Newly opened Thai-inspired gastrobar Jungle brings lush and fiery Thai flavours to Ann Siang Hill with its edgy eats and inspired cocktails.
What used to be Gem Bar on Ann Siang Hill – a watering hole once exceedingly popular for its beer bucket deals – is now Jungle, a Thai-inspired grill and bar.
But Jungle isn’t any random Thai eatery, the sort that used to inhibit the now-defunct Golden Mile Complex (or better known as Little Thailand). Instead its one of those edgy minimalist gastrobar types – complete with bare walls and screed floors, tastefully accented with functional wood furnishings – appropriating the cuisine of our ASEAN neighbour to the north and presenting those flavours in all its fiery glory.
It’s a bold take on Thai cookery, drawing culinary inspiration mostly from the northern regions of Thailand. There are little to no elements of Thai royal cuisine here. Instead the tightly-focused food menu at Jungle drills down to mostly open flame grilling over charcoal, with various salads and a couple of curries as supporting cast.
Flavours here are big, hearty, and in-your-face. Yes, you’ll reach for your kerchief with this one. The Pomelo Lemongrass Salad is a good way to kick off a meal here, a refreshingly sweet, tangy and spicy melange of textures and flavours that will have you scraping the bottom of the plate. We love a good laab too, and here Jungle eschews the more common pork mince for duck in its Northern Duck Laab, or – very unusually – fish with its Isaan Style Fish Laab.
The Southern Crab Yellow Curry comes creamy and delicately spiced with luxuriously briny flavours, but the Beef Panaeng Curry – with melt-in-the-mouth chunks – will have your palate flaming as though you’ve just had your lips rubbed with chilli by your Asian tiger mom as a punishment for cussing. Both curries we highly recommend. You’ll want plenty of rice to temper the heat.
But it’s the grill that’s the real star at Jungle.
You can’t go wrong here, from the Southern Style Charcoal Grilled Chicken and Sugarcane Smoked Pork Jowl – the latter served with a most indolent (and fiery) nam jim jaew dip – to the most delectable Northern Hammered Beef Brisket.
These smoky, charred meat morsels make great accompaniment for drinks. Thankfully Jungle runs a pretty decent cocktail programme, one that leans on familiar Thai ingredients without going far too overboard. Or, if you lean that way, a small selection of low intervention wines.
Just note – it’s not going to be Golden Mile Complex prices here. But Jungle offers a punchy yet nuanced take on less familiar Thai flavours that’s a nice departure from the usual contemporary gastrobar fare.
Jungle
Address 10 Ann Siang Hill, Singapore 069789 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 6pm to 11pm Tuesdays to Thursdays; 6pm to 12am on Fridays and Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays
Tel (65) 8389 2258
Web jungle.sg
Instagram @jungle.thai
Reservations book here
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