.
And just last week, they told GreaterBabylon they will be opening their doors on June 12, a Tuesday.
N’Joy will showcase authentic dishes from China, Japan and Thailand, and be open for dinner and lunch — with sushi and hibachi options at lunch as well.
The culinary brains behind the operation is Hong Kong native Jack Chan, who’s been operating restaurants in NYC, mostly in Brooklyn, for nearly 30 years. He last owned a restaurant called Thai Kitchen in Brooklyn, he said.
Chan has close family in Suffolk that operates restaurants, including Wild Ginger in Deer Park, he added.
Chan’s roots are in Sichuan, in which he is a certified master chef in China. To the uninitiated, Sichusan cuisine has reputation of being spicy and flavorful.
He’s also proficient in preparing Cantonese-style food.
“We’ve all been in business for a long time; we know about food,” he said. “We know about Cantonese style better than anyone.”
And he prides his eateries on customer service, he added.
“You got to respect the people and the customers and the food you give to them. I tell my employees, ‘I’m not your boss; the people are your boss.'”
In this latest venture, Chan has partnered with longtime friend Andre Clarke, who actually used to frequent Chan’s takeout location in Flatbush when Clarke was a teen.
“I’ve been going to him since I was 13, and I had always told him I was going to open a restaurant with him. And he would say whenever you’re ready …
“Then I called his bluff,” Clarke laughed. “I showed up with the money and said I’m ready.”
Clarke will be running the front of the house.
IF YOU GO
N’Joy is located at 96 East Main Street in Babylon.
For additional information call N’Joy at 631-587-9888 or 9889.
