Chili Crab

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
January 17, 2006

FATTY CRAB
643 Hudson St
(Horatio & Gansevoort Sts)
New York, NY 10014
212-352-3590

I am really impressed by Zak Pelaccio and what he’s doing at Fatty Crab. While I never got to try the famed and now closed Chickenbone Café in Williamsburg, based on my meal at Fatty Crab, I can only imagine how good it must have been.

The restaurant opened four months ago to an overwhelming number of raving reviews. Even though it’s open until four a.m. on weekends and until midnight during the week, I had heard that it’s virtually impossible to get a seat at the small, 32-seater, no-reservation restaurant in the Meatpacking district. I had wondered if it was just a lot of hype for a new, “exotic” Southeast Asian restaurant on the scene. The location also put some doubt in my head as I generally stay away from the Meatpacking district, which is largely populated by high profile but underwhelming restaurants. But since Pelaccio’s other restaurant, 5 Ninth, is in the vicinity, it makes sense that Fatty Crab is close by so he can hop between the two locations. Dying to try Fatty Crab, on a late, rainy Tuesday night, my sister and I were able to walk in without a wait.

While the atmosphere is a bit on the trendy side, the food is genuinely delicious, and the service laid-back and friendly. I’m usually not a fan of Malaysian food because I find the flavors so heavy that they cover up the taste of the actual food. At Fatty Crab, the flavors are heavy, because Malaysian flavors are, but the dishes don’t just rely on the sauces and spices. The produce, fish and other ingredients are fresh, well-prepared and speak for themselves.

The Java Mee — egg noodles in a curry broth with shrimp, fish cake, tofu and tiny dried anchovies — is a true comfort food dish. The egg noodles are so springy and fresh that I was sure they must be homemade. A trip to the kitchen for confirmation proved me wrong and that the noodles can be bought in packets in Chinatown. So while the source of materials is important, the handling and preparation are even more so, because most restaurants in Chinatown are not turning out amazing flares like Fatty Crab, even with access to much of the same produce.

Naturally, I had to try the Chili Crab. While it’s the most expensive item on the menu at $26, I think it is entirely worth it because, as I’ll explain in a moment, you can make two meals out of it. My Shanghainese heritage ensures that I love crabs and must master the art of eating them. The Shanghainese live for hairy crab season — late fall — and crab roe is a delicacy that can enhance the flavor of so many foods, including shiao lung bao and tofu. The Jonah crabs we had at Fatty Crab were much like the Shanghainese hairy crabs: large and meaty. This is a messy dish indeed, but it’s really worth all the work. I don’t recommend ordering it on a first date, though, as it’s hard to show restraint or etiquette while tearing a crab apart and digging for the juicy, meaty pieces.

The crabs are served with thick pieces of white toast for soaking up the sauce. The sauce is important, and, while its main role is to enhance the flavor of the crab, which it did, it is so good on its own that it should not go to waste. The Chinese often use the sauce from a dish once the main is finished and mix it in with noodles to create a second dish. This is what I meant by making two meals out of it. There was enough crab that I took home leftovers, and while I tried the Malaysian way of savoring the sauce using toast, I still found it to be a bit wasteful because the toast still couldn’t fully capture and bring out the essence of the sauce. Next time, I think I’ll take home the leftover sauce to mix with noodles. Oh, by the way, I was so excited about the crabs I cut my finger on them in all my barbarism while eating. After a quick bandage job, I continued to feast.

My first experience at Fatty Crab was so delightful that I would like to try everything else on the menu. Luckily, I live close by, and you can take out anything that’s on the menu, even the wines. The only sad thing is that they don’t have dessert — they did away with the dessert menu to help cut down the wait time. Nonetheless, I have to say, “Bravo” to Fatty Crab. Well done!

Also in Crab, Malaysian, Meat Packing District, Seafood