I just came back from a short trip to Bangkok over the long weekend. Compared to our last trip we took about 3 years ago, this time we spent more time eating in restaurants instead of at street food stalls and food courts. After we checked into our hotel, we headed to Jae Koy for dinner.
If there’s anything you need to know about Jae Koey, it’s that their dishes are fiery hot. Among all the restaurants that we have eaten so far, I’d rate Jae Koy as the spiciest. So if you have a weak tolerance for spicy food, you should probably think again before deciding to eat here.
Anyway, the main reason we picked Jae Koy is none other than its authenticity. Most of the customers who frequent here are locals.
In fact, we were the only tourists at that time and the staff even spoke to us in Thai instinctively. Not to worry, their menu has English titles so even if there’s a language barrier, the good ol’ point and order still works.
Jae Koy is famous for their somtum. They’re proud of it and it shows considering they dedicated an entire page of the menu featuring different types of somtum.
Safe to say, you shouldn’t go home without trying it. We picked the Prawn Somtum (listed as Papaya Salad Prawns) @ ฿90 and as expected, it was the best tasting dish of the night.
The Tom Yum Kung @ ฿100 is the cheapest (for restaurant) we have come across in Bangkok so far. The flavor will definitely not disappoint by Malaysian standards and you can’t really complain for the price.
However, I should also mention that this was the weakest tasting Tom Yum we had in the entire trip. To be clear, that’s not a complaint, just that there are other better Tom Yum in the city if you care to look for it.
You should also make it a point to try the cockles in Thailand – at least once, no matter at which food stall or restaurant. There’s no shortage of this shellfish here and as you can see, they are much larger than what you get back home.
The freshest cockles are briefly boiled, served bloodily juicy with a spicy (really spicy!) dip. A portion cost only ฿80, worth trying – as long as you don’t feel squeamish at the sight of bloody, half-cooked cockles.
In hindsight, I wouldn’t have ordered the Grilled River Prawns @ ฿220. Why? Because we went to a BBQ buffet the next day and had unlimited servings of it – superbly fresh too!
That being said, the grilled prawns were still great although not as satisfying as what we had at T&K Seafood.
Overall, the restaurant feels clean and it’s suitable for those looking for a good and reasonably priced meal. Jae Koy is open way past midnight so you can drop by for late dinner or supper after shopping at the night markets.
Getting here is also not an issue, as the nearest BTS Station (Ratchathewi) is only 350m away, 5 minutes max on foot.
Jae Koy Restaurant
362/2-3, Phetchaburi Road, Rajthevee, Bangkok
Tel: 08-1818-3625
Business hours: 5pm – 3am
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