I Tried the MOST EXPENSIVE MICHELIN STAR Street Food

See that funny lady in the ski goggles? Whatever you are thinking, I bet it's not in the following facts. She is an iconic sight here in Bangkok. She has shaken hands with more celebrities than you could count on your fingers. She even appeared in a show on Netflix. And she's even got a Michelin star. That's why they call her the queen of Thai street food. Everyone who has visited her restaurant has been blown away by her dishes. Today we are going to check if it really lives up to the hype. Let's go to J5. I'm not used to doing street food reviews, but I am a curious person and don't forget, this street food restaurant has a Michelin star. That kind of feels like a loophole and I'm gonna take it. It brings us to Bangkok. A tourist paradise, full of attractions, famous sights and a place where men used to have some seriously wide bachelor parties. But we are not here for those. Or at least we won't admit it. We are here to visit one of the world's most famous street food restaurants. Whoever I talked to said it's a must when you are in town. Even Russell Crowe and Ed Sheeran have been here. And one thing everything mentioned, expect long waiting lines. Well, one expectation is already fulfilled. That's quite a sight. I mean, is this the line? Are we in the right place? Are they selling cheap Taylor Swift tickets or what? Honestly, I have seen shorter lines for free beer. And it's 8.40 in the morning. One might worry about that, but no, not me. I got a tip about a not-so-secret shortcut. You pay $25 and someone stands in line for you. This is how we got the third spot in line. This place is so famous that a whole business was built around its reservations. Very inventive, but you know how it goes. Supply and demand. Actually, we are gonna come back to that point a bit later. This is the second time I'm standing in a row in a Michelin star restaurant. The other one was in Singapore. I feel kinda hype standing here, but also a bit concerned. From the outside, it looks more like a place you would avoid at night. But we don't judge a book by its cover. Finally, I hear my name and we take our seats. We grab the menus and for a moment, I freeze. $15, $30 and even $45. Keep in mind that $30 is enough for a whole day in Bangkok. That also means you could get 20 different dishes for that price. And that only makes me more curious. This has to be something extraordinary. Our order is taken and I can already hear the sizzling from the kitchen. And there she is, the queen herself. Yes, that's her in the goggles. You might think J5 is her real name, but it's actually Supinya Junsuta. She is an 80-year-old woman and she still shakes that heavy book as if it were a feather. She started cooking in her 30s, opened the restaurant in the 1980s. So she has roughly 50 years of experience now. That's what makes her who she is today. An icon in the Thai culinary scene. And that's not an overstatement. In 2021, she earned Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Icon Award. To this very day, she is the only one who cooks here. With so many customers, you could say Supinya already made a fortune and is set for life, which is probably true. But despite that, she is always present every single day. And I think that's an example worth following for the next generations. Kids, this is how you do it. Normally, I would save the signature dish for the end. But this signature dish is not spicy, unlike the rest of the menu. So I figured I would protect my palate and start with the lightest option. The world-famous Crab Omelette. This is going to make our wallet $45 lighter. I love eggs and I love every dish made with them. But this doesn't look like an omelette. It's completely fried on the outside, a bit greasy and stuffed with crab meat. And here comes the most expensive street food bite I have ever had. Honestly, this is not what I expect from an omelette. It lacks any kind of seasoning, dare I say it's bland. Except for the crab, which has a weird aftertaste and smell. The taste of the crab is not my favorite, to be honest. The quality of the crab is a bit off. I thought it would have at least a bit of seasoning. But actually, this is just it. Eggs and crab. So the name doesn't deceive. That's a plus. Overall, I didn't like it. The crab quality ruined it for me. But I did enjoy the eggs with the spicy sauce. Let's take a short break and talk about something important. Important not just for me, but for you too. I get dozens of messages to check this or that restaurant. Well, this is the time when I'm gonna not do that. That's why we created the attention game. If you have a restaurant and want to show it to the world, this might be the best place to do that. All you have to do is go through a quick and easy registration. We will pick 10 restaurants that will get a shout out on our channel. Then you will vote for your favorite and we will visit and make a video about the top choice. To be honest, we are not looking for Michelin stars. We're searching for passion, creativity and a commitment to quality. If you have these, this is for you. This is your big chance to be seen. You can apply until the end of March. The clock is ticking. Don't miss out. All the details and the link are in the description. The next one is something really Thai. Stir-fry noodles with seafood and vegetables. The smell is great. I have a good feeling about this one. Nice. I enjoy the spiciness of this one. It's nicely seasoned and the spiciness ties everything together well. Nice acidity, umami, soy, chili. Everything that makes an Asian pasta great. The prawns and octopus legs are cooked well, just like the fresh noodles, which have an interesting texture. The veggies are nicely roasted, but still have that fresh crunch and vibrant colors. A few minutes later, the flavor is still on my tongue and I want more. It is amazing street food. But is it worth a Michelin star? I'm still not convinced at all. So far, it feels like another trendy spot. There is an admirable lady behind it and a good old from rags to riches story. That's always a good recipe for fame. But then there is the price and there is the value. And like usual, they are not the same. Lastly, we have something I'm really curious about. At first glance, it looks like soup, but that liquid is quite solid and shaky. It looks full of collagen. Which is usually a good thing. Content wise, it's similar to the previous dish. Same vegetables, same pasta, same protein. Just with a different sauce. Like the last one, this dish is spicy too. Nice flavors. Third dish as a texture wise, it's not my type. Look, I love street food. I travel a lot and despite only making videos about luxury restaurants, I eat a lot of it. Especially in this part of the world. There are tons of great places with exciting and delicious food. Compared to those, I really don't get that special feeling here. And this is where a good story does its job. How else would you stand out from the many great places? Here is this amazing lady, still working all day long. Wearing those weird ski goggles with the flames rage under her hands. That's a sight. And sometimes a sight like that overpowers the thing you are actually paying for. Which of course is the food. If it weren't famous, I'm sure it would still stand its ground. As it did for decades before the fame, but of course with much lower prices. But it's famous. And that leads us back to supply and demand. You price the demand, not the product. This is the power of stories. You stand in the line for them and that makes you feel like you are part of something important. Many of us lose their sense of critical thinking after standing in the line for hours. You know, I have been waiting for 5 hours, it's gotta be great then. The high price can be just an extra confirmation of that statement. For me, the strongest part of this whole experience is Chef Supiña and the idea of goals. Everyone has goals and everyone wants to get somewhere in life. Success, fame, money, you name it. But look how far it can take you if you are just humble and work hard. Without any purpose, just for the love of your passion. If you only pursue goals, you are just going to copy someone else's yesterday. She could have retired long ago, but all this wouldn't be here then. Yet she's still here, working hard as she has her whole life. Be it Netflix, the Crab Omelette, the Long Lines and the fame, this is what I really appreciate. Serving people, giving them a little bit of joy with each dish and continuing to do that for decades. That's why she is so wonderful and deserves everything she's got. And that does it for this episode. Thank you for joining me. 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