With the tourists gone, the most famous (and expensive) crab omelette in Thailand is an easy lunch.

As she cooks, Supinya Junsuta (สุภิญญา จันสุตะ) — known to most as Jay Fai — never stops shouting directions. Her small mob of assistants scurrying around her refilling bowls of spices, sauces, and seasonings. She rarely moves from her spot in front of a high-powered fan over the flaming woks with a full-face of makeup under her goggles. She never has a moment’s peace even though there are only three occupied tables at her modest restaurant that morning.

At the prime brunch hour of 11am on a quiet Bangkok Sunday, there is no hubbub as we approach Raan Jay Fai on Maha Chai Road. An oblivious diner would have walked right by the shop without giving it a second glance. Empty tables, no chairs filled with queues of hungry gourmands, the unassuming chef hunched over the woks, and the only signage is a tiny carved wooden plaque in Thai script above the entrance.

See my photography and read my article on Remote Lands here.