Singburi: Stellar Thai food in Leytonstone

Over the years, exploring neighbourhood gems off the beaten track has been one of the greatest joys of writing this blog. And if there’s one place I find myself trekking out to time and time again since discovering it last year, it’s Leytonstone’s Singburi.

Parked amongst the old boozers, pound shops and local grocers of Leytonstone High Road, this cosy gem of a Thai restaurant is run by a lovely Thai-Filipino husband and wife team. At a glance, Singburi’s menu reads like any other bog standard Thai joint: Pad thai… Green Curry… Tom Yum. Delve a little deeper between the lines though and some lesser known, regional specialities start to emerge.

Sai Ua – smoked sausage

Yam Samun Phrai – Northern Thai salad

Their Sai Ua, an intensely smoky home-made pork sausage, was juicy, succulent and beautifully spiced. Even more impressive was the Yam Samun Phrai – a Northern-style herb salad of kaffir lime, Thai basil, betel leaves, lemongrass, carrots, cashews and dried shrimp. The salad was just bursting with aromas, flavours and textures.

Gang Heng Lay – Burmese Pork Curry

“Sea bass” special

Moo Krob – Crispy Belly Pork

It’s their hand-scrawled specials board however where the magic is at. Moo Krob – tender chunks of slow-cooked pork belly, deep-fried till crispy – were incredibly moreish. Gang Heng Leh, a tangy, Burmese-style Pork curry from Northern Thailand was brimming with tamarind, chillies and aromatic spices. Whole ‘Sea Bass’, steamed Thai-Chinese style in a sweet soy sauce with ginger, scallions, mushrooms and salted vegetables took me right back to my family home’s dinner table in South-East Asia.

The ultimate showstopper though was their ‘Crab’ special. A staple on their specials board on our past 3 visits, this fragrant dish of meaty crab, fried in a medley of chillies, lemongrass, beaten egg & spices was properly scrumptious.

“Crab” special

With smaller dishes roughtly a fiver and larger dishes round the £10 mark, this is easily some of the best value Thai food in town. Add to that the BYOB policy here and it’s no surprise this gem has fast become one of my favourite neighbourhood eateries out in the East.

You lucky Leytonstoners… What I would give to have this place on my doorstep.

G.

593 High Rd Leytonstone, London E11 4PA  | 02082814801

p.s. Best to call ahead and book a table, especially during weekend evenings when they tend to be busiest!