Bangkok Food Guide: Jay Fai Street Food
The variation of food in Bangkok is unlike anything I’ve previously encountered. Here you’ll find everything from Thai street food to western-style high end restaurants. You’re also spoiled with endless drink and dessert choices, exciting venues and everything in between.
Jay Fai Street Food
One of my favourite food experiences in Bangkok was Jay Fai’s street food. I learned about her and her food years ago through food documentaries on Netflix and have always been impressed by her way of cooking. She sticks to her own ways of creating authentic Thai street food and everything in the restaurant is made by herself.
It is very difficult to snag a table unless you’ve made a reservation at least two months in advance. If you have a reservation (which is completely free to make and I highly recommend it) they will seat you immediately, and all the people waiting for a table will definitely give you the side-eyes. Reservations can easily be made at yaifaibangkok@gmail.com. Remember to bring the confirmation of your reservation to the restaurant.
For street food in Bangkok, this place is considered quite expensive. It is however well worth the money.
The food
There are plenty of good dishes to choose from. A few of her classics are the Tom Yum Soup, Crab Omelette and Drunken Noodles. Depending on what you order, the staff may ask you about how spicy you’d like it to be. My boyfriend learned the hard way that less is more when it comes to adding spice to your food in Thailand.
We went ahead and ordered two of the classics, The Crab Omelet and Tom Yum Soup. While the soup was too spicy for my liking, the crab omelet was mild but still with plenty of taste. You could also easily spice things up with the red sauce. It was easy to tell that the ingredients were of high quality. The portions felt quite large, which is good. It would, however have been fun with smaller portions so you would be able to try a little bit of everything. The venue itself is very simple. It’s a classic hole in the wall, which is rare in Western countries.
The drink selection was quite limited, as you can see everything they have right behind me pictured above. Also, don’t come here expecting dessert. They are very focused on their food and nothing else.
I am hoping to return to Bangkok in the near future as it truly became a favourite of mine. The city offers endless exploring opportunities, it feels safe yet exciting and I cannot wait to see more. I will definitely make a reservation and try to come back here next time I’m in town.
