Brunch and the brunching hordes of New York can be so annoying. Most restaurants just mix their random leftovers with eggs, and the silly crowds love it. I had to be in the Meatpacking district for an errand on Saturday, we were hungry and surrounded by brunchers. It was a beautiful day and all of the spots around Pastis were packed with overdressed twenty-somethings, trying to look like they didn't spend an hour getting ready to go out. So we thought of Fatty Crab, which we love and don't visit often enough... surely they avoid the brunch cliche? Sure enough, it was an excellent choice. While the menu did officially mention the work "brunch," there were no omelettes to be found. We easily snagged a table outside - I think that maybe the word "fatty" in the name keeps out the annoying riff-raff. Alex agrees with my hypothesis and says if he opened a restaurant he would call it Fatty Fat Pig.
Alex had this beautiful, spicy bloody mary, and I had a delicious watermelon juice (not too sweet - either it has added lime juice or just some rind juice mixed in). The steamed pork buns with cilantro salad and a spicy hoisin-style sauce are unbelievable - we stuffed the cilantro salad, dressed with a mild vinaigrette and mixed with boiled eggs and red onion, inside the bun with the fatty chunk of pork belly and dipped each bite in the sauce. Heavenly. We also enjoyed the pickled watermelon and crispy pork salad, with lemongrass and cilantro, the Malay fish fry (fried chunks of fish with a spicy coconut curry sauce served over rice with loads of cilantro on top) and the wonton mee (dumplings in broth topped with crunchy noodles). It was the perfect antidote to brunch.
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