I tried Jungle Peri Peri on Caerleon Road in Newport

Jungle Peri Peri, located on Caerleon Road in Newport, has been open since 2022.

In this two years, the company has gone from strength to strength, and has recently acquired a place in the thriving Cwmbran Shopping Centre to serve a wider audience.

Jungle Peri-Peri outside (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Asif Ali, the owner of Jungle Peri Peri, said his family have run several clothing businesses around Gwent and the Vale of Glamorgan.

However, during the Covid-19 lockdown period when residents were antsy to take daily breaks and nature walks, inspiration struck for Mr Ali. He decided to open a food business with a nature theme that would satisfy his craving for healthy, grilled chicken, with a twist.

Jungle Peri-Peri interior (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

 “Business is in my blood,” said Mr Ali, whose family was caught off-guard by the nationwide lockdowns at the time.

“We only have one day off, so it was a shock to the system,” he said, adding, “I got to spend more time with my family, so I always take positives like that, it made my deen (faith in God) stronger. But I’m not the type of person to sit around, so I designed all of this in lockdown.”

Mr Ali points to the menu, the design of the shop, the greenery balanced with the wooden roof panels, and even the packaging for the food.

Jungle Peri-Peri interior (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Health-conscious

Mr Ali credits the menu options to his love and passion for rugby. “I play rugby, my boys play it, my brother plays for Cardiff, my son plays for Cardiff, so we’re big on fitness.

“We like grilled chicken after we’ve finished training, something with protein which is healthy. I’ve always loved peri-peri so I felt it was right, and I thought ‘let’s see what happens’.”

Jungle Peri-Peri interior (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Combining nature with healthy food items and a ‘wild,’ Jungle theme, brought the dream to life.

The owner said: “My family thought I was crazy at the time, my friends did too.”

After getting planning permission, renovating the shop, designing the menu and testing recipes, Jungle Peri Peri was born.

Jungle Peri-Peri interior (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

“Our menu isn’t big but we do it properly. The only thing that isn’t healthy on the menu, are the chips.”

The menu is also the only menu in Newport that serves a halal Wagyu beef burger.

Now, onto the menu and what I tried.

I tried five 'Jungle' items

The menu is divided into peri-peri and smashed burgers, dipped burgers, wraps, grilled ‘jungle’ strips, whole, half or quarter chicken, wings, loaded rice or fries, sides and desserts. A separate kids’ menu and something for vegetarians is also available.

Price ranges for the menu items are:

Peri-peri, dipped and smashed burgers from £5.90 to £8.49

Lion burger (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Inside the Lion burger (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Wagyu burger - £20

Cobra or combo wraps from £5.40 to £6.40

Strips and wings from £3.80 to £20

Rice and fries from £5.50 to £6.50

Cobra wrap (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Cobra wrap (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Salads and vegetarian burger from £2.99 to £5.50

Platters from £10 to £29.95

Desserts from £1 to £5.99

Guests will see a familiar heat scale for the level of spice they would prefer, and food can be turned into meals for an additional £2.50.

To feed two people, we chose the original cobra wrap in extra hot and mango and lime ; lion burger as hot ; loaded rice as lemon and herb; and Jungle strips x3 as mango and lime, with two portions of fries and two drinks (Jungle Juice x2), which would set you back £25.95* (excluding dips). 

Loaded rice (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Loaded rice (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

The highlight of the menu was the cobra wrap, where the chicken was succulent, and full of flavour.

The jungle juice was a great mix of a light and non-fizzy mango juice, while the loaded rice reminded me of chilli chicken with green peppers in it. 

The jungle strips were fork-tender (literally, as we cut them with a wooden fork), while the lion burger bun was fresh and the chicken was not dry at all. 

Jungle strips (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

Jungle strips (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

I'd also like to take a moment to say the chips were really fresh and crispy, they were not soggy and seasoned with a generous dose of peri salt.

The shining stars were the dips, the jungle sauce and the garlic mayonnaise PACK A PUNCH. They are not for the faint-hearted and don't dip a whole chip in there and eat it, they are definitely flavoured to the extreme and moderation is key. That's not to say, you should avoid them, as they are unassuming winners.

If I were to go back for this exact meal, I would ask for ice in the jungle juice, more lettuce in the burger, ask for a double patty in the burger, and turn up the heat on the loaded rice to extra hot. The rice was tasty but I'd prefer a spicier kick.

Jungle Peri-Peri interior (Image: Ruby Qaimkhani)

All in all, I would rate Jungle Peri Peri an 8.3/10, with the service and friendliness of staff deserving 10 out of 10.

Next time (and I will be going back), I'll try out their Wagyu burger to see how it ranks compared to other beef burgers.

Address: 203 Caerleon Rd, Newport NP19 7HA

Opening Times: Monday to Saturday: 12pm midday until 10.30pm

Sundays: 4pm to 10.30pm

This meal was a gift, but all views are my own.

Have you tried Jungle Peri-Peri? Tell us what you thought of it in the comments below.