Looking into the room at Singburi's new Shoreditch digs
Everyone seems very exercised about Singburi. What exactly is the big deal?
It's very rare that a London restaurant manages the impossible, getting everyone who goes to like it. But over a period from the mid 2010s onwards, a little restaurant with no booze licence or bookings in deepest Leytonstone managed just that. Over the years Singburi saw one generation passing the baton to the next as Tony and Thelma Kularbwong's son Sirichai took it over.
When the restaurant announced its closure, there was widespread rending of tunics and scattering of ashes across the London foodie firmament. But where one door closes, another opens. Singburi, it turned out, was moving into the city - or more precisely Shoreditch. In addition, Sirichai was gaining two very interesting partners, chef Nick Molyviatis, who was previously head chef at Kiln and Alexander Gkikas, who co-founded Catalyst Cafe and Roastery. Most importantly, this was now somewhere you could book.
So where exactly is it?
If you've been reading the reviews so far, you'll have noticed a common theme - not that the restaurant is hard to find, but that restaurant critics seem unable to follow basic directions on Google Maps. It's off Shoreditch High Street, in a new development called Montacute Yards. That's pretty clearly signposted on the street itself, on the opposite side to the entrance to Redchurch Street. Look for Rudy's Pizza and you'll see the alleyway. Singburi is down there, right next door to Fora.
Where's a good place to meet for drinks first?
When we arrived at lunchtime on a sunny Saturday the loudest place to be was Boxpark which seemed to have attracted half the hen and stag parties in London. If you're after a more leisurely pint or glass of wine then Shoreditch Wine House or the Owl and Pussycat are both decent locations.
Where should we sit?
We did a bit of faffing about this, unable to decide at first whether to go for a table or sit up at the counter. There are two counters in fact - one at the bar and one that puts you front and centre at the kitchen with its custom-built live fire grill. We ended up at stools overlooking the latter and were glad we did.
The bar section part of the counter at Singburi
What's on the menu?
We can tell you what we had, but they're promising that dishes will change and evolve. At least one of the best things we tried had only been on the menu for a few days, while others were still in a state of development. The good thing is that the menu is very tight - 12 dishes on for lunch, ranging in price from £6 to £14.50. So if you come in a group, it's perfectly feasible to try the entire menu.
Here's what we tried:
Wild ginger chicken thigh (£6.50) - a chicken thigh has no business being this good, but here we are. Best with liberal squishes of that lime all over it.
Grilled lamb riblets tossed in a sauce made of tamarind, sugar, two kinds of fish sauce and roasted chilli powder (£12.50). While lamb isn't something you'd find in a classic Thai dish, this is a Thai restaurant in London and the chefs are making the most of what great produce they have access to here.
Watermelon and strawberry salad (£8.50) - making the best of what's in season right now and perfectly finished off with some pork floss. And that's a smoked tomato salad (£10.50) in the background.
Grilled halibut with nam jim talay. At £14.50, this was the priciest item on the menu, but what a gloriously cooked bit of fish, all blistered skin and pitched perfectly with that Thai green chilli sauce.
Then came what instantly jumped into the top 5 section of our best dishes of the year. We're still waiting to find an aubergine dish we don't like, but this was an absolute standout.
Aubergine pad phet (£12.50) - coated in tapioca flour and first fried at a low temperature before a second higher fry before being tossed in oyster sauce, fish sauce, chilli, garlic, wild ginger and either holy or Thai basil. A must-have dish.
Room for dessert?
We did have room but, like the OG Singburi, they don't do them here. You could do as we did and pop on over to the Sicilian Pride gelato stall at Boxpark if you fancy.
What about drinks?
There is a tight wine list with bottles mostly in the £30-£40 range, but we very much wanted to try the cocktails by top Greek mixologist and bar owner Vassilios Kyritsis. Both of these were so delicious we immediately ordered them again.
Left to right - Updated cox Daiquiri made with their home-made pineapple cordial and rum (£12) and Makrut lime leaf gimlet (£11.50).
Overall thoughts:
There have been plenty of column inches and social posts obsessing on whether this is as good as the OG, the same, or an inferior second album. We'd prefer to focus on whether it's a good restaurant or not and whether you should go. The answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes. Four weeks in, on a rainswept Saturday, the restaurant filled up quickly at lunchtime and there was a palpable buzz. Grab a seat at the counter, settle yourself with one of those great cocktails and whatever you do, order the aubergine if it's on.
More about Singburi
Where is it? Unit 7 Montacute Yards, Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6HU
Find out more: On their website or follow them on Instagram @singburi_e1
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Singburi. Prices correct at time of publication.
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