First Thai Street Food Restaurant Awarded Michelin Star, Regularly Visited by Lisa

① Lisa Visits a Thai Michelin-Starred Restaurant

BLACKPINK member Lisa recently visited the Michelin-starred restaurant Jay Fai in Bangkok, Thailand.
The restaurant’s chef, Raan Jay Fai, shared a photo with Lisa on her social media. In the photo, Lisa is seen with Lee Jae-Yong, the chairman of Samsung Group; Lim Se-Kyung, the vice-chairman of Daesang Group; and Lee Won-ju, the daughter of Lim Se-Kyung.

Lisa reportedly visited the restaurant with her family to celebrate Raan Jay Fai receiving a Michelin star for the seventh consecutive year. Crowds of people gathered outside the restaurant to catch a glimpse of Lisa. Lisa also took a commemorative photo with the chef.

Raan Jay Fai became Thailand’s first street food chef to be awarded a Michelin star in 2018. Although it was once a humble street food restaurant, it rose to fame as one of the best restaurants in Bangkok after receiving a Michelin star. The restaurant gained further international recognition after being featured in the 2019 Netflix series Street Food. Now 77 years old, Raan Jay Fai has emerged as an icon of Thai cuisine. She continues to engage in various activities, including launching new food products in collaboration with Thailand’s leading convenience store, 7-Eleven.

Jay Fai is one of the most popular restaurants in Thailand, and you need to line up from 7 a.m. to get a taste of its food. The restaurant is so popular that you can only eat there if you get a number. It’s known that even Tim Cook and Ma Yun have lined up to visit Jay Fai.

Expect a basic waiting time of about 3 hours. The restaurant is always packed with locals and tourists during its business hours. Many people visit this place to taste Jay Fai’s food. The restaurant is open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and it’s closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays.

② First Michelin-Starred Street Food Chef

The signature dish at Jay Fai is a crab omelet called Kai Jeaw Poo. It’s an omelet filled with chunky crab meat. Another famous dish is Rat Na noodles, which are stir-fried with gravy sauce, seafood, pork, and shrimp. All dishes are cooked over charcoal, which intensifies the flavors.

Raan Jay Fai, who is over 70 years old, is still impressive as she continues to cook with a wok. The prices of the menu items are generally on the expensive side. The price of Kai Jeaw Poo is 1,400 baht (about $45). It’s comparable to the prices at high-end restaurants. Though it’s a street food restaurant, the prices are high as befits a Michelin-starred establishment.

Compared to other local restaurants, the prices are about 10 times higher. Please note that only cash payments are accepted at this restaurant.

Visitors to Jay Fai have left reviews saying, “The crab omelet is full of crab meat, and the egg is just a little bit for shaping! There’s a lot of crab meat, and it’s delicious”, “The price is very high but when will you eat such a whole crab? If you think about it, the price is okay”, “The crab omelet was the most delicious and satisfying crab dish I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

However, there were also many negative reviews. One visitor to Jay Fai said, “The prices here are high. You have to wait a long time. I went at 9 and ate at 15. I recommend you spend this time and money on something else delicious. The crab omelet is just the taste of crab and egg”.

Other visitors said, “The waiting time is 3 hours, and the food took about 40-50 minutes to arrive”, “The worst restaurant. The price is ridiculously high, and the taste does not match the price. It’s hot, rude, uncomfortable, and I cannot understand why people pay this money and eat here”, “I was waiting in line, but they yelled at me to order first with a frown.” There were also noticeable reviews about the restaurant being unfriendly. There were many complaints about the slow speed of serving food and the reservation system.

③ Launch of Nongshim and Tom Yum Kung Ramen

Nongshim collaborated with Raan Jay Fai to launch Shin Ramyun Tom Yum and Shin Ramyun Fried Noodle Tom Yum. Researchers visited the Jay Fai restaurant to taste the food and learn the secrets of its flavor. They invited Raan Jay Fai to Korea for tasting and coordination and finalized the recipe.

Raan Jay Fai’s face is featured on the Shin Ramyun package. Shin Ramyun’s spicy taste and Tom Yum’s unique taste are harmoniously blended. Unfortunately, this ramen is only sold in Thailand. Nongshim has announced plans to expand its presence in the Thai market with Shin Ramyun Tom Yum.

Shin Ramyun Tom Yum is 60 baht (about $2), and Shin Ramyun Fried Noodle Tom Yum is 65 baht (about $2.10). Compared to local ramen, the price is high. Even compared to the price of Shin Ramyun sold in Korea, it’s much higher.

By. Mia Han