Phantom Gourmet: Asian Food At Fat Baby In South Boston
BOSTON - Crab Rangoon like you have never seen before, Jambalaya Fried Rice, and creative Sushi you'll want to lay your lips on. Asian food lovers, it is time to get fat at Fat Baby.
Fat Baby Sushi and Cocktails is the newest hot spot from the folks who reinvented South Boston with restaurants like Capo, Loco and Lincoln Tavern. In this latest installment, owner Mike Shaw and General
Manager Rachel Titcomb decided to take on Asian cuisine and serve it in a sophisticated space that is friendly and fun.
"We wanted to be a really killer room where people could come, have a ton of fun and also get the best quality sushi and Southeast Asian food in Boston," Mike said.
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The dimly lit room is definitely stylish, decked out with Asian inspired murals, exposed brick and a wildly popular copper bar in the center of it all.
"The first thing you notice when you walk in is the glow of the copper bar that's in the center of the room, so I think people tend to gravitate towards it," Rachel noted. "We try to keep the room a super comfortable place that you want to be in to eat dinner and then hang out afterwards."
Believe it or not, the fun decor extends right into the bathroom, where the walls are covered in a mural of staff baby pictures.
"I have one up there, reluctantly," Mike admitted. "My mother and Rachel, our GM, were emailing behind my back, so one made it on the wall."
Since sushi is their specialty, you can be sure the chefs are using only the freshest fish. There is your traditional Spicy Tuna roll done with a twist, with the addition of charred pineapple and jicama over an aji amarillo sauce. The White Tiger combines tuna with apple slices over a goat cheese emulsion.
For something completely different, order the Sneaky Russian, Mike's favorite maki.
"It's almost like scallops sashimi laid on top of the roll and you have this black garlic aioli that you can dip each piece in. It's lights out. It's something that is so incredibly unique."
If you don't do fish, don't fret. Just order the So Beefy - a roll stuffed with short rib and served alongside a stout aioli.
"It is a Maki roll, just with no fish," Mike explained. "It's heavier than most of the stuff we have, and that was what we wanted. We wanted to have something on there that would be a little bit more savory and filling."
The Fat Baby menu has more than just sushi coming out of their active, open kitchen. You will find a flurry of woks cooking up sensational Southeast Asian fare.
Fat Baby's rendition of Crab Rangoon brings this popular Asian app to a whole new level.
"Crab Rangoons here are super unique. They come rolled like taquitos so they're a lot easier to eat, and it's just a fun way to change up something that is really beloved and recognizable to people, but kind doing our own," Mike said.
Other shareable starters include the Pork Katsu skewers with a bok choy slaw, and the yummy bao served on squishy, fluffy steamed buns. The snackable sandwiches can be ordered topped with skirt steak, pickled peppers, and beans sprouts; or stuffed with Chicken and pickled vegetables with a boom boom aioli.
"When you bite into the Chicken Bao, it's outrageous," Mike declared. "There's this boom boom aioli on there that gives it like this insanely savory combination of spicy and sweet. It's just kind of perfection every time you have one."
There is Hawaiian Salmon Poke in a chipotle black bean vinaigrette; Korean Fried Chicken with kimchee honey and Korean slaw; and for some rice by way of the Big Easy, order the Jambalaya Fried Rice.
"Jambalaya Fried Rice is killer," Mike declared. "The Chinese sausage has a super unique, kind of spicy taste with a little bit of sweet, and the duck confit is done so well, combined with the rice and the over easy egg on top, it's just like the perfect combination of flavors."
For the perfect way to end your meal, order the Fried Banana Lumpia.
"It's a full banana and then it's fried and chopped up with peanuts on top, and then a caramel dipping sauce," Rachel described. "You pop it in your mouth. It's a great way to end your meal."
Whether you come for cocktails and a snack, or a full fledge feast of sushi, you can be sure it will all be served with a side of fun.
"We just really want everybody that's eating, drinking and working at Fat Baby to always be having fun," Mike said. "It's a room with great music, really, really fun people and great food most importantly. When you put all those things together it's really hard not to have a good time."
You can find Fat Baby at 118 Dorchester Street in South Boston, and online at fatbabysouthboston.com.
Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.
