Immaculate Infatuation » Malaysian

Double Crown

Chris Stang — Thu, 13 May 2010 05:54:54 +0000

You know that friend of yours who was really crazy in her twenties and went out clubbing every night, but then she got a boyfriend and sort of went off the grid, but now she’s single again and looking to party? Yeah, that girl goes to Double Crown like, all the time.

Double Crown is a bar and restaurant where people who have outgrown the club scene hang out. At least this crowd knows it and doesn’t still wait in line outside of Greenhouse on the weekends. Or maybe they do, but they just eat here first. Either way, the place is a scene, but one with pretty good food. The short description of the menu at Double Crown is that it’s Colonial Asian, meaning the cuisine that resulted from British expansion into Southeast Asia. We’ll go ahead and just call it Pan-Asian, and we had some dishes that were very good. It’s a bit on the pricey side for sure, but the cheaper things on the menu tend to be the better choices, and the $35 Sunday Nyonya Dinner is a good deal. As for the atmosphere, the room basically looks like a west side mega-club with better lighting, but it’s tasteful and doesn’t feel too kitschy. I’m pretty sure this restaurant is exactly what Shang was supposed to be, just with customers and food that doesn’t taste like poison.

Food Rundown:

Salt and Pepper Squid
Essentially calamari, this wasn’t mind blowing, but it certainly didn’t suck either. We like the green chili dipping sauce.

Crispy Pork Belly
I hate to say it, but I think we’re starting to tire of pork belly. Yes it’s good, and Double Crown’s crispy belly is served in appropriately sized, tasty chunks, but it’s all starting to taste the same.

Duck Steamed Buns
Steamed buns are all over the place nowadays as well, but these were small rolled buns with duck and a really tasty hoisin sauce. Very good.

Apple, Lotus, and Lily Bulb Salad
A sweet apple salad with a kick, and nice crunch from the fried lotus. Definitely order one of these.

Seared Tuna
Small medallions of tuna served with a bonito custard and sweet sake sauce. This had nice flavor but didn’t overpower the tuna.

Prawn Dumplings
Possibly my favorite thing at Double Crown. These are big, plump dumplings served in a bowl of hot and sour broth. You can really taste the imperialism.

Grilled Strip Steak
This was fine, but definitely not one of our favorites. A little on the tough side.

Big Braised Short Rib
OK I’m no butcher, but I know a short rib when I see one. There is no way this is thing is anything other than the entire hind leg of an elephant. The meat falls right off the bone and it tastes really good, so I’m not complaining. I guess they just get good elephant.

Nyonya

Chris Stang — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:24:54 +0000

Our discovery of Nyonya was ultimately the result of a discussion over dinner at Fatty Crab. I was eating there with friends well versed in Malaysian cuisine, and they insisted that while Fatty Crab may be good, it’s a travesty to enjoy it without knowing the real deal. Hence, a Nyonya dinner was put on the books, and the experts were going to show us the way. We’re glad they did.

Nyonya is well known as one of the few real Malasyian restaurants in New York City. It is loved equally among people who were raised on food like this, and those that more casually enjoy cuisine of the region. The menu is huge, and you will find traditional Malaysian dishes like Nasi Lamak and Prawn Mee, but you’ll also see Phad Thai and other more well known regional items. The food is excellent, and everything is cheap, which means plenty of room left in your budget for Tiger beers. After a few visits, we’ve decided our friends were right. We won’t exactly be running back to Fatty Crab to drop four times the money on an “interpretation” of the real thing.

Food Rundown:

Roti CanaiApparently this is refelctive of the Indian influence in Malasyian food, which makes sense as it’s a thin pancake, very similar to naan. The chicken curry sauce that comes along with it is amazing. I want to take shots of it. Off of Padma.

Prawn Mee
A noodle soup with shrimp in a spicy shrimp broth. This is a huge portion of food, and could easily be a meal in itself, but we recommend sharing.

Nasi Lemak
A Malaysian staple, this is coconut rice, chicken, anchovies, sambal chili paste and a fried egg. I can see how that might not sound good on paper, but this is amazing, and might be my favorite thing in the house.

Beef Rendang
Beef cooked with traditional Malasyian spices. Fatty Crab’s version of this was done with short rib, and the sauce was super intense, not particularly in a good way. Nyonya’s rendang is much more balanced, much more subtle, and much better.

Steamed Tilapia
A light fish, this was the only thing on the table that seemed a little flat. Maybe its just something you should eat first, before the more intense flavors on the menu assault your palate.

Okra
I’ve only had okra the southern way – battered, fried, or swimming around in a giant pot of gumbo. These were either steamed or sauteed and cut into bite size peices. Okra isn’t for everyone, but if you like it, you love it here.
Mee Siam
Recommended to me by a waitress when I asked about popular dishes at Nyonya (on a visit without experts to guide me). This is in the fried noodles section, and was similar to phad thai, but with a thai chili sauce rather than a peanut sauce. It was excellent, though not as exciting as the more traditional Malasyian stuff.

Fatty Crab

Chris Stang — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I usually have a keen sense for the exact moment when something is going to take a turn for the worse. Just like any time a big name rapper appears in the opening credits to a blockbuster action film, sometimes you just know things are about to suck. I found myself confronted with exactly such a moment when I made my recent trip to Fatty Crab in the West Village. I rolled in with a party of six, and was initially told my table would be ready in ten minutes. Twenty passed, and then came the “wait, Common is in this?” moment. The host explained that the table of two he was expecting to leave just ordered an extra vegetable and some beers. At this point, I had to be at a show in forty minutes and had no choice but to wait it out or head to the Highline hungry. I chose the former, and waited for my table, now convinced that my rushed dinner would be a huge disappointment. Luckily, I was wrong. Once we finally sat, our waitress hit the ground hustling and made sure we not only got out of there in time, but also had a killer meal. Fatty Crab is not for everyone. The food is Malaysian, and the flavors aggressive. However, if that sounds like your style, you are in serious business. The chili crab is fantastic, and the watermelon pickle and crispy pork salad belongs in the pork dish hall of fame. I did happen to be with a friend who travels to the region often, and he made it clear that while Fatty Crab is good, there are other authentic joints in Manhattan that do excellent Malaysian food for a fraction of the price … sounds like we’ve got some research to do.

Food Rundown:

Steamed Pork Bun
Yet another pork bun, these are pretty standard, though they come with a unique green salad that you are to put in the bun, and a dipping sauce. Good, but not going to make a run at Ippudo or Momofuku.

Watermelon Pickles and Crispy Pork
This was absolutely amazing. Big cubes of pork belly served with big cubes of watermelon. All the best parts of a Fourth of July BBQ all at once, right in your face.

Chinese Broccoli with Salted Fish
The salted fish is interesting, and adds lots of flavor to the broccoli. From what I understand, this is a pretty standard Malaysian dish.

Nasi Lemak
Another traditional Malaysian dish, or some version of it. This is a chicken leg and thigh (bone in) atop rice, pickled vegetables, and some pineapple, with a curry sauce. A fantastic mix, and my expert at the table explained that the only way to eat Nasi Lemak is to get a bit of each thing from the plate on your fork at once, and take a bite. Get after it.

Short Rib Rendang
This was interesting … a short rib dish in a strong Rendang sauce. I don’t know if I would order it again as it was an aggressive spice combination. User beware.

Chili Crab
This is a signature dish for the Fatty Crab, and it’s amazing. The chili crab arrives in a giant bowl with the crab legs hanging out all over the place and swimming in a rich, savory and sweet chili sauce. Getting to the meat of the crab (as always) is a hassle, but not to worry – they serve you giant pieces of toast so you and your bloody knuckles can soak up the goodness. One note of caution: market price on the day I visited was $45.