If you are in the mood for some no frills, casual Asian Cuisine, then Hot Wok in Cranbury is the place for you. We first discovered this restaurant a few years ago while driving into Cranbury to take a look at the town. Since then, we have been back a 1/2 dozen times, and each time the food has been good, and the service has been outstanding. If only we had an Asian restaurant like this in town. Hot Wok, come to our town!!!!!
If you are looking for fancy, fine dining, then this is not the place for you. This restaurant has a very casual atmosphere, in almost an old Jersey diner sort of way, from the tables, to the glittery chairs, to the counter in the back of the restaurant. There is always something on the radio, and it is usually some top 40 music, but that is not a bad thing in this casual atmosphere. We love to come here as it is a mere 15-20 minute drive, and it's casual, and it's BYO...tonight we bought a 2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County on the way, as we didn't think about grabbing a bottle from the cellar on the way to see "Stan Stan the Tax Man." See the review below about this wine in the previous posting!
We arrived tonight and were greeted as usual by JC (I think). She is a sweetheart, and is there every time we come to visit. I think that she is the hardest working girl in Cranbury. ;-) JC always offers us tea, and brings over a small bowl of sweet and sour sauce, along with some hot mustard, and fried chips in the style of egg roll wrappers. This is always a nice touch, and something to keep us occupied while we wait for our food.
As usual, we started off with the spring rolls, and they came out piping hot! It couldn't have been more than 3 minutes after we had ordered, and BAM, there they were! Right out of the fryer, with steam coming off of them, and hot as hot can be. We gave them a minute to cool down, only to discover some nice fresh vegetables, to be found inside the crisp wrapper. This are always a treat here, and we really enjoy them.
For entrees tonight, we went the comfort food route, and started out with some chicken fried rice. This came out nice and hot, with large, flattened pieces of chicken, with nice pieces of onion, peas, and bean sprouts. This is always good here, and they wok fry it to perfection. It is never to greasy, never to salty, and never too crispy. This is perfect fried rice, and who needs a side of white rice when you can have fried rice like this. As usual, it was great, and we seem to order it every time we visit. What can I say, as like I said, it was a comfort food sort of night.
Along with the fried rice, we had the cashew chicken, just like we did a few weeks ago. This too came out nice and hot, a mere 30 seconds after our fried rice came out. It too was cooked just as I would make it at home, and came out with a nice side of broccoli. This too is another comfort food for us, and is always nice and tasty. With the chicken were nice, whole cashews, that gave this dish some added crunch, to go along with it's good texture.
All in all, another great meal at the Hot Wok, with awesome service. We love this place, and love to pop in. They were pretty slow tonight, with just one table when we came in, but two more tables came in while we were there, so hopefully the economy is not negatively affecting them right now. I have noticed in the past that their carry out and delivery business does very well, so that is always a good thing.
So all in all, if you are looking for some laid back, comforting, Asian cuisine, take a ride out to the Hot Wok in Cranbury and give them a whirl. Their food might now get them a Michelin Star or rosette, but you will leave there with a full belly, and it won't break the bank! Where else can you get food like this for around $20? Love it! Cheers! 57 North Main Street Cranbury, NJ 08512 Phone: (609)395-8983
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