Jungle fits right into the cluster of late-night watering holes along Ann Siang Hill. As night falls, spot a warm glow emitting from a corner shophouse unit, where the atmosphere is abuzz with the sound of chatter and classic funk tunes in the background. Here’s where plates of grilled meats and soulful Thai food come out smoking hot, while cocktails with Thai ingredients are shaken up by the counter.
The restaurant sports a snappy, no-nonsense one-pager of a menu – just the way we like it. It’s a straightforward selection of six starters, eight grilled dishes, two curries, and one dessert. Get the pomelo-lemongrass salad ($18) to start, where refreshingly sweet pulps that burst in your mouth are combined with a savoury splash of fish sauce and dried shrimp. We recommend saving some to have in between the heavier grilled dishes and curries.
The grill section sees everything from Southern-style charcoal grilled chicken ($17) to lamb skewers ($15) and hammered beef brisket ($22). But if you’re spoilt for choice, the sugarcane-smoked pork jowl ($28) with nam jim jaew (a Thai dipping sauce for meats) is always a safe bet. It’ll also be amiss to not order the charcoal grilled cabbage ($12) with a soy ginger drizzle – another house favourite.
Pick between the lamb massaman curry with roasted shallots and smoked ghee ($28), or the Southern crab yellow curry with wild rice shoots ($32). The crab curry has been a mainstay on the menu since Jungle’s opening. It’s a decent level of spicy while remaining manageable, and though the portion looks small, a little goes a long way, especially when dribbled over fragrant white rice ($3). While the natural sweetness of the crab is masked by the curry – only to be expected – the fresh crab meat retains its firm, bouncy texture.
To keep the focus of the menu on the grilled selection, dessert is a simple banana cake with coconut ice cream finished off with a Gula Melaka drizzle ($14) – nothing much to shout about. Instead, turn your eyes to the cocktail menu, which sees seven Thai-inspired tipples (from $16) to sip on as the night deepens. The Basil Smash ($18) pairs cucumber gin with rum and Cointreau for a creamy, smooth pour, while the Jungle Daiquiri ($20) is strong in its use of Kaffir lime, coupled with rum and dry vermouth. Other options include a lemon balm G&T ($16), a whisky highball ($16), and spiced-up versions of a margarita, Bloody Mary, and Negroni.
Also on the drinks list are mocktails ($12), Thai beers (from $12), and a decent range of wines, including four by-the-glass options (from $16) and plenty of low-intervention wines by the bottle.
Among a slew of other similarly fashioned restaurants in town (read: aesthetic interiors, vibey music, natural wines, and so on), we like that Jungle doubles down on honest Thai cooking and puts a new spin on Thai flavours without overreaching. The restaurant is only open for dinner and is typically packed, so reservations are recommended.