Four top chefs from Singapore, Bangkok, London and Amsterdam offer their delicious creations at street food stands and food trucks, showing that gourmet dishes are not just reserved for stationary gastronomy.
They prove that street food and award-winning cuisine can form a successful symbiosis and that star-level feasting can be affordable. And they are quite successful at it! Find out what is behind the success of the four chefs in this article.
Michelin-starred Thai street food
Supinya Junsuta, 73-year-old Thai, runs a street food restaurant in Bangkok and has been world-famous since she was awarded a star by the Guide Michelin for her egg omelette with crab meat.
The tasty crab dish is served in a simple ambience to the numerous guests who have to queue for up to three hours: The kitchen is open, fans hang from the ceilings of the small street food restaurant “Jay Fai”, named after the owner’s nickname. The walls are decorated with turquoise tiles and food is served at melamine tables with metal stools.
It is, after all, an authentic Bangkok street food location where Supinya Junsuta prepares her much sought-after star dish. Jay Fai is said to be a real legend, which is probably not only due to her top omelette, but also to her look: To protect herself from the splashing fat from her two big woks, Jay Fai always wears a woolly hat and ski goggles!
If you ask the legendary cook about the secret of her success, she reveals that only the best ingredients found in Thailand are used in her kitchen and prepared with a great deal of passion. The price of the crab omelette: 1.000 Baht, which is the equivalent of around 27 Euros. This means that this street food dish definitely belongs to the upper price range – but there are always customers.
Gourmet cuisine for a great price
Chan Hon Meng, a street chef from Singapore, has been offering just a handful of dishes at his street food stand “Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle” for 35 years. Among other things, noodles with chicken. In 2016 the noodle dish gained the attention of the Guide Michelin and was awarded the coveted star. The street chef, who by now can hardly escape from guests, was rewarded for his perseverance and passion.
The cost of the awarded dish: 1.30 Euros – the gourmet kitchen is thus actually very inexpensive. The Malaysian-born chef never believed that his simple street food stand could be awarded a star. But the jury’s assessment does not depend on the location, but solely on the quality of the dish.
Chan Hon Meng has a tip for other chefs: You should always give your best and cook as if it were for a restaurant critic.
Fast food inspired by fine dining
At “Schmaltz” in London, gourmet street food is served from a stylish food truck with a dandelion print. Guests are served high-quality chicken imported from France in a brioche roll shaped like a drop. Slow food, but fast.
The chicken sandwiches are available in different varieties and contain juicy chicken meat with a golden crust, refined with fine ingredients such as lemon feta, parsley sauce and spicy pickled fennel. Clearly, the taste and quality of the food is the main focus here.
The aromatic Schmaltz menu was developed by Karl Burdock, a Michelin-starred chef, who uses his cooking techniques from top chefs to create fine street food creations. Feeling like a real gourmet is possible at Schmaltz for around £7. Great pleasure for little money.
A tasteful highlight made from the best ingredients
The Amsterdam “Thrill Grill” food truck offers great culinary burger creations made from fresh regional organic ingredients: Aromatic meat with cheese and a secret sauce in a crispy hamburger roll make the dream of the ultimate burger experience come true.
Behind Thrill Grill is chef Robert Kranenborg, who became famous for his gastronomic achievements in various TV cooking shows. For Kranenborg, who has already been awarded a Michelin star several times, the preparation of good food begins with the selection of the best ingredients.
Conclusion: Street food can certainly be culinary art at the highest level
As you can see, foodies on the streets love to be conquered with delicious street food dishes made from the finest ingredients.
Guests always come back to your food truck when your cuisine tastes good. As the four star chefs show, delicious cuisine is based on the quality and freshness of the ingredients and their professional preparation. A fusion of harmonious taste nuances makes the recipes complete.
What all four star chefs have in common, besides passion for food, creativity and certainly a little bit of luck, is a small menu. And that is probably the secret of their success. The Street Food chefs concentrate all their energy on a handful of dishes, which have been brought to perfection.
So with a few dishes prepared with creativity and a personal touch, it’s quite conceivable that you could cook your way to the Michelin star heaven as a food truck owner.
