Giggling Squid - Bristol Food Review
Posted on: 2017-02-28
Our rating:
A sweet and smooth red Thai curry sauce, an assortment of veg and the star of the show being the squid stuffed with minced chicken. This was a very new combination of flavours for me, but a great bit of cookery and a true revelation.
The Giggling Squid, located in the heart of Clifton Village, is a must for any Thai foodie fans in the Bristol area. Having only heard stories from friends I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the restaurant. In all honesty I presumed it was a sushi restaurant by the name, but never judge a book by its cover because I honestly had some of the most amazing Thai food. There are many reasons you should be dining there soon.
In truth I don’t eat Thai food a lot. I am a massive fan of a classic Indian curry though. Having had plenty of friends tell me about the awesome and quirky menu at the Giggling Squid I thought it about time to start to give the Thai curry counterpart a go.
The quaint restaurant, which is situated in the perfect spot for anyone in Bristol that fancies a tapas lunch or a great dinner, is beautifully laid out and immaculate. Having been greeted by engaging and friendly staff we took our seats and it was time to get stuck in.
Sampling a glass of their house red wine and casting an eye over the menu we were brought some spicy prawn crackers and sweet chilli dip. A delightful little amuse-bouche whilst I decided on my order. A stickler for detail, I also noticed that on their menu they use informal little phrases, such as “Think Grandma cooking for her family.” Little touches like these always give me a chuckle, so bravo Giggling Squid.
After munching down on our prawn crackers we got down to ordering our starter. The sharing platter seemed the ideal option to sample a taste of Thailand in one go. A mixture of hand-cut pork grilled on skewers, salt and pepper squid, Thai fish cakes and vegetable spring rolls greeted us on a beautifully presented board, accompanied by dips of sweet chilli, spicy sriracha and infused rice wine vinegar. Each separate dish was well prepared and bursting with flavour, and the sauces were a compliment to all the dishes. A big shout out has to go to the Thai fishcake though as it was brilliantly cooked. Crispy on the outside and moist in the inside, it was a real treat for the taste buds.
After a great starter we moved on to the mains. One order of giant butterfly king prawn pad Thai and an order of red squid curry with jasmine rice. Both were beautifully presented yet again and the aromas were immense. I went for the red squid curry, which was new taste experience for me. A sweet and smooth red Thai curry sauce, an assortment of veg and the star of the show being the squid stuffed with minced chicken. This was certainly unlike anything I have had before but a great bit of cookery and a true revelation.
My friend had the king prawn pad Thai and, having travelled around Thailand, said it was a great dish. Authentic and brimming with flavour, she said it was very hard to fault. The sheer size of the king prawns left me gob-smacked and, as with the the curry, it was cooked beautifully.
Thankfully we had just enough room for desert. We both opted for the black sesame flavour ice cream; a dish unique to the Giggling Squid and one that had me intrigued. The dish did taste nice, however I felt that the black sesame didn’t have a lot of flavour and in essence it was just a nice vanilla ice cream. This didn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, spoil the meal though as everything still tasted wonderful.
The restaurant had a quite and pleasant atmosphere and was fairly busy for a Tuesday evening, which is always a good sign. All this and staff that do nothing but smile and make you feel welcome, coupled with incredible, innovative food and a very competitive price, means you should check out Giggling Squid for your next Thai experience.
Service: 4
Food: 3.5
Atmosphere: 4
Value: 4
Pop in and see the guys at 34 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton, BS8 4BZ. www.gigglingsquid.com/restaurant/clifton
Article by:
Matt, originally from Belfast, has only lived in Bristol for a year now and is studying Media & Journalism at UWE. He wants to concentrate his writing and media skills in Bristol's culinary culture, delving into what fine feasts the city has to offer and where the best places to go for food really are. Along with an aspiration to interview some of the influential people shaping Bristol and some who are simply passing through, Matt really is trying to make Bristol his new home! For any other info check out his Facebook or Twitter.
