For those living out in South East Asia, there is not more popular street food vendor than the humble yet enigmatic Queen of Street Food, Jay Fai of Raan Jay Fai in Bangkok. The 76 year old celebrity has served many with her iconic Thai crab omelette which has been the only street food in Bangkok to be awarded a Michelin star.
Icon Award: Jay Fai of Raan Jay Fai
For the first time in the history of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants the winner is not only a street food vendor, but also a female. What makes this special is that she has garnered the win based on merit through her devotion to her craft.
“I am grateful to be recognised for my hard work and craftsmanship. This is truly the reward of a lifetime for an ordinary chef like me. But most importantly, I hope everyone can learn from my story that dedication, hard work and patience can help you achieve your goals.” — Jay Fai, Ran Jay Fai
At Raan Jay Fai, the Queen of Street Food is known for having her own take on classic Thai dishes, including the yellow crab curry (poo pad phong karee) and drunken noodles with seafood (pad kee mao talay) but what she is probably most known for is her crab meat omelette (khai jiao poo).
Jay fai made famous the supersized Thai crab omelette which is filled to the brim with blue swimmer crabs, all enveloped within a crispy egg casing which comes at the hefty price of THB1,000 (RM130), making the iconic dish behind her beanie cap and ski goggles, which she says is to protect her from the oil and heat.
But for those unfamiliar, she is known for creating other extremely special dishes including her take on the humble tom yum soup and the more unique dry tom yum, both filled with succulent giant prawns and seafood.
“A purist with a passion for blending culinary traditions with innovation, Jay Fai embodies the spirit of Asian gastronomy. Her unwavering dedication to her craft has earned her the respect of her peers and makes her a worthy recipient of this year’s Icon Award. The upcoming Essence of Asia collection, unveiled on 16th March, honours similar culinary pioneers in Asia who have had a positive impact on their communities or have enhanced their local food scene.” — William Drew, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
As the 2021 recipient of the Icon Award, Jay Fai joins a prestigious line-up of recent winners, including Japanese chefs Seiji Yamamoto and Yoshihiro Murata.
The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2021 will be broadcasted live Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Facebook and the 50 Best Restaurants TV YouTube channel.
For all 50 Best related content, see 50 Best.
Raan Jay Fai
327, Mahachai Road,
Samranras Subdistrict,
Phra Nakon District,
Bangkok 10200,
Thailand
+66 2 223 9384
| PHOTOGRAPHY: ASIA’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS | WEBSITE: RAAN JAY FAI |