COCONUTS HOT SPOT — For anyone not lucky enough to grow up or at least travel through one of the 11 states in the USA where it exists, your only familiarity with fast food hamburger joint White Castle may be Harold and Kumar’s quest to feed their insatiable craving for steam-grilled goodness.
Luckily for those of us in Bangkok also itching for those tiny, hot, oh so beautiful sliders served with caramelized onions and crispy pickles atop a super soft bun, we can head straight to Lil’ Fatso’s Sliders and Stuff.
Ambassadors of all things Midwestern, “Fatty” Matt and Kae of Fatty’s Diner fame debuted their new food truck at the Noise Market last month to a very receptive crowd.
“I’ve got mad love for White Castle,” explains Matt. “When I was young I didn’t live too close to one so it was always kind of a magical thing that existed in the city where all the big people lived, and ate small burgers. When I got older and started doing the restaurant thing I maintained a reverence for The Castle.”
“Fatty” Matt at the grill
Matt actually sent several emails to the company pleading for a branch in Thailand, but eventually realized that if he wanted to enjoy those delicious belly bombers in Bangkok, he’d have to step up and recreate it.
“It’s just like when I opened the bar. I made food that I wanted to eat and I put on bands that I wanted to hear. I like to share things with people and I like to be surrounded by people who dig what we’re into.”
Oink Oink BBQ pulled pork slider
The pair even managed to recreate the famous little boxes that house each little burger. But there’s one area where they come up short in their mission to imitate the original Whitey’s, or maybe two actually; one, the higher quality of their beef goes without saying, and two, no one was seen making a mad rush for toilets.
“Fatty” Matt and Kae in the food truck
Besides the classic Lil’ Fatso beef sliders (THB 50), you can also get the Oink Oink slider (THB 60) with BBQ Pulled Pork and Coleslaw, or the Lil Chick slider (THB 70) which is a deep-fried chicken breast dipped in spicy Buffalo sauce and topped with blue cheese, lettuce and tomato. We tried one of everything and loved it all.
Mozzarella Sticks and Lil’ Chick slider
Other favorites include the iconic crinkle-cut French Fries with Cheese sauce (THB 70), Jalapeño Poppers (THB THB 160) and Wisconsin Cheese Curds (THB 160).
Fatso fries
“I plan to feed fried cheese to all the skinny Thai girls out there, but I’ll make anything on the truck depending on the event or the demand,” says Matt.
A rumor floating around that Fatty’s long gone but forever legendary Corn Dogs may make an occasional reappearance at the food truck could be neither confirmed nor denied at press time.
A semi-regular rotation at a local night market may soon be in the works, but for now you can find Lil’ Fatso’s at special events like the Art Box Exhibition & Flea Market on Dec. 18-20. And if the Stone Free music festival is allowed to go forward in Saraburi on Jan. 15-17, the truck will be there day and night serving up sliders along with some creative breakfast items. Otherwise check their Facebook page for location updates or contact for catering.
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