Junker was one of the first places on the scene for the rebirth of Suan Phlu as a hip, low-rent alternative to Sathorn Soi 10-12. Its recipe is part WTF (crowds drinking on the street outside), part Escapade (hefty-sized, no-nonsense burgers), and after 8pm on any given evening you’ll be lucky to get a seat right away.
The compact, galley space packs in a kitchen (OK, a grill, deep-fat fryer and fridge), lots of blond wood, a few tables and chairs—none very comfy—and a well-stocked bar. The owner, Bard Passapong, used to be a cocktail waiter at W Hotel, and makes a big noise about using both locally brewed sprits and his own home-infused concoctions. He also serves a rotating line of Thai-made craft beers, like Pheebok’s delicious Haunting Charming pale ale (B180). At B220 (no tax or service charge), his gin sour made with root beer-flavored gin is stiff competition for drinks costing twice that in other bars.
But not all the staff are as in-the-know as Bard, which means you need to catch his attention for the best off-menu cocktails. Food-wise, do yourself a favor by skipping the frat-boy college recipes like wild mushroom and bacon “pizzadila” (two grilled tortillas sandwiching a mess of tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and a nauseating amount of truffle oil, B180) and fried “taco dogs” (a hot-dog wiener wrapped in pastry and deep fried, B120) and go straight for the burgers.
The meat in the the towering, strictly-knife-and-fork Australian wagyu burger (single meat, B220/double meat, B360) could do with more texture and bite, but it’s lovely and moist, accompanied by a sharp and sweet tomato relish. There’s a definite similarity to Escapade’s spongy, stomach-churning handfuls. Our advice: save the B140 of going double; one patty is plenty big enough. The lamb burger (single meat, B220/double meat, B360) also packs full-on flavor, though has a disconcertingly fake peppermint taste.
Overall, Junker manages to do exactly what it sets out to: decent cocktails, fatty comfort food and a party atmosphere. The neighborhood crowd doesn’t lie.
