Quintessential ... Chinese???
Chinese food, in my opinion, is the default cuisine if you're Filipino and for some reason, you, all of a sudden, get tired of eating Filipino food. It's not that Chinese food is any closer to the flavors of Filipino food. As a matter of fact, a lot of the dishes, although similar, are very very far apart in terms of pure flavor. Let's use Filipino Lechon as an example. The Chinese version of whole roasted pig is a bit more salty and filled with lots of Chinese spices. The Filipino version on the other hand, is rooted in Spanish culture with its own distinct flavors (depending on which region of the Philippines it comes from) not to mention the crispiness of the skin - mouth watering.
But, it's Lent. For all you non-Catholics, Lent is the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday when all Catholics are asked to sacrifice, fast and abstain from meat. So, yours truly, being the good Catholic boy that he is, is trying to observe the abstaining part so, no meat for me on Fridays. So where do we go? Hot & Spicy Asian Food.
Hot & Spicy is not too far away from where I live so it's convenient for me. This physical location has been home to a number of businesses and was also a Chinese restaurant twice over before it changed hands once again and became Hot & Spicy. Out of all the Chinese restaurants that I've visited, this place is really atypical meaning that their food offerings are very unique. Their menu is extensive and runs the gamut - from your normal Chinese fare to the more exotic dishes containing unique ingredients. Check out the video below for my full experience.
19 US Highway 22
Green Brook Township, NJ 08812
