Profile

Everything from this Malaysian restaurant's laid-back and droopy-trousered but deceptively efficient crew to its open kitchen and congenially cramped environs is reminiscent of Chef Zak Pelaccio (5 Ninth)'s late, beloved Williamsburg venture the Chickenbone Cafe. In typical small-plate fashion, diners are encouraged to share, and plates emerge from the open kitchen as they’re ready. Malaysian food, apparently, makes excellent bar snacks: A few items seem designed to accompany an ice-cold beer or two (there are several offbeat choices on the mostly Asian list, including Hitachino’s new Ginger). Meat dishes are unapologetically messy, from the richly lacquered Jalan Alor chicken wings (sweet, sticky, and not too meaty), to the “fatty duck” (three or four brined, steamed, and fried hunks that defy knife, fork, and chopstick), to the pair of sweetly sauced, gratifyingly meaty Heritage Foods pork ribs. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

The kitchen is closed daily from 5-5:45pm.

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld's Full Review (10/31/05)

Best of New York Awards

• Best Brunch for Those Who Truly Like It Hot (2007)

Featured In

• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2009 (1/5/09)
• Where to Eat 2008 (1/7/08)
• The City's Best New Burgers (7/30/07)
• Where to Get a Between-Purchases Bite in the West Village (12/11/06)
• Cheap Eats Guide 2006 (8/7/06)

Recipes at Fatty Crab

• The Haze (2011)