I finally got to try Fatty Crab (website noise alert) restaurant in New York when I was in the city for my nephew’s wedding last weekend. He’d told me I’d like it, and he was dead right. The Upper West Side branch was near the hotel where I stayed, and I met friends (almost/sorta relatives, actually), there and we dug in.
I didn’t have crab, as it seemed too messy for an indoor meal just then. But we did have the Fatty Duck with Toasted Tamaki (glutinous rice, photo at right) the Fatty Pork and Watermelon Pickle (at bottom, and still dreaming of that one!), plus the whole grilled branzino (below, right). I didn’t try the Steamed Buns with cilantro salad pictured above here (another way to work pork belly into your meal), but they looked pretty good, too. We had actually ordered a side dish of simple bok choy, however they never brought that, I later realized – when you go to Fatty Crab, the gods conspire against virtuous food, I guess.
By the way, kudos to the staff, friendly and no attitude. Our waiter was really patient with us (and honest) as he consulted with one of our little party who is allergic to cumin and does not like anything too spicy or strange on the plate (thus the chili peppers and sauces all on the side). And kudos (and thanks!) to her for coming to have dinner with me at a Malaysian inspired restaurant where a lot of the food does have all the things she can’t eat.
The ambiance is very casual, and the pop music gets louder as the evening wears on. But we were in at 6:00pm (a reservation made on OpenTable), and out by 7:30 or so, so we left the youngin’s behind before the din drove us over the edge. Time for an artery cleanse!
NJ SPICE 