Fatty Crab

[ckkgourmet]

Btw, I've been meaning to ask: did anyone go to Fatty Crab in the first few weeks and enjoy the famous roti chanai (exact name?) type desert? Apparently it was so good that actually had to discontinue it because the kitchen was overwhelmed with orders. My first visit to Fatty Crab was the night after the kitchen made this decision--I still wonder what I missed!

[ned]

Dinner late last night at Fatty Crab followed by drinks at Pegu, I can't imagine how life could get much better gastronomicallly speaking . While we ate more of the sublime watermelon-belly salad there were long inquiries of just whatis going on in there (among other things, a spicy pickled watermelon rind). Then the charred squid salad. Sometimes very spicy (we had two orders, one with more chilis than the other), it's another dish that needs a great deal of tasting annd thinking, tasting and thinking. Tons of dried bonito, pineapple, more green mango and thai chilis and then squid cooked two ways. They are very clever with proteins at Fatty Crab and it shows but doesn't feel at all precious. They got a beautiful deep char on the squid but left it remarkably tender. The crab was just as great as before at 11 bucks. Dunno how they do that.

Heard a rumor that Zak Pelaccio is opening a new place soon. Large, southeast asian in theme. 27 5th. Something like that.

PS: The Sunday,Monday bartender at Pegu is a talented sob. We had some fabuloud drinks there after the Fatty.

Edited April 26, 2006 by ned (log)

[Liz Johnson]

I was there on Tuesday night, too — and we, too, were examining every bite of the watermelon-pork salad. The pickle, yes. Scallions, for sure, and Thai basil, but other flavors, too. It was beautifully complex.

We had the tea sandwiches — good — and the chicken wings — good but very messy. I had the nasi lemak (I'll order anything with an egg) and my husband had a noodle dish (also with egg) with chicken on the side that had a lovely crisp (cornflakes?) and sweet-spice. Umami all the way. And the restaurant has a great energy.

[jogoode]

I like this place, but am I the only one who hates those tea sandwiches?

[Liz Johnson]

I like this place, but am I the only one who hates those tea sandwiches?

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Well... I did say "good." Not hate, but certainly not a rave.

[Nathan]

I ate at Fatty Crab last night.

had: Berkshire pork ribs...these were ok...the glaze was a little sweet for me.

Lo Si Fun: excellent, noodles, chinese sausage, carrots, greens, cilantro...in an excellent...perhaps slightly too sweet (by my standards) broth...but the saltiness of the sausage made up for it.

Chinese broccoli with salted fish: this was a nice little side.

Fatty Duck: not too fatty, quite good...had a little bit of a peppery kick.

washed it down with a Lion Stout.

if it wasn't for the neighborhood I'd be eating here far more often.

[jogoode]

I like this place, but am I the only one who hates those tea sandwiches?

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Well... I did say "good." Not hate, but certainly not a rave.

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"Hate" is a little strong, huh? I think I was just expecting much more. The texture was soft-on-soft, and the flavor was monotonous, too. I ended up piling on the shrimp paste.

[Liz Johnson]

I like this place, but am I the only one who hates those tea sandwiches?

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Well... I did say "good." Not hate, but certainly not a rave.

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"Hate" is a little strong, huh? I think I was just expecting much more. The texture was soft-on-soft, and the flavor was monotonous, too. I ended up piling on the shrimp paste.

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I know what you mean. It was like the texture of a PBJ made with creamy. Slices of cucumber — or some of that pickled watermelon rind — might have been just the ticket. But when I got there, I was starving, so we quick-ordered so we could peruse the rest of the (short) menu. To stave the hunger, it did the trick.

[jeanki]

Went there last night. Very much a casual hipster Village vibe with sashaying young male waiters who are extras from Gap ads, very loud inside with a small bar, but there was no long wait at least. The decor is kind of fun, trying to capture "kitschy ethnic hole in the wall" in a too cool for school way.

The food was IMO generally terrific. I was worried about the concept of some American dude making riffs on Malaysian cuisine, but it ended up being the best of both worlds, and his chef skills definitely showed. The oft recommended watermelon pickle and pork was out of this world; totally unique and loaded with a wide range of flavors/herbs that somehow all work, and the chunks of essentially pork fat are decadent. Green mango slices with chili salt are a sour fiend's dream (which I am), the equivalent of fruit pixie stix.

The chicken in claypot was the weakest item, comforting and soothing like chicken soup but essentially bland with little specks of fermented fish that I found interesting but offput my companion. The short ribs were more successful; again a fountain of multiple flavors like coconut, curry, chili, irresistible, and were also super tender. It comes with rice.

All in all worth the hype I'd say. Very reasonably priced, filling, and bold unique well realized flavors. The reason I love Manhattan.

[Sneakeater]

FINALLY went here this weekend. I figured that on a Saturday in July there'd be no wait.

They were only serving the pork belly out of the tea sandwiches. Despite my misgivings, they were ordered by my friend, who will order anything that says "pork belly" on the menu. They were OK.

But blown out of the water by the pork/pickled watermelon salad. This is the pork belly dish of our dreams (at least this week). Added to the list of Irresistable New York Cravings (what am I gonna do in the Fall when everybody comes back and you can't get into this place again?).

The Clay Pot Chicken gets a bad rap in this thread. I agree that the chicken pieces are flavorless. But I liked the fishy gravy so much, I didn't care. I really liked this dish.

And, of course, the short ribs. If it weren't for Gray Kunz, one might be tempted to say something stupid, like they're the best short ribs in New York. Fortunately, we're saved from that.

I went into Fatty Crab conceptualizing it as a Zak Pelaccio restaurant rather than a Malaysian one, and that's really how I experienced it. Genius treatment of pork and fat in general. Maybe a little one-note in his invariable exuberence, maybe a little restraint would sometimes help, but the guy really IS a wizz with fat.

Edited July 17, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[tupac17616]

i now consider myself an idiot for having waited this long to try Fatty Crab

the pickled watermelon and pork salad is off the hook

that is all

[tupac17616]

oh

and the chili crab

sooo messy but sooo good

[Nathan]

Now that I live a block and a half away (the horror!) I think I'm going to end up here way too much.

Stopped in here the other night -- the pork and watermelon salad is indeed near perfect.

house pickle plate was good -- albeit not as good as the one at Momofuku.

Fatty duck was great, as before.

chicken wings were boring.

I could see how one could really like the short rib rendang -- the shavings of coconut interspersed with the milk was a nice touch...but I found the dish rather monotonous.

overall, you can't really go wrong here. not every dish is spectacular but most of them are.

I will note that, like Momofuku, if you go in expecting "authenticity" you'll be disappointed...but that's hardly the point of the place (indeed, at Momofuku one should skip the ramen altogether).

[Sneakeater]

What interests me about the short ribs is that they're very remeniscent of a Russian Jewish sweet-and-sour braised beef dish my grandmother used to make (which I loved).

[flinflon28]

What interests me about the short ribs is that they're very remeniscent of a Russian Jewish sweet-and-sour braised beef dish my grandmother used to make (which I loved).

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I just had left over Fatty crab short ribs for lunch at work today! I think they were better today than when I ordered them at the restaurant on Sunday!!

[Sneakeater]

My grandmother's dish DEFINITELY got better as it sat.

[raji]

What interests me about the short ribs is that they're very remeniscent of a Russian Jewish sweet-and-sour braised beef dish my grandmother used to make (which I loved).

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I just had left over Fatty crab short ribs for lunch at work today! I think they were better today than when I ordered them at the restaurant on Sunday!!

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Just like a brisket!

[Daniel]

I had my second dinner of the evening here last night.. This dinner was roughly 45 minutes after eating a niced sized dinner at Porchetta.. We arrived around 1130 or so to a fairly empty restaurant.. We started with the tea sandwiches and the mango with sugar chile dipping salt..

Here is the mango and chili dipping salt.. I felt it was a homage to the fun dip of my youth.. It also had the whole Mexican chili, tamarind, salty candy thing going on too.. I really enjoyed this dish.. It was a nice way to wake up my "slumbering palate"

Nexy we had the Fatty Tea Sandwiches.. I liked these guys just fine.. I liked the thick soft bread and the mayo in it.. It reminded me of the day after a holiday at my Grandmother's house.. Just a big slice of homemade bread and a lot of mayo.. I felt the ingredients were rather sparce in there sandwich however.. It was over run with Mayo and was just a terribly unhealthy sandwich.. Do I like a mayo sandwich? Of course I do.. But I could stay at home and have something like this..

Next we moved on to steamed pork buns and the crispy pork and watermelon salad..

This guy was just the star of the night.. A dish this good at a restaurant gets an automatic gold star with me.. This might have been the only dish I truly enjoyed here but, hey this is certainly good enough.. And I havent tried everything on the menu yet either..

Pork was just sick.. And went so well with the pickled watermelon..

Steamed Pork Buns.. Eh.. Didnt really lilke this all that much.. The pork was a little on the dry side except for the overly fatty areas... Flavor wasnt too exciting either..The bun itself was average..

Finally we got the braised short rib Redang with kaffir and toasted coconut.. This was good.. The sauce was really oily, I liked that the short ribs seemed to be crisped after braising.. And I loved the toasted coconut on top.. At this point of the night I was really really full so the heavyness of the dish was wearing me down.. However, I would like to give this bad boy another shot.. For the toasted coconut alone, this dish would be worth ordering again.. At 22 bucks its a little steep though.. I wouldnt mind if they offered a half a portion either..

Free little coconut rice cakes which I really enjoyed..

All in all the place has promise.. I dont think I ordered particulary well... If I was in more of the mood to work I would be excited to try they Crab dish.. I know nothing about the food of Malaysia and would obviously like to know more.. Pan's Skyway suggestion is still top on my list.. That being said, I feel this food was incredibly Fatty.. Coming from someone who loves fat and can open a small high end Fat Bar out of the contents in my fridge.. When its done well its great, I felt alot of this was for the sake of being excessive.. However, that pork and watermelon would be the great start to any meal.. "I'll be back"

Edited January 13, 2007 by Daniel (log)

[Pan]

That rendang looks way oily! But the dessert looks like a kueh bakar (wood-roasted cake) of my youth.

Edited January 14, 2007 by Pan (log)

[Luckylies]

Those little cakes are essentially pound cakes made with mochiko, sweet glutenous rice flour and coconut milk. I made some the other day, and boy were they good, what a neat little snack.

[Cornellrob]

not sure if anyoen else has noticed, but from looking at the menu, it looks like fatty crab has raised the prices of most dishes by 4-5 dollars... roughly 30-40%. maybe it's just me, but i hate it when a restaurant knows that they're so popular, that they can implement a price increase of that kind of magnitude and know that people will still come. although i have always enjoyed fatty crab, now it appears a meal will no longer be at a price point which justifies going there, at least for me that is.

[Sneakeater]

OT, but if a restaurant is so popular that there's usually a substantial wait to get in, why shouldn't they raise their prices? Isn't the long wait the market's way of telling them they were somewhat underpriced to begin with?

[docsconz]

not sure if anyoen else has noticed, but from looking at the menu, it looks like fatty crab has raised the prices of most dishes by 4-5 dollars... roughly 30-40%.  maybe it's just me, but i hate it when a restaurant knows that they're so popular, that they can implement a price increase of that kind of magnitude and know that people will still come.  although i have always enjoyed fatty crab, now it appears a meal will no longer be at a price point which justifies going there, at least for me that is.

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Ah, market economics or supply and demand. They will either find that enough people will still go and find it of sufficient value or they will find that too many of their customers were like you and put off by the price increase. If the former they will be lucky and successful. If the latter they will either have to drop their prices back down or go out of business. The risk of raising prices is that they may find that even if they drop back down, they may have lost too many customers to be successful. On the other hand, the restaurant business is such a tough business that if they can make a go of it at the higher prices, power to them.

[larrylee]

Pics.

We went tonight around 5:30. In contrast to oakapple's post #13, our meal was actually of epic length, somewhere around 2 1/2 hours. I think the second hour was taken up by tackling the order of chili crabs (blue). It was a little strange that we had more claws than there were crabs. My wife wondered aloud if they were frozen, saying "if the claws aren't attached to the crab, then there must be a reason, and it must not be good."

(We should have asked, but we didn't, being so tired from scraping out the crab meat and roe. Regardless, the meat was sweet and enjoyable.)

I suppose there's a reason why they came out last. As is the case with small crabs, they're a real chore to eat. Then again, most crabs don't come with this slammin' chili sauce. Ned's post #23 is correct - the bread hardens and is a bit tough to eat by the time you get to the bottom of the crabs. You can get another order of bread (2 thick slices, cut into 4 halves) for $4. The best approach here is to immediately dig a hole through to the bottom of the bowl and begin attacking with chunks of the bread that are served with the dish.

What I like about this place, besides the generous use of fat (fatty duck, short rib rendang... both quite enjoyable), is that the food does not shy away from mixing sweet, salty, and sour flavors (green mango salad) like we experienced in Southeast Asia. I'm not trying to endorse this as authentic (I couldn't, I'm not familiar enough with the various cuisines of that region), but it excites my palate.

The watermelon pickle and crispy pork is outstanding, as others have mentioned. The pickles are an interesting contrast to Momofuku's. I won't put one over the other, they're enjoable in their own ways. The Ikan Msak Lemak is apparently served with a daily fish. Ours was black fish. The laifun noodle is interesting. It's reminiscent of a thinner, round udon, but is not nearly as chewy and cuts quite easily. It almost snaps.

We sat outside and avoided the darkness and din inside. At least on this visit, there was little attitude. The service was on point, our waitress was very helpful and friendly and we even struck up a little conversation about cameras. After sunset, one of the waitstaff came out to hook up a sole incandescent light bulb. It's stark illumination on our cheap plastic dishes, piled up with crab carcasses and cheap metal flatware reminded me a lot of being abroad... minus the humidity.

They are serving cocktails, which I suppose means they got their liquor license.

It's not cheap. Our meals generally average $50/person. Did I wish it was less expensive? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Yeah.

They're still serving the little glutinous rice cakes. No dessert menu.

Edited April 30, 2007 by larrylee (log)

[ned]

How'd you like the sweetbreads?