Jay Fai, the famous Michelin 1-star restaurant named after its legendary owner and chef, was definitely at the top of our list of places to try in Bangkok. However, the long queue was always a big turn-off. One summer day, we decided to tempt fate and try it out. The good thing about Bangkok in the summer is that the locals are busy at work, and Thai kids are in school, so we only had to contend with tourists.
Getting to Jay Fai Bangkok
The famous restaurant is located in the heart of Bangkok near the Giant Swing, in parts of Chinatown. Raan Jay Fai is only a few blocks from Mahakan Fort and the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, making it a convenient location if you’re planning to visit the Grand Palace, which is only 10 minutes away by car or tuk-tuk.
Raan Jay Fai Reservation
Unfortunately, there is no advanced Jay Fai booking available. There are a few tips and tricks, though, that might help ease the pain of patiently waiting for Jay Fai to cook every single dish on her own, which is why the line is so long and the prices are what they are. If you want a guaranteed seat, come early! Raan Jay Fai opens at 9 AM, Wednesday to Saturday, so if you arrive at 7:30 AM, you’re likely to be among the top spots to get a seat. The famous Michelin Bangkok Jay Fai restaurant sits about 10 tables, depending on the size of each group. If you are queue #20, you can expect to wait about 90 minutes.
Don’t Leave the Queue at Jay Fai Thailand
When we got there at about 9:30 AM, we were queue #33. We estimated that at the current rate, we would be able to get lunch there at noon. Being the multi-tasker that I am, I decided it would be a good idea to pay a quick visit to the Emerald Buddha at The Grand Palace and come back just in time. Boy, were we wrong! We left for less than two hours and arrived back at queue #50! Once you’re called, you’re expected to pre-order your food and prepare to sit and eat. I imagine that many people abandon the queue, which is why the numbers flew by. So back in line we went, but this time we got #61, just 11 spots away!
Jay Fai Menu
While waiting, I hung out at the coffee shop next door, รสกรุง – Ros Krung Esarn Thai Cafe, which had the AC blasting while Michelle was outside taking pictures and videos of Jay Fai making her magical crab omelettes. About 90 minutes later, we were called up to place our order. Looking through the Jay Fai menu, I saw many staple Thai dishes, but noted that most of them were seafood variants such as Tom Yum, Pad-See-Eww, Fried Rice, Pad-Kra-Pow, etc. We locked in our order of the Seafood Fried Rice, Crab Omelette, Seafood Pad-See-Eww, Tom Yum Talay (seafood), and Pork Pad-Kra-Pow.
Tasting the World Famous Jay Fai Crab Omelette
We had many hours to stand there and watch Jay Fai, in her famous ski goggles, patiently roll up the egg and crab meat into the perfect crab omelette. She would hand it off to her assistant to babysit as the egg and crab cooked to perfection and was served to customers. Almost every table ordered the world-famous Jay Fai crab omelette. This dish will set you back 1400 THB and is considered by many local Thais to be ridiculously priced for what you can get at other places for much less. I would argue that it is worth the price because it is hand-cooked by Jay Fai herself, now almost 80 years old. You never know when she will decide to hang up her apron and ski goggles and retire!
First Impressions of the Food
Now to the main event: each dish came out one by one, and we dived right in after waiting for almost four hours. First impressions were that the shrimp, squid, and crab were all in ample portions and huge! The aroma of the charcoal-infused wok char was in every bite. The food was hands down delicious and worth the wait. The one thing we did not expect was how much MSG was used in the food. After eating, we were all parched and drank gallons of water afterward.
Wrapping up our Tasting of Jay Fai Bangkok
If you’re reading this blog, you’ve already heard of the famous Jay Fai and are probably looking for a short cut to get there. There are a few vendors out there that will send someone to wait in line for you, but expect to pay about 300-500 THB per person in your party for this service. This is one of those places that if you want to visit, you better go now before it’s no longer around. Jay Fai doesn’t let anyone else cook and all the recipes are ingrained in her muscle memory. We had the opportunity to meet her daughter, who handles the front side of the restaurant. There were many impatient guests, please remember to respect the workers and Jay Fai. She’s only been doing the same thing for the past 40+ years, and that’s dishing our exceptional Thai food, one plate at a time.
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