A food safari taking in Bangkok’s ultra-humble and low-key Michelin starred eateries is the perfect way to get a taste of the Thai capital.
By Raul Dias
‘Sister Mole’ seems a lot grumpier since the last time I saw her which was almost a year ago. Her trademark ski goggles—that have earned her the aforementioned moniker—shield 73-year-old Supinya Junsuta’s eyes that blaze with the same intensity as the flames that emanate from the propane-fueled stove she commands. Over this, she deftly coaxes together the egg and crab meat slurry in a huge wok filled with smoking oil. Legendary for its deep-fried crab omelet, her tiny street side, dinner-only stall Raan Jay Fai that’s located at Mahachai Road in the Phra Nakhon area of Bangkok is the only Thai street food eatery awarded 1-Michelin star. A feat that it accomplished in late 2017.
It was last year in August while tucking into a plate of the fluffy, generously ‘crabby’ omelet (800 Baht) and a side of her equally scrumptious jumbo prawn-redolent drunken noodles (400 Baht), that I got my very first taste of her edible brilliance. And that’s also perhaps why Junsuta—who’s known by all simply as ‘Jai Fai’—finds herself toplining the new Netflix show Street Food which is a spin off of the popular Chef’s Table series. This time too I find myself in culinary ecstasy as I wolf down my omelet, spiced with Jai Fai’s acerbic sarcasm as she smirks at my non-existent chopstick skills.
Mission Michelin
I’m on a mission on my current trip as I try to navigate my way through a handful of Bangkok’s 217 Michelin starred eateries that have more than a few things in common—from easy, no-reservations-needed access to that all-important factor being affordability. Speaking of which, the next day I find myself standing in line with my Thai friend Patchanee waiting for a table (that we end up sharing with a Taiwanese couple) at the iconic Go Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice on the busy Phetchaburi Road in Pratunam where a plate of khao man gai will set you back by a mere Rs 90 (40 Baht).
This signature chicken rice dish is a simple preparation of quivering, almost gelatinous slices of chicken breast meat set atop a bed of moist, garlic-flavoured rice and served with rounds of cucumber and a bowl of thin chicken broth. Started in 1960 as a nameless pushcart stall manned by a Hainanese immigrant to Bangkok, the brick and mortar eatery has today earned its first Michelin star. But that seems to have made scarce difference to the infamous brusque service. Though the serpentine lines for a table seem to say otherwise.
Meat Jaccuzi!
It’s very hard to miss the 1-Michelin starred Wattana Panich, which is where I find myself seated—amidst assorted restaurant detritus like sacks of onions and crates of beer—for an early dinner. And I’m not just alluding to the sweet Chinese spice mixture aroma that permeates almost the entire Ekkamai Soi 18 neighbourhood in Sukhumvit where this modest sized, old-school Chinese shophouse can be found. It is the sight of the almost pool sized, Jacuzzi-like cauldron of its famous kuay teow neua Thai beef noodle stew (100 Baht a bowl) that will serve as a shock to your senses.
Using a master stock that has been in the family for the last 70 years using unique Chinese ingredients like goji berries, and astragalus root along with the ubiquitous star anise and cinnamon, the dish can be customised to one’s taste. You could order a bowl of kuay teow neua stew with my favourite sen yai (thicker rice noodles) or sen mee (thin, almost vermicelli-like noodles), either with less broth or more for a soup-y consistency.
Hidden Gem
Ruean Panya is perhaps one of those few places that not many local Bangkok residents had ever heard of until a few months ago. It was only when the latest 2019 Michelin guide book to Bangkok bestowed upon it a single star did people sit up and notice this seafood haven. Located in the Bangkok suburb of Samut Sakhon, about an hour’s drive from the center of the city, this family run restaurant, expertly blends food and art—both of which will stun you silent.
Spread across a cluster of four quaint little cottages, the relaxed mood gives one the impression of dining at friends, while the painting-filled interiors add a gallery-like feel. Owner Pannee does all the cooking herself, which means that you can expect a hugely staggered meal service. But it is Pannee’s attention to detail and the complexity of flavours make her dishes like the sublime lhon pu mud crab dip (300 Baht) and the toasted giant prawns with salt (price varies as per catch) worth the wait and their weight in gold!
(A shorter, differently edited version of this article appeared in the 6th July 2019 issue of the Mint Lounge newspaper, India on page 16 https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/starry-starry-bites-1562408294747.html)
By Raul Dias
‘Sister Mole’ seems a lot grumpier since the last time I saw her which was almost a year ago. Her trademark ski goggles—that have earned her the aforementioned moniker—shield 73-year-old Supinya Junsuta’s eyes that blaze with the same intensity as the flames that emanate from the propane-fueled stove she commands. Over this, she deftly coaxes together the egg and crab meat slurry in a huge wok filled with smoking oil. Legendary for its deep-fried crab omelet, her tiny street side, dinner-only stall Raan Jay Fai that’s located at Mahachai Road in the Phra Nakhon area of Bangkok is the only Thai street food eatery awarded 1-Michelin star. A feat that it accomplished in late 2017.
It was last year in August while tucking into a plate of the fluffy, generously ‘crabby’ omelet (800 Baht) and a side of her equally scrumptious jumbo prawn-redolent drunken noodles (400 Baht), that I got my very first taste of her edible brilliance. And that’s also perhaps why Junsuta—who’s known by all simply as ‘Jai Fai’—finds herself toplining the new Netflix show Street Food which is a spin off of the popular Chef’s Table series. This time too I find myself in culinary ecstasy as I wolf down my omelet, spiced with Jai Fai’s acerbic sarcasm as she smirks at my non-existent chopstick skills.
Mission Michelin
I’m on a mission on my current trip as I try to navigate my way through a handful of Bangkok’s 217 Michelin starred eateries that have more than a few things in common—from easy, no-reservations-needed access to that all-important factor being affordability. Speaking of which, the next day I find myself standing in line with my Thai friend Patchanee waiting for a table (that we end up sharing with a Taiwanese couple) at the iconic Go Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice on the busy Phetchaburi Road in Pratunam where a plate of khao man gai will set you back by a mere Rs 90 (40 Baht).
This signature chicken rice dish is a simple preparation of quivering, almost gelatinous slices of chicken breast meat set atop a bed of moist, garlic-flavoured rice and served with rounds of cucumber and a bowl of thin chicken broth. Started in 1960 as a nameless pushcart stall manned by a Hainanese immigrant to Bangkok, the brick and mortar eatery has today earned its first Michelin star. But that seems to have made scarce difference to the infamous brusque service. Though the serpentine lines for a table seem to say otherwise.
Meat Jaccuzi!
It’s very hard to miss the 1-Michelin starred Wattana Panich, which is where I find myself seated—amidst assorted restaurant detritus like sacks of onions and crates of beer—for an early dinner. And I’m not just alluding to the sweet Chinese spice mixture aroma that permeates almost the entire Ekkamai Soi 18 neighbourhood in Sukhumvit where this modest sized, old-school Chinese shophouse can be found. It is the sight of the almost pool sized, Jacuzzi-like cauldron of its famous kuay teow neua Thai beef noodle stew (100 Baht a bowl) that will serve as a shock to your senses.
Using a master stock that has been in the family for the last 70 years using unique Chinese ingredients like goji berries, and astragalus root along with the ubiquitous star anise and cinnamon, the dish can be customised to one’s taste. You could order a bowl of kuay teow neua stew with my favourite sen yai (thicker rice noodles) or sen mee (thin, almost vermicelli-like noodles), either with less broth or more for a soup-y consistency.
Hidden Gem
Ruean Panya is perhaps one of those few places that not many local Bangkok residents had ever heard of until a few months ago. It was only when the latest 2019 Michelin guide book to Bangkok bestowed upon it a single star did people sit up and notice this seafood haven. Located in the Bangkok suburb of Samut Sakhon, about an hour’s drive from the center of the city, this family run restaurant, expertly blends food and art—both of which will stun you silent.
Spread across a cluster of four quaint little cottages, the relaxed mood gives one the impression of dining at friends, while the painting-filled interiors add a gallery-like feel. Owner Pannee does all the cooking herself, which means that you can expect a hugely staggered meal service. But it is Pannee’s attention to detail and the complexity of flavours make her dishes like the sublime lhon pu mud crab dip (300 Baht) and the toasted giant prawns with salt (price varies as per catch) worth the wait and their weight in gold!
(A shorter, differently edited version of this article appeared in the 6th July 2019 issue of the Mint Lounge newspaper, India on page 16 https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/starry-starry-bites-1562408294747.html)
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