(This venue is closed.) Perhaps anticipating a rush after tomorrow's New York Times review, Fatty Crab has already updated their menu: No more desserts, as of tonight. A couple of amiable waiters told me that the desserts took too long, in too crowded a kitchen, for too little customer appeal (although I'd love to know what a $6 ice kacang tastes like).
After squeezing onto the banquette, I started with a dozen slices of green mango in a Jenga-style construction ($3), which were pleasantly tart on their own; a dish of chili, salt, and sugar added a minor variation. I returned to it as a palate cleanser, during and after my nasi lemak ($10): fall-off-the-bone curry chicken atop coconut-flavored rice, surrounded by fried peanuts, fresh and pickled vegetables, a little sambal ikan billis (fried anchovies with hot sauce), and a lovely poached egg. If that combo and the rock-and-roll soundtrack isn't lively enough for you, scoop out a little of Fatty Crab's belecan (fermented shrimp paste), a tabletop condiment that can hold its spoon at attention.
Fatty Crab
643 Hudson St. (Gansevoort-Horatio Sts.)
212-352-3590
