Few eateries illustrate as clearly what a change winning a Michelin star makes as Jay Fai. Long revered by local foodies as the Platonic ideal of the aharn daam sung (made to order) street vendor, Jay Fai and her immaculately turned out fried noodles, soups and yes, crabmeat omelettes gained international attention when Michelin awarded her a coveted star last year. Seemingly overnight, nightclub-worthy queues formed outside of her shop-house, packed with visiting food fans eager to see what the fuss was all about.
Now the repeat recipient of a Michelin star, the 73-year-old Jay Fai — whose real name is Supinya Junsuta — says she is just hitting her stride at the helm of one of the world’s few Michelin-starred street food eateries, with no plans to slow down anytime in the near future.
Q: Last year when you got the star, a lot of the way you ran your restaurant changed overnight (taking reservations, fewer tables, queues). Will you be changing anything about the way you work this year?
Jay Fai: I will be adding to the menu. Last year, when I got the star, I mostly served only the dishes that Michelin recommended. But the old regulars have started coming back to the restaurant and requesting their own favorite dishes. Now, people are realising there are a lot more dishes that I can cook and I want to accommodate them. I really miss cooking some of the old dishes.
Q: Will you be expanding your dining room at all to fit everyone who wants to eat there?
Jay Fai: No, I won’t. I can’t handle more than what we have today.
Q: How many people do you serve a night?
Jay Fai: About 50 tables a night. About 10 people per table. For the most part, it’s big tables who come now, so many people are trying to get a table nowadays. All day long I hear the sound of the telephone ringing. I hate to disappoint people who want to come to the restaurant.
Q: You have days off on Sunday and Monday, right?
Jay Fai: Yes but often I still have to work on my days off. Pu yai (“big people”) often ask me to cook for them, so I don’t really have a day off.
Q: How has your experience this year with Michelin changed from last year when you first won the star?
Jay Fai: I am very happy. Last year I was happy too, but more shocked than happy. I didn’t really know that much about Michelin before. But this year, I’m thinking, “ok, sabai sabai (feeling relaxed)”.
Q: How have things changed over the past year?
Jay Fai: In the first seven days of getting the star last year, I lost 10 kg. But now, I have my system. I know when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, how to prepare for the day. Then by 2 p.m. I don’t stop working until 1 in the morning.
Q: Will you hire more cooks?
Jay Fai: When it comes to this sort of cooking, it’s difficult. I need to be the person to make everything myself.
Q: You also have the cooperation with an international airline coming up.
Jay Fai: Yes, we are still in the talking stages of the agreement. I have cooked for them a bit, but we are still talking. I went to visit them recently and they showed me their kitchen, which is huge. The menu we are discussing right now is the stir-fried crab with curry and the drunken noodles. They want to serve the crab omelette for their VIP clients, but it’s still very much in the initial stages.
Here’s What Our Inspectors Said About Jay Fai (1 Michelin Star)
Jay Fai is a place that both taxi drivers and foodies wax lyrical about and it's easy to see why. Wearing her signature goggles, the local legend that is Jay Fai continues what her father started 70 years ago and makes crab omelettes, crab curries and dry congee.
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