We first went to Singburi about a year ago, not long after it opened in Shoreditch. (We wrote about it here.) It was one of those meals where you walk out and immediately start telling people about it. The shrimp curry, the halibut, the aubergine, all of it. We left thinking it was the best Thai we’d had in London, maybe ever. So when they invited us back to try the new menu, we didn’t think twice.
The restaurant is the reincarnation of the original Singburi in Leytonstone (one we always meant to get to and never did). The space is simple in the best way, pink tabletops, bare walls, the original bright yellow Singburi sign hanging over everything. The open kitchen is all woks and flames, and the energy in the room makes you want to settle in for a while.
We started the way we always do here, with cocktails. A spicy margarita and a makrut gimlet, both sharp and well-built. The soft fizzy colada is new and honestly the surprise of the night, creamy and tropical but not sweet. Our son had his own fizzy drink and was very happy about it.
Now the food. The smoky pad phet aubergine is the dish we would send you here for. Sweet and spicy, deeply smoky, it’s the one we order every single time and the one we talk about between visits. If you get one thing, get that. (It is properly spicy, just so you know.) The tomato salad is fresh and bright, the Isaan pork larb is punchy and sharp, and with plenty of rice on the table, you fall into that thing where you keep reaching for just one more bite.
The new additions are where it gets exciting. Scallops with chuchee cooked right in the shell, sweet and plump, the sauce deeply spiced without being heavy. A northern raw beef larb that’s everything a beef tartare wishes it could be, loaded with garlic, clean and sharp, the kind of dish you eat slowly because you don’t want it to be over. And a Blythburgh pork chop, properly grilled, juicy all the way through, one of those simple things that only works when the kitchen actually cares about what they’re sourcing.
Here’s the thing that really sets Singburi apart. You can book. No queues, no cash-only scramble, no showing up at 5pm and hoping for the best. Just make a reservation, bring whoever you want, order too much, and start planning your next visit before you’ve finished your drink. It’s at the top of our Thai list in London right now.
Note: Singburi provided support for the reporting of this story.