Phat Eatery - Katy — Restaurant in Katy

BRANCHING OUT - PHAT EATERY "To clarify: the issue isn't that I'm too fat, it's that I'm too PHAT. Can I get a WHAT-WHAT?!"

I'm having surgery soon and will be laid up for awhile so I'm trying to hit up a lot of places around town that require a little bit of travel before I go under the knife.

PHAT EATERY is one such place. It's been on my Todo list for awhile, but I finally got around to Todoing it. And, lemme tell you, I'm so glad I did. It's out in Katy Asiatown (but Good News for my folks up North - they just opened a new spot in the Woodlands). SB to Asiatown is 26 minutes on I10 so it's really NBD to get there.

The atmosphere is comfortable and looks like what I imagine a lot of spots probably look like in Singapore. Because the Travel Channel and Food Network continue to not give me a show to take you on global adventures with me, I've never actually been to Singapore so I'm just totally guessing that its look is reminiscent if not outright authentic. Any Singaporeans wanna chime in?

The food is Malaysian, which I've never actually had before but it has been numero uno on my list of "I wanna try this cuisine" for quite some time.

We started with the Roti Canai, which the menu screamed was a PHAT EATERY MUST-HAVE!, which was an Indian-style flat bread served with a mild savory curry dip. And I gotta tell ya that starter is a PHAT EATERY MUST-HAVE!!!! I'm gonna add at least three more exclamation points because holy gwakamolee that dipping sauce was AMAZING. I literally drank it outta the bowl and I'm not even gonna apologize. Matter of fact you should stop reading right now and get in your car a haul-ass out to Katy post haste! You can finish reading whilst you bathe your taste buds in that delishes gravy.

We also ordered the AWARD WINNING KERABU PRAWN which was six chilled jumbo prawns topped with mango-papaya slaw, vermicelli, toasted peanuts and sesame seeds and nyonya sauce. Nyonya sauce is a garlic vinegar chili sauce. I asked our waitress what award it won. She didn't know. I'm gonna say it tasted like it probably won an Obie or an OOBR award. Those are the awards given for Off-Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway. And there ain't no shame in that game. I won a Best Actor OOBR in 2002 and my mom thinks I'm pretty awesome! In all seriousness - another reason you should go check this place out is that these prawns were just simply refreshing and phenomenal and delishes and yet they were the low point of the meal. Yes, everything else we had was BETTER THAN PHENOMENAL!

For our mains we ordered the CURRY LAKSA with shrimp and chicken, the "CK TEOW" Rice flat noodles with shrimp, calamari and Chinese sausage, and the AWARD WINNING BEEF RENDANG! The Laksa might very well be the single best curry I've ever tasted, the "CK TEOW" was spicy and wonderful, but the BEEF RENDANG just knocked it outta the park. Again I asked our waitress what Award it won and again she didn't know so I'm just gonna assume the BEEF RENDANG sits alongside Rita Moreno as one of the greatest EGOT winners of all time. And, yes, I'm letting my inner Theatre Queen shine! Deal with it. I'm still basking in the afterglow of an amazing meal.

(Yes, I really did win a Best Actor OOBR Award. I appreciate...

Solid Malaysian food. I've been to Malaysia a few times but I won't judge Phat Eatery versus the hawker stands in Melaka because that wouldn't be fair. I only expect the flavors to be familiar and with a punch of sweet and spice that Malaysian food tends to have.

First, the ambience is pretty chic. The music wasn't loud but the playlist was awesome - 90s/2000s hip-hop and pop - 4.5 stars.

Second, the service was great. Our server was attentive, courteous and knowledgeable. The bus boy picked up dirty plates and utensils promptly. 5 stars for service.

Third, the food. I went with my wife and parents (mom was raised in Malaysia so she could authenticate dishes). We started with roti canai - you can't go wrong with this. Buttery, flaky and perfect with the curry dipping sauce with had a good coconut spiced flavor. We also had the satay - chicken and beef. Both were good but I'd recommend getting the beef only as it was the better of the two. For drinks, we had 8th wonder rocket fuel Vietnamese porter - never had it before, it was a bit filling but had a good coffee, chocolate taste to it. We also had the peach sake - great choice to balance out the spicy and rich dishes - highly recommend. Next time, we will stick to sake and either Singha or Chang beer. For entrees, we had the beef randang, nasi lemak, curry laksa, mee goreng with no meat, sizzling tofu and malaysian fried rice. The beef randang is a solid dish - flavorful and spicy since we asked for spice level 2. The beef was beyond fork tender. Nasi lemak was a deconstructed version which is fine since you can add whichever parts you like. The chicken was a welcome addition to it but isn't something you'd normally see. Curry laksa was great. Packed with flavor, noodles and meats - prawn and chicken. Slurp the broth. It isn't oily but I'd recommend adding extra spice or squeeze of lime. Mee goreng was pretty authentic but also needed extra spice. Sizzling tofu was probably our favorite dish and I can't stand tofu, haha. Sauce is so good and pairs well with the malaysian fried rice. The fried rice has tons of meat in it - be sure to mix in the fermented shrimp paste that is on top as a garnish. The food gets 4 stars - solid, pretty authentic, could use extra spice and/or sourness in places. Would def recommend the sizzling tofu, mee goreng, beef randang and fried rice.

Fourth, cleanliness. No complaints here at all. From the plates, glasses, utensils, tables, floors, chairs, menus, and bathroom. Everything was well maintained and spotless. 5 stars

Fifth, value. It has higher prices than I expect - taking everything into account - the service, ambience, cleanliness and flavorful dishes warrant a decent price tag. Wish it was lower so I'll give it 4 stars for value.

Overall, Phat Eatery gets a respectable 4.5 stars. Only gave it 4 stars on google cause they don't do half stars. I plan to go again and will ask for adjustments to the food - perhaps this will raise my rating to a 5. Regardless, I recommend going here as you won't be...

Phat Eatery: A Disappointing $70 Meal (and Certainly Not James Beard Worthy)

I had high hopes for Phat Eatery, especially given the buzz surrounding its James Beard Award Semifinalist nomination. Unfortunately, our recent experience was a major letdown, proving that the restaurant's current offerings are nowhere near deserving of such accolades. Our $70 meal was shockingly bland and forgettable, leaving us wondering what all the hype was about.

Both noodle bowls we ordered were incredibly disappointing. The promised flavor profiles were nonexistent, leaving us with a watery, tasteless broth and uninspired toppings. It felt like a far cry from the complex and delicious dishes one would expect from a James Beard-nominated establishment. The rice dish was even worse – completely tasteless, with a sad, seemingly microwaved egg patty plopped on top as an afterthought. It felt like a complete waste of ingredients and certainly not something a reputable chef would serve.

The only redeeming factor, albeit a small one, was the shrimp dumplings. They were the best thing we ordered, but even then, the portion size was ridiculously small, especially considering the price. It felt like a tease, and certainly not enough to redeem the overall meal.

To add insult to injury, my preferred beef item on the menu was listed as "out of stock" and couldn't be ordered online. This was frustrating, as it limited my options considerably.

The entire experience felt overpriced. We're still scratching our heads trying to figure out what exactly justified the $70 bill, especially considering the subpar quality of the food. To top it all off, we were charged a $1 fee just to place the order online – a ridiculous charge for essentially entering our own information.

Picking up our "to go" order was another hassle. There's no designated parking for to-go orders, making it a nightmare to navigate the crowded parking lot during peak hours. While the hostess was friendly and the order was technically ready, it still took us 10 minutes just to find a parking spot and retrieve our food.

Overall, our experience at Phat Eatery was extremely disappointing. The bland food, small portions, high prices, and inconvenient parking situation ensure that we will not be returning. And frankly, based on our experience, the James Beard Award Semifinalist nomination feels completely unwarranted. I cannot recommend...