London’s most-loved Thai restaurant has relocated to Shoreditch. For anyone who managed to score a booking at the Leytonstone original, the move is surreal. For years, the rumour mill spun tales of a high-investment relaunch — but it was impossible to imagine Singburi outside its tiny, low-ceilinged, bathroom-through-the-kitchen home.
Cult dishes have been revamped and feel even more accomplished
The new location sits under a railway arch. It’s a fresh, pared-back space with a stainless steel bar, open kitchen, terracotta and clay-pink tiles, and tangerine-hued lights and tables. Gone is the ornate blue china, replaced with pastel plates you might recognise from the likes of Speedboat Bar or (crucially) Bangkok.
Singburi 2.0 will be navigating a balancing act of nostalgia and renewal for a while. It now competes directly with the likes of Kolae, Plaza Khao Gaeng, Smoking Goat and Kiln (some chefs have already made the move). So what remains of Singburi 1.0?
Some cult dishes haven’t made the jump. There’s no moo krob, salted fish rice, or stir-fried clams yet. Apart from the cabbage – which remains the same and is fine – those that have been revamped feel even more accomplished. The fiery yet refreshing watermelon salad now stars peak-season strawberries and enough umami-rich pork floss and mint to instigate thrilling contrasts from multiple directions. A tiger prawn and cucumber curry is as good as any seafood dish from the original. The crustaceans are conveniently split in half, shells left on to deepen flavour, their pearly-white flesh stained by viscous yellow-brown sauce that roars with funk and heat. A raw beef larb is gently pungent, piquant and aromatic with sawtooth coriander — the slightly sweet, ferrous flavour of the meat still vivid.
The scent of caramelising fish sauce and dripping animal fat hits you on entry, a glimpse of what’s new and where the restaurant is headed. A grill layered with fire and skewers is a new addition to the cooking set-up. There’s also a smoker, and chef Sirichai Kularbwong, who’s given his parents a chance to retire, is joined in the creative process by two Greeks – restaurateur and Catalyst Cafe co-founder Alex Gkikas and chef Nick Moyyviatis (formerly of Kiln and Oma).
The results of all of this so far? Grilled wild ginger chicken thigh and dill pork sausage are excellent, but the revelations are the lamb short rib — chopped into cutely named riblets, grilled to tender perfection, then drenched in a luscious but tensile, limey sauce — and a take on nam tok, where wobbly smoked pork belly is offset by nutty roasted rice powder and lifted by a medley of fragrant herbs.
There’s also a new focus on fish, Gkikas tells me. A perfectly cooked fillet of opalescent halibut in electric-green seafood nam jim reminded me of sitting on a sky-blue stool at T&K Seafood in Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road. It was pleasing, but not as layered or pulsating as other dishes. There can be no doubt they will find a way to make grilled sea creatures shine, though.
Singburi is, or was, a restaurant that meant a lot to a lot of people. It was rare to find cosmically good cooking in such a no-frills space. The green-and-yellow sign and original mangosteen posters (currently near the loos) might one day evoke the conviviality of Singburi 1.0. For now, they stir longing. Laid bare, it has to forge a new path. But it’s just getting started.
The vibe A cool, industrial spot that’s finding its feet, but the energy of serious cooking is already there.
The food Southern-Thai focused, but a full repertoire of Thai fare, from grilled meats, curries and salads, to northern laabs and herbal sausage. There’s still no dessert.
The drink Funky natural wines with floral edges, or lemongrass-infused palomas.
Time Out tip Sit at the bar if you like salivating and sleuthing on the kitchen activity.