Raan Jay Fai: The First and Only Michelin-Starred Street Food in Bangkok, Thailand (Plus a Guide For Those Allergic to Crab and Shrimp)

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This article is part of the Bangkok Food Trip series. Check out the installments: Bangkok Food and Travel Guide | Chinatown Food Trip | Jodd Fairs Rama 9 Food Trip (Night Market) | Khao Gaeng Jek Pui (Thai Curry Rice) | MICHELIN Street Food Guide | Phed Mark (Pad Krapow or Holy Basil Stir-Fry) | On Lok Yun (Thai-Style Western Breakfast) | Polo Fried Chicken (Soi Polo) | Raan Jay Fai (MICHELIN-Starred Street Food) | SookSiam Food Trip | theCOMMONS Thonglor (Food Hall) | Wattana Panich (Beef Noodle Soup)

Last month, my wife and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary (Thank You, Lord!). To celebrate, we did our first international trip as a married couple to the Land of Smiles, Thailand. We visited Bangkok, its capital, and Phuket, its party island.

No Thailand trip would be complete without doing food trip. So I’m launching a Bangkok Food Trip series first (and a Phuket Food Trip series someday), starting with the country’s first and only MICHELIN-starred street food, Raan Jay Fai.

Founded in the early 80s, Raan Jay Fai is an eatery helmed by one of Thailand’s culinary legends, Supinya Junsuta a.k.a. Jay Fai (in Thai, “Jay” refers to a sister, while “Fai” means mole). It was awarded a MICHELIN Star in 2018, and is the only street food spot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

No wonder that numerous personalities have visited Raan Jay Fai, including Chinese businessman Jack Ma, T.V. host Martha Stewart, and food vlogger Mark Wiens. It was even featured in Netflix’ Street Food Asia.

Jay Fai is so popular that she already has endorsements

Raan Jay Fai is known for its long wait and exorbitant prices. So is it worth it? Let me share our experience.

THE WAIT

We wanted to make sure that we’re among the first few customers of the day so we went at 6:45AM (we visited on a Friday). There were already three groups before us. It’s a good thing that we’re still able to sit in the few chairs provided.

At 8:20AM, the waiting customers were asked to list down our names (only one per group) and the number of people per group. We were fourth on the list.

By the way, there is a 7-Eleven in front of Raan Jay Fai. So if you get hungry or thirsty, you can just cross the street. There is also a cafe/restaurant beside it called Slice 337 where you can get your caffeine fix and take your restroom break (I think you have to pay for the restroom if you’re not ordering from them), though it opens at 8:30AM. But it’s best to leave your spot in the queue once you’re able to list down your name.

Finally, our group was called and we’re seated at around 9:20AM. Jay Fai’s daughter took our food orders, while another lady (Jay Fai’s sister?) took our drinks later on. It’s amazing that they’ve come up with an efficient system. They had to with the volume of people they’re attending to.

By the way, outside food and beverages are not allowed. They’re strict with it that they even prohibited our water tumblers (that’s at least how we understood them). We respect that so we got Fresh Orange Juice (which is nice, pulpy, and has no sugar as the menu states), Coke Light, and a bottled water.

From Left to Right: Fresh Orange Juice (THB80) and Bottled Water (THB20)

Waiting for the food was quite challenging because of the aroma in the location. Our “agony” ended when the first dish came at exactly 10:03AM.

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THE FOOD

Chef Jay Fai only uses fresh and quality ingredients, and is meticulous in the preparations and cooking of the dishes. You can certainly taste it in the food.

It’s incredible that at her age (she is in her 70s), she cooks all the dishes herself. Donning her signature beanie, goggles, and red lipstick, it is entertaining to watch her cook. It’s like watching a masterpiece being made!

The Michelin-starred eatery is most famous for its Crab Meat Omelette and Drunken Noodles. Unfortunately, my wife and I are allergic to crustaceans (the Drunken Noodles has shrimp in it). We were careful in ordering and requested to make sure that there were no crab or shrimp in the dishes. Four of the five dishes we tried are crustacean-free (I can tolerate it a bit unlike my wife). So if you’re like us, you can use this article as a guide of what to order.

Here are the dishes we tried, in alphabetical order:

Beef Radna

Radna is a stir-fried rice noodle dish topped with mixed vegetables. Since we couldn’t try the Drunken Noodles, we figured that this could be the second best noodle dish at Raan Jay Fai.

We ordered a Beef Radna and we’re supposed to have it with regular rice noodles. But when we saw a dish with crispy noodles being served, we told them to replace our noodles with a crispy one. They were kind enough to accommodate our request, and we didn’t regret it!

The noodles are delightfully crispy, the beef is perfectly cooked and tender, and the veggies add crunch. My wife loved this dish the most, and it’s my second favorite at Raan Jay Fai.

Garlic and Pepper Squid

This dish is popular among Thai-Chinese food spots. Since we love garlic and squid, we ordered it.

I was shocked that the squid is huge, covered in batter. Then it is flavored by garlic slivers and a ton of white pepper. I thought that the “pepper” refer to chilies. But I welcome the change to white pepper. It just took some time for me to get used to it.

Pork Pad Krapow (Holy Basil Stir-Fry)*

If you will ask a Thai what his comfort food is, then Pad Krapow would probably be at the top of the list. It’s a stir-fry dish consisting of a protein (most popular is minced pork) and krapow or holy basil leaves. Then it is typically served with rice and fried egg, and a condiment on the side called prik nam pla, a dip made with Thai fish sauce and chilies.

We tried Raan Jay Fai’s Pork Pad Krapow, which has pork slices that are huge and tender. Some are even fatty! Then the egg, especially the yolk, add creaminess to the dish. The krapow, though, has a bitter aftertaste.

It’s good but I had better versions of the dish. One of them is from Mark Wiens’ Phed Mark. And of course, article coming up soon!

*By the way, Jay Fai’s daughter warned us that this dish has traces of shrimp. So this is the only dish we tried that’s not crustacean-free.

Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli and Japanese Abalone in Oyster Sauce

The Chinese broccoli is crisp but has a bitter aftertaste. The abalone and the mushrooms are nicely chewy.

I wasn’t a fan of this dish at first because of the Chinese broccoli’s bitter aftertaste. But the more I eat it, the more I appreciate it.

Tom Yum Pla

Tom Yum is one of Thailand’s quintessential dishes, and may need no introduction as it is available in many Thai restaurants all over the world. It’s a sour and spicy soup dish consisting of a protein (typically goong/shrimp or pla/fish), and flavored with different Thai aromatics. For Filipinos, think of Tom Yum as the Thai version of Sinigang.

This is my favorite dish in Raan Jay Fai! It’s broth is aromatic, sour, and spicy. The chunks of fish (I believe it’s sea bass) are huge, and the veggies add crunch. This is extra rice-worthy!

THE VERDICT

You may have noticed the high prices in the photos above. And no, it’s not a typo. The dishes are really expensive for street food, even beating restaurant prices. So make sure that you bring a lot of cash (the only payment method) lest you wash the dishes. LOL.

So the big questions is: Is it worth it? Absolutely! The food and the ingredients are of highest quality. What about the prices? Just think that you’re really paying for the experience and the expertise of Chef Jay Fai. It’s not common to eat street food prepared by a MICHELIN-starred, internationally-recognized chef.

But will I come back again? It depends. If we’re eating as a group (so the damage per person will be lower) and someone else will queue for the group (so I can sleep more LOL), then I will return.

Queuing and eating at Raan Jay Fai is an experience every serious foodie should do. I highly recommend it to you!

Address: 327 Maha Chai Rd., Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Thailand | Operating Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 9AM-7:30PM | Instagram

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