Singburi closed: what's next?
How about residencies from rising Thai chefs in its famed dining room? Plus: revisiting Mum Likes Thai Food, Leytonstone's new £4 biryani, Wanstead's best lunch set menus - and the Birkbeck Tavern
Many of you will know by now that Leytonstone’s legendary Thai restaurant Singburi - which generally takes an annual break in January and February (this year, also in March) - this week shut indefinitely.
“We’re going on sabbatical a little earlier than expected,” chef-owner Sirichai wrote earlier this week on Instagram. “We are now closed for this year. It has been twenty five years since we began as a fish and chip shop, wondering if we could pay the rent…to this.”
He continued to say that “it’s been a lot of years watching Mum wrap her spring rolls and helping Dad make Tod Mun Pla. It has been a lot years of graft and commiserating but we are in a position to fondly reminisce. But now, for the moment we need time to ruminate, as we have not had as much time for ourselves. See you, when we see you.”
It sounds fair enough - if a little ominous - whatever you might feel about the booking process, or limited hours of opening. Personally, I think they’ve handled the accompanying pressures of their stellar rise (culminating in an impressive placing in the UK’s Top 75 restaurants) with grace. Their Instagram posts state availability (where it exists) and offer tips on takeaway timeslots, as well as when to call to (try to) book, or even times to swing by if you’re local.
I’ve been fortunate enough to eat there three times this year - and each one dazzled (most recently, without a booking). And yep, highlights were the classic crispy moo krob, delicately balanced prawn curry, stir-fried lettuce with prawn floss, salted fish fried rice, incredible fiery salads…and a memorable pile of crispy tilapia with green mango, an usual pairing that proved especially moreish.
However, I’m sure many diners, guzzling BYOB wine in the always buzzy interior, have discussed ways in which they would operate the place better: yep, a booking app would be easier, a card machine would be magnificent. To be honest, I always thought a lunch service would be fantastic at the weekends. Or any day: imagine a sneaky midday treat on a Wednesday?
But Sirichai and his team, which includes his mother Thelma, who runs the front-of-house, have always done it their way, and reached heights of which most restaurants can only dream. And that’s to be applauded for what is, as they say in their bio, “a small Thai restaurant”.
But there is one more suggestion I’d tentatively make. Instead of the restaurant lying closed and un-used potentially for months, could it be possible to allow young (Thai?) chefs to run residencies or pop-ups?
Most locals will agree that it’s such a shame to see another shuttered outlet on Leytonstone High Road - and it would surely be a fantasy of almost every up-and-coming young London chef to take over such a famous kitchen, even for a night or two. And Sirichai, with his broad hospitality connections, is more than clued-up enough to allow only the finest rising talent through his doors.
Sure, it would take some co-ordination, but wouldn’t it be a fantastic platform for a new generation of talent to make their name right here on Leytonstone High Road?
Birkbeck Tavern makes Time Out’s Top 50
I’m writing this (naturally Trump-free) newsletter from backstreet Victorian gem The Birkbeck on that hinterland between Leyton and Leytonstone (although bearing an E11 postcode).
Perhaps best known locally for its surprisingly oasis-like walled courtyard with very verdant lawn, I’m happy to say that, though damp and foggy, it’s still sheltered enough to sit outside with a pint. Although heck, I’ve chosen my preferred spot by the fireplace, its hearth home to a sewing machine, china pot and coal scuttle (oh, and a Haunted House sign that doesn’t quite point upstairs). I’m pretty sure the soundtrack to the Wicker Man is playing on the stereo, too.
Saved by a residents’ campaign in 2012, the Birkbeck, built in the 1880s, is a genuine community boozer, and I imagine that’s what Time Out is trying to do by placing it in this week’s round-up of London’s Best Top 50 Boozers at #40. It’s certainly true that this is one of the area’s unheralded Victorian gems.
If you haven’t checked it out, you really should: pewter mugs hang from the ceiling, books are strewn on the backs of worn horseshoe-shaped sofas, there’s a dartboard and pool table. They have a decent selection of beers, more cheaply priced than many nearby pubs, as well as live music - next up, on November 23rd, is The Imposters - and quiz nights.
As for best traditional pub in the area? I’d say it’s a tie between this, the fabulous Northcote and the bucolic North Star over in Bushwood. What say you?
What’s in this week’s issue?
Well, today I undertake an enjoyable exploration of Wanstead's best lunch set menus - and there really is some fierce competition for those in E11’s other neighbourhood.
I also try Leytonstone's newest £4 biryani at newcomer Tazgi, and look at two options to consider now Singburi is shut, including Masala India and, of course, Mum Likes Thai Food, whose Chef’s Recommendations are the place to explore its more elevated dishes.
Finally, I contemplate the fascinating story of this week’s social media phenomenon, the Leyton pheasant. Yes, really. Plus the usual bumper news, tips and hearsay section for your diaries.
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Mum Likes Thai Food: a genuine Singburi alternative?
If you’re missing Singburi already, perhaps it’s time to look again at Leytonstone’s other Thai. The second branch of the Roman Road-based Mum Likes Thai Food opened on Leytonstone High Road exactly a year or ago this month, two doors down from the all-conquering Homies On Donkeys.