FATTY BAO AGAIN!!!
My last time’s experience obviously inspired me to head back to Fatty Bao. Nothing surprising. This time I decided to take my mom along so she could experience what I was raving about.
Now, this was during a weekend and I feel very sad to say that I was not at all chuffed about this visit. I still think that they are a great place but hoping this review will help them not make errors that could one day maybe cost them. So writing this review with a hope that Fatty Bao will pay more attention to details and not let things slip by. Because like Anna Thomas puts it — “we all eat and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly”.
So from a foodie’s heart here we go -
To begin with we ordered -
A Fried Eggplant Bao. We very much loved this dish — it was simply heaven. I must say one of the best boas I have had. And for a vegetarian boa to have so much flavor packed in it is definitely an achievement. My mom loved it and that is a big plus for me as each time I see that glee on her face, it all feels worthed.
The first small plate I ordered were the Dancing Prawns. I quiet liked this dish and do think it is a must try. Prawns perfectly cooked, the mix of the peppers and the homemade chilly jam was awesome. I do like my chillies and it definitely was a stunner this dish. But I most definitely would have preferred it hotter. the temperature of this dish seemed warm and not hot which is how I think it should be served.
The other small plate I ordered was The Fatty Oysters. It has been a long time since I have eaten oysters. The last I remember was in Glasgow at my farewell bidding party. Those oysters were out of this world. This dish is definitely not my favorite. It is said that oysters must be eaten fresh and if at all one does want something added then all you need is a dash of pepper and some fresh lime or lemon. These oysters are a boa special — they are broiled with soy butter, chorizo and ponzu sauce. This may be a taste one would have to get used to and I was not really impressed with it. Maybe I am traditional and like my oysters simple and doing anything to them may just like spoil it for me. However, that could just be me. I did think that the oysters were completely lost in this preparation. The plating was beautiful but the dish unfortunately did not hit it’s mark for me.
Another small plate ordered was the Salmon Carpaccio. The only reason to order this was because of the pleasant memory I held of this dish from my last visit. I was simply spellbound by this creation and how can one not redo such a heavenly dish. But to my horror, what came on the table looked very badly done and it tasted nothing like the last one. Just for the reference of the viewer, I am attaching the pic from my last visit and the one from this one. As can be seen, the dish was dressed up quiet hastily it seems and the Salmon Carpaccios were not even sliced thinly or numbered like the last time. The Salmon infact tasted a bit off and had a smell to it so we ended up leaving the dish and I personally felt very much disappointed as I have raved so much about it to my husband who is a big salmon fan and he ended up complaining about the dish too. The dish was flat, done pretty badly, the fish old and overall a huge disappointment.
For the mains -
My mom asked for a Lotus root in Thai Red curry. It was another very good dish and perfectly balanced to suit the palette. The lotus root handled very sensitively and the curry in itself was perfectly matched in it’s flavors. Mom really enjoyed it and as I said earlier a winner dish.
My husband wanted to try a Ramen and so he chose the Grilled Seafood which had a fish and prawn broth, loads of mixed seafood. This was also a fairly reasonable dish though I though that the temperature was lower than I would have liked it, I like my food hot and steaming and this was served much cooler. If done correctly, this dish is definitely a must try for a seafood hunter.
This visit did not culminate in the way expected and I think I will blame the weekend for it as I think the service slipped due to the heavy rush and the many waiting out of the doors. That definitely puts a huge pressure on the staff and the cooks and so I am not surprised that the quality dwindled a bit. However, the learning has been to stop by never on a weekend so as to avoid the slip. Other than that, I definitely do recommend Fatty Boa as they most definitely have a load to offer and it is a gastronomical experience one must indulge in.