The brain child of talented chef / restaurateur Zak Pelaccio, Fatty Crab is an homage to Malaysian cuisine and culture. Nestled in the West Village, Fatty Crab serves up authentic Malaysian
specialties bursting with flavor like his Watermelon Pickle and Crispy Pork Salad & Wonton Mee Soup. Look for inventive cocktails like the Fatty Sling and East India Cocktail. The comfortable atmosphere inspires a vibrant energy, thanks in part to the young, highly knowledgeable staff and fun mix of rock-n-roll classics playing in the background. The menu lends itself perfectly to whatever night you have in mind, whether you’re in the mood for noodles and wine, Chili Crab and cocktails, or bar snacks and beer (of which there is a wide selection including Hitachino and Rogue Black Obi Soba).
Fatty Crab is a restaurant that serves Malaysian inspired cuisine. Malaysia is a peninsular country that dangles just below Thailand in Southeast Asia and borders Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and The Philippines.
The Malaysians use a wide variety of spices, fermented condiments, chilies, and a ton of coconut milk in their cuisine. Over the years there have been distinct Chinese, Portuguese, Indian and Indonesian influences integrated into the cuisine, especially in the urban centers and port cities. Abundant with curries, spicy and sour fish soups, satay, varied noodle dishes and the ubiquitous nasi lemak, Malaysian cuisine is complex, spicy and really hard to categorize…and the coolest thing is they love to eat with their hands. A practice we at Fatty Crab fully embrace.
We refer to our restaurant as “inspired by” because while the cuisine stays very true to the Malaysian palate, we also pull from the cuisines of other Southeast Asian countries and employ many western techniques in the execution of the food. We try to support as many local farmers and producers as possible in our temperate climate to cook this distinctive, tropical cuisine.
You will find that we rotate some of our menu items seasonally and run market-inspired specials. And, a number of classic dishes stay on the menu all the time: beef short rib rendang, pork and watermelon salad, fatty duck and, of course, chili crab, to name a few. Oh, and unlike many -dare we say most- Southeast Asian restaurants, all of our condiments and pastes are made fresh, from scratch…and with love…a whole lotta love.
Yes, Fatty Crab is a restaurant, but we like to think of it as a joint. There’s much beyond food that creates the experience. The wine list, which constantly receives accolades from top wine writers, is designed to pair well with robust, spicy flavors. Many wines have been tested alongside spoonfuls of sambal belachan (a spicy Malaysian condiment). The original list of cocktails, which has been expanded over the years, includes selections well suited to the most demanding cocktail aficionado (a growing lot, to be sure) and the not-so-demanding-lush.
Then there’s the crew. A ragtag bunch, each with a personality big enough to fill the tiny West Village Fatty Crab on his/her own. Some of these cats have been working with us for years, some since Zak’s days in Williamsburg…crazy. It’s the crew that makes the joint…and they do make it. Come check it out…now in the West Village and on the Upper West Side.
N.B.
Now that we have our uptown joint open, we have a special side room that can accommodate parties…just give us a buzz for all private events.
Makan, Makan, Makan!
Some of the players (but not nearly all…and all are essential)
Zakary Pelaccio – Little bit of Everything Guy
Rick Camac – Little bit of Everything Guy (hopefully not overlapping the above everything)
Corwin Kave – Rock Star Diva/Chef
Colin Camac – Commonly referred to as the General Manager/now at uptown Fatty
Jen Klepper – Holding it down, downtown…kitchen-wise
Adam Schuman/Joe Tangney – Navigating the narrow passages of Downtown’s dining room…and managing
Cuisine: Malaysian
– Extensive wine list
– Full menu served until 2am
– Outdoor dining availble
643 Hudson St (Gansevoort Street and Horatio Street)
New York, NY 10014
(646) 350-4058
http://fattycrab.com