The Savored Blog

Step into the dim dining room and find yourself awash with the smells of aioli and chili. Witness eager diners sitting in front of heaping plates of pork shoulder, pickled radish, fish sauces, bowls brimming with succulent crab legs. Fatty Crab, a favorite for adventurous West Siders still holds the attention of diners and critics alike, commanding notice for its irresistible flavor, and an undying inventiveness.

The food is Malaysian, with riotous abandon. Liberties are taken, incorporating flavors from across South East Asia. A cocktail bar greets you, behind which you can find exotic flavors from toasted cardamom to crème de violette. The Lower West is a perfect refresher in the hot summer, topped with ginger beer and lemon. The Fatty Manhattan is not to be underestimated, enlivened with a smoky cherry coke.

When you order, you are forewarned; dishes are to be shared and arrive as ready, without sequence. The kitchen staff is omnicompetent, managing to fit our order to a smorgasbord of preferences. On a more recent foray, our order was a complete surrender to the desires our appetites, starting with a fried okra amuse bouche amplified by a shot of cool PBR. Quail egg shooters were next, lined up by variety of sambal. They make a steamed bun that folds a succulent offering of pork, “fatty” being the operative word here. A watermelon pickle rests on a succulent cube of pork belly, unmistakable for its inventive presentation, and packing a flavor punch of fresh ginger.

The crab is a feast of flavor, drenched in a chili sauce that is heavy on the butter and certifiably addictive. Far from civilized, we found ourselves absorbed in a gluttonous feast of the hefty legs, cleaning them of their tender meat. A nod to the Fatty Crew in the open kitchen to let them know, we would be back for more. Makan, Makan, Makan!

Fatty ‘Cue: everything about their name beckons me.  Simple and self explanatory, it hints at the acute smell of wood fire and pork fat. Gluttons prepare for the recently added Fatty ‘Cue Late Night Menu, featured Thursday-Saturday at the new West Village hot spot.  Just off Carmine Street, this Malaysian barbecue joint offers a real nightcap, the newest spot brought to us by the Seasoned Fatty Crew, masterminds behind its sister restaurant Fatty Crab.

Waiting at the black tile bar, we are surrounded by a hipster crowd resting their flannel elbows on the dark wood tables of the restaurant’s banquette tables and booths. The bartender is kept busy by the throngs but still managed to give us informative lesson on the nuances of their imaginative cocktails. We perused the menu and were enthused by a selective list of impossible prospects. The Smokin’ Bone is a drink that will do the trick while managing to taste like the wonderful char on a rack of ribs. Or go for the Shaolin Sour, named after a style of Kung Fu martial arts.  If you aren’t up for something so conceptual, they do sell tall boys there (they aren’t ashamed to admit it) and of course, there’s a list of beers on tap.

Their Late Night Menu kicks off at 12 AM, a peculiar time for supper, screams the Minnesotan in me, but here in New York, the place is packed.  The menu is brief, but every item is astounding. Seating us at a thick wooden bench, our waiter passes us the clipboard late night menus with a glimmer in his eye. Surprisingly, the menu offers up a couple healthy starters, and we kick off the meal with a salad, which rolls with large perfect chunks of sharp clothbound cheddar and ambrosial apples doused in a light cider vinigarette.

The ½ pound of deep fried bacon is a house favorite of the late night crowd, and the dish hints at coriander and has a lightly sweet verde salsa on it, to compliment the smokey flavor of the thick cut bacon. We braved the Trippa, a Malaysian prepared tripe which is not for the faint of heart. It is bathed in a red tomato curry sauce, and, beholden to the true funky flavors of Malaysia, it has a fierce tang of anchovy. The Heritage Pork Ribs are smoked to perfection, falling off the bone and succulent on the inside, smooth and crisped on the outside, featuring their signature fish sauce and palm sugar coating.  The generous pair of ribs are emboldened by a kick from Indonesian long pepper and were exhaustively delicious.

Cross culture influences shine at this Fatty Crab offshoot, where the drinks are strong and the Asian flavor gives a multifarious shake up to the West Village. Highly recommended after a big night out, Fatty ‘Cue will captivate you from start to finish. We may have left the place stuffed, but I can’t wait to book my next reservation, and can only imagine what the Fatty Crew has in store for their spring menu.

Cocktail Nirvana

Six years ago, the Fatty Crew – a group of friends with a penchant for Malaysian cuisine – brought new, highly developed flavors to New York City’s dining scene.  The evolution of this innovative cuisine resulted in Fatty Crab, the culmination of Southeast Asian eats with thoughtfully sourced ingredients and perceptive twists on their overseas menu counterparts.  Whatever these guys put through their Fatty Prism (their phrase – not mine, sadly) comes out with funky flavors that are imaginative and play to the most unfrequented recesses of your taste buds. If you’ve never joined the Fatty Crew for a meal, allow me to welcome you to the table as I navigate my way through the ideal Fatty meal.

Where to start?  Drink selection, naturally! The progressive cocktail list stays true to Fatty standards in taking beverage staples and shaking them up (over ice, usually) to create a new genus of ingenious drinks.  If you’re a dark and stormy fan, their take on it with homemade ginger beer will make you see the drink in a whole new light.  For wine aficionados, the comprehensive list is made palatable through the use of logical categories like “Floral & Fun” and “Bright & Crisp”.

The Clam's My Jam

When planning your meal, take care to note seasonal adaptations to core menu picks – items are deftly chosen to highlight the freshest ingredients at any given time. Some of my natural selections include the Tea Sandwich, with a vibrant peekytoe crab salad and Steamed Buns that were a great shareable item (we had veggie – they were next level).  As far as entrees go, the Singaporean Black Pepper Clams top my charts, but meaty favorites like the Fazio Farms Duck and Watermelon Pickle & Crispy Pork dishes rank high among the carnivorous customers.

With locations in the West Village and Upper West Side, and the Fatty Crew’s latest variation on Malaysian at Fatty ‘Cue joints, also in the West Village and in Williamsburg, BK, it’s never been easier to get your Fatty fix!  Make a reservation today – with 30% off through Savored, you won’t need to fear your budget’s extinction.