News of yet another big US opening hit the Twittersphere this week when it was revealed that Fatty Crab - the Malaysian inspired seafood joint from the folks behind Fatty Cue - was planning to open here in London. According to US trade paper Crains, the company has signed a deal with Philadelphia-based restaurant mogul Stephen Starr to open eight Fatty Crabs across the States and one in London.
As Frains explains, Starr Restaurants will operate the restaurants on a day to day basis while the Fatty Crew company will work on developing menus which "focus on local and seasonal ingredients".
So why should you be excited? Right now there are three Fatty Crabs - one in New York's West Village, one in Hong Kong and one in the US Virgin Isles. They're the older, not necessarily wiser, sibling restaurant to the popular Williamsburg barbecue spot Fatty Cue. "Fatty Crab, in all its non-fusion, food-focused glory, is a bone-gnawing, crab-leg-sucking kind of place," said New York magazine when it reviewed it.
Menu-wise, expect the likes of steamed buns, tempura and rice bowls, plus Fatty's Specialities such as the Fatty Duck or Chilli Crab (which has sauce of such legendary awesomeness that the dish includes large slabs of toast to soak it up) or Watermelon Pickle and Crispy Pork. Menus change from location to location though, so no-one knows exactly what might turn up on the London one.
