Juicy crabs and delicious Mongolian BBQ under one roof

Genghis and The Fat Crab are two of the latest restaurants lining the growing number of restaurants down Marine Drive.  The main feature about these two restaurants is that they are in one place – so the idea is for you to choose any food from either restaurant to indulge in.

Genghis serves Mongolian barbeque as well as grilled meats while The Fat Crab, serves seafood and, well, crab! The Fat Crab is a spin off from The Crab Company,” Athula Senanayake says. Athula is the man behind the Don Stanley’s Catering service and is one who needs little introduction in the culinary circles of Colombo. The Crab Company delivers cooked crab to your doorstep. Their choices range from Crab Curry with Murunga Leaves to Singapore-style Chilli Crab as well as Thai Black Pepper Crab, Ginger Garlic Butter Crab and Steamed Crab with Dip. These choices along with Negombo Devilled Crab are available at The Fat Crab along with a variety of seafood dishes.

You have a choice of accompaniments for the crab dishes which include Crusty Kadé Paan (Baker’s Bread), butter and Pol (Coconut) Sambol , String Hoppers or Steamed Rice along with Dhal and Firework Pol Sambol or Vegetable Fried Rice, Stir-fried Kan Kun and Chilli Paste – You also need to choose the size of the crab which ranges from medium to large.

The Fat Crab also serves a number of appetisers and soups as well as mains like the delicious and creamy Chilli Prawn Pasta. The Fettuccine ribbons are coated in a thick layer of creamy prawn sauce as well as perfectly cooked prawns, chilli flakes and a generous helping of grated Parmesan cheese. For all you lobster fans they serve up a traditional Lobster Thermidor. While their Pan Fried or Poached Fillet of Salmon with mushroom and spinach Risotto and Dill Lemon Butter also sounds quite appetising.

As with any Mongolian feast Genghis too gives you a choice of fresh vegetable as well as seafood and meats along with other condiments. These are all combined in a thick sizzling wok with a number of sauces to create that delicious end result. We savoured the Mongolian barbeque with chicken, beef, cuttlefish and prawn. It was a rather large serving and for me, the best part, apart from it being tasty of course, was that it was not overly oily and was delightfully spicy.

The Mongolian aside they also do grilled dishes – these are served with the Potato of the Day and Grilled Vegetables as well as the following options that of Black Pepper Sauce, Hot Barbados Chili Sauce or Sauce Béarnaise. The grilled dishes include Australian Fillet Steak, Pepper Steak with Local Fillet (served sliced), Steak Sandwich with Sweet Ground Mustard and Chicken Thigh Steaks with Thai Lemon Rub with Chilli Rice accompanied with the salad of the day. They also serve, Chicken, Beef and Prawn Satays with Malaysian Peanut Sauce and Ketupat.

They have a number of juices and milkshakes to choose from – I’d recommend the fresh Strawberry Milkshake and the really refreshing Pineapple juice. As much as the mains are delicious I feel the best part about these two restaurants, are their desserts. I can definitely recommend the Grilled fresh Pineapple which comes with a really strong Cinnamon and Vodka Ice Cream as well as the well loved Don Stanley’s Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cake with Berry Topping. During a previous visit I tried out their Home-made Chocolate Brownie with a melted Mocha Butter Centre which was heavenly!

Genghis and The Fat Crab are located at 53, Haig Road, Colombo 4 and they are open from 5pm to midnight from Monday to Friday and over the weekends from 11am to midnight.

Ratings

Variety of dishes:  5 stars
Friendliness and efficiency of staff:  5 stars
Cleanliness (Restaurant):  4 stars
Cleanliness (Toilets): 4 stars
Parking: 4 stars

By Natasha Fernandopulle
Pics by Kanishke Ganewatte