I am fortunate to live in a village with a pub which does very good Thai cuisine, and also close to Godalming which also has an excellent independent restaurant, so it has been a while since I last went to a Giggling Squid, which has always impressed.
This successful chain was set up in 2002 in Brighton by a husband-and-wife team Andy and Pranee Laurillard and now has over 50 sites including Farnham and Guilford. Their restaurant in Reigate has recently moved to a much bigger site on the High Street and it was a pleasure to be asked to review it.
Alongside colleagues Zoe and Marcus, we went along on a weekday to see what we had been missing. The new space is very large and bright, with huge windows letting lots of light into the uber colourful interior, with its lovely signature wallpapers and decorative features. To go with the excellent prawn crackers, we each treated ourselves to a ‘Giggling Signature’ cocktail. The Lemongrass Ladyboy was lovely although the lychee flavour was not that pronounced. The Passionfruit & Lime Cooler was refreshing but the passionfruit was a little overwhelmed by the lime. However, star of the show was the Raspberry Amaretto Sour, with the freshness of the fruit marrying beautifully with the nutty amaretto. Absolutely delicious!
The lunch menu is very clever, offering tapas style sets, with four different dishes all served on a sectioned plate. There is a choice of seven different combinations, all very appealing. We picked three to share. The Bangkok Chinatown Set (£15.95) had Chicken Pad Prik Sod, Prawns Wok Fried with Ginger, Salt & Pepper Chilli Mushrooms and Yellow Garlic Noodles. The Sleeping Honey Set (£15.95) had Crispy Honey Duck, Chicken Cashew Stir Fry, Spring Rolls and Jasmine Rice while the Big Wallet Set (£16.95) included Lamb Massaman Curry, Duck Spring Rolls, Samui Zingy Prawns and Jasmine Rice. We also tried their Sticky Chicken (£7.95) and Salt & Pepper Squid (£6.50) as side dishes.
All these dishes were very good, with excellent flavours and taste sensations. The best of the ‘main’ dishes was the lamb curry, which had the tenderest meat in a lovely rich sauce. Both prawn dishes were superb, with delicious fresh, sweet and large prawns in good sauces, although they could have been warmer. The crispy honey duck and duck spring roll was also both excellent.
The mushrooms were perfectly pleasant but not very ‘mushroomy’ although the dried chilli/nori type seasoning was super (they really should sell it). Both chicken mains were good but not quite as exciting as the others dishes, the rice was well cooked and helped mop up all the delicious sauces but we found the noodles a little oily.
Both side dishes were also excellent, especially the Sticky Chicken which is billed as ‘our daughter’s favourite’ which shows she has good taste.
Being almost full after the very generous main course, we shared a scoop each of Jasmine & Toasted Rice Ice Cream and Black Sesame Ice Cream (£5.95) for pudding. Both were very refreshing and subtly flavoured, offering a lovely palate cleanser for the end of a very fine meal. A bottle of Colombard Monsoon Valley from Thailand (£29.95), which was fresh and zingy and possibly my first try of a wine from Thailand. Very pleasant.
It was a pleasure to revisit Giggling Squid, which has lost none of its great cooking ability and punchy flavours. The tapas style lunch menu is an excellent idea, one that other restaurants should copy, as it offers a combination of dishes all in one which is not only cost effective but gives you a lovely variety. Our service was excellent and quick and the new space here in Reigate really is very lovely. Highly recommended!
gigglingsquid.com/restaurant/reigate/
