Fatty Crab

I guess I just can't eat sambal-laced Nasi Lemak like I used to... nor, for that matter, hefty chunks of mercilessly fatty, densely seasoned pork belly. Don't get me wrong: I thought just about everything we had at Fatty Crab last week was delicious (please note: DGlass was not as convinced). It's just that my body doesn't handle such enthusiastically funky food so well anymore.

Fatty Crab's been open for about a year, and it's still crawling with foodies swooning over Zak Pelaccio's intense Malaysian food, as well as sexed-up scenesters getting a feeding in before heading a couple blocks north to the Meatpacking Zoo. DGlass and I had to wait about 30 minutes for a table last Tuesday night, and we got there pretty early (around 7:00, I think), though our friendly hipster host assured us that the longish delay was caused by the band Razorlight, who had booked half the restaurant for a post-Letterman-taping feast.

Anyway, the food: I loved the Fatty Duck "speciality" and the Watermelon Pickle and Pork "salad", both pictured here, though as DGlass pointed out these were essentially the same dish done two ways: both were deeply, exotically seasoned hunks of meat, dripping with fat, punctuated by a refreshing counterpoint. The Nasi Lemak consisted of a spicy, tender whole chicken leg and a poached egg on coconut rice, surrounded by piles of dried anchovies, cilantro, pickled carrots, (maybe) fish flakes and several other "condiments". Interesting and flavorful, I thought; DGlass was less charmed. We also ordered the disappointing Fatty Tea Sandwiches, which basically tasted like spicy white bread.

The prices are reasonable, the food messy, tasty and designed to share, the ambience all noisy, pre-party fun. Now if only my stomach would cooperate a little more...