Prawns with Garlic and Black Pepper
by Jay Fai, Bangkok, Thailand
When you eat at the world-famous Jay Fai Restaurant in Bangkok, it's got to be a special occasion. I had been waiting for nearly two hours with my wife and my mom to celebrate Mom's birthday with a very special Michelin-starred street food experience.
Jay Fai may have become famous from her crab omelette, which won her the world's first street food Michelin star in 2018, but every dish on her menu is worth the wait and the price. We ordered the omelette (how could we not?), a delectable and luxurious crab yellow curry, and these amazing prawns with garlic and black pepper to share.
Everything was great, but the prawns were actually our favorite! Giant prawns are stir-fried and served with a huge serving of deep-fried crispy garlic and topped with fresh cilantro.
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| Jay Fai famous grilled river prawns with black pepper and crispy fried garlic |
Before reading more about this amazing prawn dish, it's important to know a little about Jay Fai herself. Perhaps Thailand's most famous celebrity chef, Jay Fai rose to fame in 2018 when she was featured in the inaugural Michelin Thailand Guide, winning a coveted star for her crab omelette. Since then, she's been featured in nearly every food and travel show to come to Bangkok, and hungry visitors have to wait 2-3 hours for a spot at her tiny hole-in-the-wall eatery in Bangkok's Old Town.
Oh! And Jay Fai cooks every single dish herself by her own hand. She has stated that she refuses to write down a single recipe or to pass on the knowledge after she retires, so dining at her restaurant is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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| Jay Fai cooking in a flaming wok |
Part of what made Jay Fai so famous was how she sourced her ingredients. Every morning, Jay Fai goes out to the local market to purchase the best, freshest, most expensive, and best-quality seafood she can find. The quality makes the difference, and while the prices are 20-30x higher than you'd expect for Bangkok street food, you can definitely say it's worth it.
Each of these gigantic tiger prawns were nearly the size of a fist!
The prawns are stir-fried in black pepper and are topped with a heaping handful of deep-fried crispy garlic slices. The crunchy garlic is amazingly strong and aromatic, and I almost wish I had a whole bag of it to snack on by myself! The whole dish is topped with a spring of fresh cilantro, and all of the sweet and pungent flavors and aromas blend together to make an amazing compliment to the massive grilled prawns.
327 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
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| prawns with garlic and black pepper at Jay Fai |
Before you go, be sure to check out our guide to eating at Raan Jay Fai! Last time I was there, I saw so many disappointed and frustrated tourists who made a mistake and lost their chance to eat at this famous restaurant. Know before you go! Guide to Eating at Jay Fai Restaurant (theworldofstreetfood.com)
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| at Raan Jay Fai (Bangkok Thailand Michelin star street food seafood restaurant) |
Michelin Restaurants in Bangkok
More amazing seafood in Bangkok and nearby
Where is Jay Fai's restaurant located?
Jay Fai is located in Bangkok's Old Town (Rattanakosin) neighborhood, very near to Thipsamai Pad Thai and the Golden Mount Temple (Wat Saket). You can reach this neighborhood easily by metered taxi, public bus #8, or by MRT at Sam Yot Station.327 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
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