KFusion - Hamilton, NJ

It's been quite a while since we have visited the original Kenji's Fusion, which has now been branded KFusion, and tonight was the night as both Zelda and I have been craving good Asian Cuisine.

Upon pulling up, I got a bit nervous as there were quite a few people waiting in the lobby, as well as outside, but they must have had larger groups, and we were lucky enough to get their last two top. The place was definitely packed, and it was buzzin'.

As stated before, the decor in this original location is nice, from the stainless steel elements, to the modern lighting, it's just a nice room. If I had to make one complaint about the decor, I would say that they need to do something with the red wall with the bamboo to spice it up a tad, but that is really my only gripe.

Popped and poured an '07 Siduri Santa Rita Hills pinot noir tonight, so feel free to read the review above. Heck of a nice pinot noir for around $25! We started off with the Haru Maki (spring rolls) tonight, as well as the Crispy Crab Meat Balls. Out first were the spring rolls, steaming hot, and fried to a golden brown and served with sweet and sour. As always, these were nice, with a good fry and fresh vegetables.

A few minutes later the crab balls came out, and these too were piping hot. These were good sized round balls of crab meat, breaded and fried to a golden brown, served with a nice duck sauce, that seemed to have some kid of pepper or siracha in it. Whatever it was, they were very tasty.

For entrees tonight, we went for the General Tso's chicken, and a large plate of chicken fried rice. I know, nothing exciting, but these are nice comfort foods, and just what the doctor had ordered. Nice sized portion on the General Tso, with a god sauce, large breaded chunks of chicken, and some good peppers and veg.

As usual, the fried rice was good, but I will say that they use a bit too much onion, and I absolutely love onions. The chunks are just a bit too large for me, but thankfully they are easy enough to eat around. They also use some peas and carrots in the fried rice, and it always has some nice flavor.

.

All in all, what can I say other than another nice meal at KFusion? The ambiance is nice, the service was good, and for just over $30, this was a nice meal that left me plenty satisfied, so much that we even skipped dessert, although I probably could have made some room. The place was packed, and we even ran into our friends Stephen and Melissa there. If you guys are reading, great to see you as always! Cheers everyone! -F. Scott

.

http://www.kenjifusion.com/

Route 33 in Hamilton, NJ

Phone: (609)785-0008

Hot Wok Cafe - Cranbury, NJ

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

Kenji Fusion Asian Bistro - Hamilton, NJ

In an area where it is hard to find good Asian Cuisine, Kenji Fusian Asian Bistro has been a breath of fresh air! Somehow however, I have never blogged on Kenji from previous visits, so here I am, fresh from dinner, sitting on the couch enjoying some nice pinot noir, as I type with the movie Sideways on in the background. Tonight I called Kenji to get a reservation, and was lucky to get us in within the hour. That said, I brushed my teeth, and off we went on the short 15 minute drive to Kenji. Upon arriving, the restaurant was packed to the gills as always, and we were greeted by the owner, and he asked if we wanted to sit at the sushi bar. This was a good call on his part, and appreciated. The sushi bar is the heartbeat of this restaurant, and there is lots of action going on there. Unfortunately, there are only about 10 tables at the sushi bar, so it was nice to get a seat there. They also have a nice flat screen TV hanging on the wall, so it's nice for all of you sports buffs as they always have ESPN or other sports networks on. One of our favorite things about Kenji is the fact that they are a BYOB establishment. That being said, we brought an Iris pinot noir, which is becoming a staple in our house. Sure, a nice sauvignon blanc or other white would have paired better maybe, but pinot went very well with all of the dishes that we had tonight. To start off, we ordered the Haru Maki, which is a crispy Japanese spring roll. These came out piping hot, with a side of sweet and sour, and a side of hot mustard. After letting them cool, the first bite was absolutely delicious, and exposed the steam as the center of these was on fire! Great vegetables to include mushroom, carrots, cabbage, and a rice noodle. These are always a favorite of ours, and a great way to start. From there we went to the land of sushi. Zelda and I both opted for a shrimp tempura roll each, which is one of our favorites. Crispy tempura shrimp wrapped in nori and rice, with sesame seeds and a sweet, almost teriyaki like sauce. These are always delicious, and a treat. Zelda also opted for a spicy salmon roll, and I opted for a spicy tuna roll. These were both incredible, and you Could tell just how fresh the fish was. Kenji has sushi down to a science, and it is always amazing to watch how fast the rolls fly out of the bar. Kudos to the three gentleman working the sushi bar tonight! By this time, I was more than content, and could have gone home happy, but that was not the case tonight, and there is nothing wrong with going home with a little bag of leftovers. That said, we opted to split the General Tso's chicken. As always, this is fried up nice and golden brown, with a heaping helping of chicken, broccoli, and the delicious homemade sauce that they make. One again, this dish came out smoking hot, and was an absolute pleasure. The outside was crispy, hot, and fried as perfect as it gets, yet the inside was putting off steam, and was nice and juicy. This is such a great dish, and they have the preparation down for this dish. We also opted for a side of chicken friend rice, and this too was delicious. Everything comes out of the kitchen so hot, and you can tell that it is their priority to serve the entrees as they come up in the window. There is nothing hard or special about fried rice, but it was great, with loads of thinly sliced chicken strips, carrots, peas, onion, and egg. This rice was not over seasoned in the least, and was a perfect example of how fried rice should be. Another kudo to the Kenji crew. What can we say about this place other than awesome? This is exactly what our area has been needing, and a breath of fresh air. We used to complain that there were no good Asian places withing a half hour, with the exception of Elements Asia, where the owner of Kenji used to work. Now, he has his own place, and it's even better. The ambiance at Kenji is just what an Asian Fusion restaurant should look like. The dining room is dark, with nice stainless steel on the ceiling to give it a bit of an industrial look. One wall is lit in blue light, while another wall is lit up in red with bamboo stalks. A flatscreen greets you in the lobby, while another hangs in the back over the sushi bar. Finally, they have great music playing in there, with anything from U2, to techno, to jazzy fusion...absolutely perfect for the setting. In closing, what is there to say? Great food, great service, and great prices. And even better news, look for them to be opening Fusion II in the new shopping center on Route 130 near in Hamilton 1/2 mile south of the Hamilton Marketplace! We wish them the best, and look forward to dining with them again in the near future! Cheers! 1280 Route 33 Hamilton, NJ Phone: (609)785-0008 Web: http://www.kenjifusion.com/