Fat Gut’z just got fatter

THE FAT Gut’z Saloon, the New York-style bar on Soi Thonglor known for its fish & chips, cocktails named for shipwrecks and that unforgettable name, has found another port to drop anchor.

A second branch has opened in the Lat Phrao-Ram Intra area, hauling along the same jaunty nautical look as the original, reminiscent of a 1920s speakeasy that’s shipped off to sea.

The new outlet at Central Festival EastVille is double the size of the original, though, broad enough in the beam to accommodate 240 weary sailors and curious landlubbers. Apart from floor tiles that look like a 3D optical illusion, the dining area is decorated with a harbour ambience. All that’s missing is an ocean view.

“We have many regular customers living in this area and it’s great to bring our venue to their doorstep,” says Johan Persimon Davidsson, general manager of the Order of the Fenix and Evolution Capital. It’s the same group that’s responsible Iron Fairies, Maggie Choo’s, Clouds, Bangkok Betty, Mr Jones’ Orphanage and the new kid, Bon Bon. 

“With good food, great craft beers and good music, the new venue is ideal for casual meet-ups,” Davidsson says. “The food isn’t boring and we’re never serious. We do less steak and more seafood, plus Asian dishes and finger food for sharing. We’re not cheap but not overpriced.”

The food is served all day, but the night time is the best time at Fat Gut’z, when bands take turns playing blues, jazz, soul and Thai pop rock. Tuesdays are Beatles nights.

In the kitchen, chef Pakavadee “Nokweed” Seriwiwattana plucks from East and West for a menu described as “rustic contemporary” – but maybe she’s not being serious. The fish & chips and buffalo wings are as great as ever, and here available alongside Northern-style chilli dip (nam prink ong), grilled spicy sausage (sai oua) and grilled pork neck.

Davidsson is adamant that the fish & chips at Fat Gut’z – look for “The Bucket” on the menu – are quite simply the best in town. He’s probably right. Almost every table orders the oak bucket containing a pair of crisply battered fish and chips, served with malt vinegar and pickled onions. A single serving costs Bt240 and a double Bt360. 

“About 90 per cent of our customers are Thai and Thais like any juicy fish, 

 so we use dory, which Thais love,” says Davidsson. “We also offer cod and snapper, although the price is double.”

If you’re treating the ship’s crew to a meal, the Sea Creature Bucket (Bt650) is recommended for a party of four. You get deep-fried shrimp, squid and crab, potato wedges and a choice between seafood and tartar sauce. 

The Original Hot Buffalo Wings (Bt180) are wonderfully crunchy on the outside and juicy within, arriving with blue-cheese dip, slightly hot sauce and salad sticks. The Parma Ham Pizza (Bt450) emerges from a wood-fired oven with a flavourful thin crust. 

Spices kick in for the Salmon Crudo (also Bt450), with the fish laid out on celery, bitter gourd, Chinese kale and turnip and seasoned with chillies, garlic, shallots, peanuts and a hot sauce.

There are some nice Thai Lanna delicacies on the menu, such as Hors d’oeuvres Muang (Bt450). It entails Northern-style grilled spicy sausage and pork neck, pickled pork sausage, crispy pork crackling, ginger slices, chillies, fresh vegetables and two kinds of chilli dips – nam prik ong and nam prik noom. 

At the end of the feast you’re going to want the Signature Fudge Chocolate Cake (Bt250), a fantastic concoction of ice cream, cookies and chocolate-liqueur sauce.

The famed Fat Gut’z cocktails are complemented here by a fresh array whipped up by Chanond Purananda. You’re well advised to sample what he’s done with nitrogen and ice cream. The Berry & Cognac Martini (Bt320) contains Hennessy, Chambord liqueur, cream, blackberry jam, fresh blackberries, maple syrup, lime and orange juice.

The scent of pandanus leaf perfumes the Ma Loey Toey (Bt280), a mingling of Tanqueray gin, Midori liqueur, grapefruit juice, homemade pandan syrup, lime, egg white, grapefruit bitters and flecks of frozen pomelo. 

Then there are the Pimp’s Cup with cognac, wine, peach liqueur, ginger ale, orange bitters, thyme and cucumber, and the 5.15PM with gin, lychee liqueur, ginger syrup and lager beer. Each of these costs Bt270.

How about the aforementioned craft beer? “We bring in the best craft beers from Belgium, Germany, America and Japan,” says Davidsson. “We use a double-point glycol cooling system that really brings out the flavour and the ice-cold beer is freshly poured. We also serve Singha’s copper beer from its own microbrewery, Est 33, and by the end of the year we’ll have our own Fat Gut’z beer.”

Also coming soon – to a sizeable room hidden behind a wall – is another outlet of the Iron Fairies “fantasy bar”, which will be done up like a jazz club and be accessible only to members. 

 

SHIP AHOY!

The Fat Gut’z Saloon is at the main entrance of Central Festival EastVille on Ekamai-Ram Intra Road. 

It’s open daily from 11am to 1am. Bands perform nightly from 8. 

Book a table at (099) 161 3951 and check out the “FatGutzSaloonEastville” page on Facebook.