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New Cruz Bay restaurant opens

Fatty_skurnikSt. John's newest restaurant was scheduled to open Tuesday night in Cruz Bay.

Fatty Crab will offer what the owner, Michael Skurnik, calls "Malaysian Bistro food".  It is located across from the Winston Wells ball field, in the same space that housed Tage, Zozo's, and several other pricey eateries.  

Fatty Crab will be different. "This place won't Fatty_flagbe 'upscale' (expensive) anymore," Skurnik said.  "We're going against island-type," he added, during a brief conversation outside his new restaurant.  Inside, staff people met to review menus, pricing, serving plans and kitchen operations.

"Other restaurants on the island are too fancy," he thinks.  "My ideal place would be a shack on the beach, but you can't do that here because it's all National Park land."  But you can open a fun, happy, very casual spot offering tasty and spicy food and have a business.  Which is what he plans to do.  But not alone.

In  an unusual move for the island, Skurnik is partnering with a mainland restaurant operator whom he got to know through his 'day job' owning a fine wine importing and distributing company.  

Fatty_exterior
Fatty Crab
has been in New York City for at least five years  It has two locations.  Pricing is moderate, by Gotham's standards.  Specialty dishes range from $14-$25. "Abundant with curries, spicy and sour fish soups, satay, varied noodle dishes and the ubiquitous nasi lemak, Malaysian cuisine is complex, spicy and really hard to categorize," the restaurant's Web site explains. "And the coolest thing is they love to eat with their hands. A practice we at Fatty Crab fully embrace."  Which is certainly going to go hand-in-hand with a casual operation on St. John. T-shirts and shorts attire will be fine.

It was up north that Skurnik became a big fan of the Fatty Crab and worked to get the owners to consider the island. "We looked for a spot (here) for a year.  I brought them down. We kept working at it and found this."

The phone number is 340-775-9951.

12 thoughts on “New Cruz Bay restaurant opens”

  1. Is it Mongolian or Malaysian?! Both terms are used in the article. Having visited both countries I can attest that their cuisines are quite different.

  2. Just saw their menu on another site. The prices are not in line with the above comments. $42 for a sirloin steak. $17 for a chicken satay appetizer. $10 for a side of pickles, of all things. Yikes.

  3. We had a really great meal at Fatty Crab’s last night. The food was spicy, fresh and delicious. Thanks for bringing us this excellent new option. We will definitely recommend to friends and villa guests!

  4. Ate at Fatty Crab last Monday night and it was WONDERFUL! Exuberant waitstaff who are very proud to be part of the establishment. It’s a lovely looking spot; even the bathroom is pretty nice. We liked it so much we’re going back Sunday night, our last night. Great addition to the dining scene on St. John.

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