Jungle Fowl in elite company after national accolade
Douglas restaurants
Thai restaurant Jungle Fowl has been named in the Gourmet Traveller top 100 restaurants in Australia for the second time in three years.
Out of 16 Queensland restaurants to make the list, released this month, the Port Douglas institution is one of only five to be named from outside of Brisbane.
But owner Ben Wallace says, while he is pleased to make the cut, he and head chef Keelan Gallogly are too busy at the restaurant to celebrate too hard.
“It’s good that Gourmet Traveller comes up this far and notices actual little guys,” Wallace says.
“They look very broadly rather than just focusing on the cities.”
GT food critics visit virtually every restaurant in the country to compile the awards, returning to some a second time if they make the shortlist.
They said of Jungle Fowl: “Balance underpins all excellent Thai cooking, and this Port Douglas restaurant gets it just right.
“It’s clear chef-owner Ben Wallace has a deft grasp of Southeast Asian flavours honed in his time as sous chef at Longrain Melbourne.”
Sydney seafood restaurant Saint Peter won the gong for best restaurant, while Brisbane’s Eass, specialising in modern Australian cuisine, was named best in the state.
Jungle Fowl is at 2/28 Wharf St, Port Douglas. Details: junglefowl.com.au.
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