Revved for a good dinner but low on cash surprisingly led me to one of New York’s most delicious neighborhoods, the West Village, where I met two beautiful friends at Fatty Crab.  Fatty Crab is pretty much a New York City institution - for those who know about it - and the hands down best Malaysian-style crab outside of, um.. Malaysia? Not that I would actually know. But I do know quite a bit about Fatty Crab! So I’ve sifted through my wealth of New York City restaurant knowledge and pulled out three things you should know before you go.

1) It’s called Fatty Crab because you should order the crab.

2) They call it a “joint” as opposed to a restaurant.

3) Chef Zak Pelaccio’s been doin’ Asian since, well, I don’t really know when actually. But he def worked at the now defunct Chickenbone Cafe in the BK before working at 5 Ninth, which I almost all together ignore not because I can find anything wrong with their Cuban sandy but because I don’t so much do those Meatpacking places. But we heart him because he then opened Fatty Crab, which as since expanded to Fatty Crab UWS. Not that I’ll visit the latter locale any time soon. You know how I feel about dining above 23rd Street. (With Per Se and Tao as obvious exceptions. And stop snickering, Tao has the best desserts ever.)

      
Onto the food. My friend outright scolds Pelaccio for having thus far failed to bottle and sell the BBQesque sauce that smothers the crab. It is literally so good I can’t even find the words to describe it - tangy, thick but light and succulent. The sauce tastes delicious with the coconut rice. The beef/pork sliders surprisingly do not taste like your average slider and come with a pickle, lettuce and sweet yummy bun. The mango salad is spicy, peanuty shredded greatness, if a little standard. I also recommend the pork buns, which are moist with the perfect amount of pork/bun ratio. Our food bill came to around $80 total for three ladies, and we had more than enough food. If you are really watching your dollas, order PBR. Our alcohol total was $90 - more than our food!, but we had champagne because, like I said, we’re ladies.
The atmosphere is key. Everyone is lively, patient and there for the food. No reservations in the village location, so have a cocktail to start and then beer with your meal. They serve Rogue Fatty Crab Sidestepper Ale on draft, and it’s perfect with the crab.

The Fatty Crab  W. Village 634 Hudson between Horatio and Gansevoort  UWS 2170 Broadway between 72nd and 73rd  212.496.2722

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