The Giggling Squid

Hurrah! Essay numero uno of third year has been submitted and to celebrate/recuperate before the next bout of work I went home for a few days last week. Aside from giving me a chance to catch up on sleep/eat as much as physically possible in preparation for the harsh student winter looming upon us, it also gave me and the mother an excuse to be ladies who lunch.

After doing the mandatory countryside walk/lying on the sofa for hours on end, Mum and I headed into Brighton on Friday to visit my favourite Thai restaurant. The Giggling Squid is an absolute must for anyone who loves Asian food.

They have branches in Brighton, Crawley, Henley, Hove, Maidstone, Marlow, Reigate, Stratford and Tunbridge Wells, although with its higgledy piggledy layout and touches of Asian decor you would never guess this place is a chain. The Brighton branch can be found in the South Lanes, squeezed into the little space opposite Fat Leo and Sweaty Betty and features 4 rooms spread over 3 floors (1 room being pretty much a private table which is pretty sweet). The bay windows let in streams of light making the small space seem a lot bigger, while the wooden tables, woven bamboo place matts and potted orchids subtly nod to its Thai heritage.

The service is fantastic and staff are very attentive, arriving at your table just as you are ready to order and checking half way through to make sure everything is to your satisfaction. Once you order, food will arrive very quickly which is always a plus when all those delicious fragrances are wafting through the air.

The tapas style menu is ideal. Although the individual dishes are divine, there are so many flavours worth trying that the only way to do things properly is to order a whole load and eat everything yourself share it all between you. The 'Tapas Sets' put together a fantastic combination of their finest choices, all with a slightly different twist. For instance, the 'Hungry Squid' will have you squealing with delight, featuring a bowl of chicken green curry, jasmine rice, juicy chicken satay sticks and a mixed vegetable stir fry, while the 'Wealthy Squid' includes lamb massaman curry, shredded duck spring rolls, jasmine rice and prawns on toast. This place is one of Mum and my regular haunts so we've tried most of the tapas sets and both agreed that our latest venture was definitely their most successful yet. The 'Two Giggling Squids' comes with salt and pepper squid, chicken massaman curry, jasmine rice and beef salad. One plate isn't enough for two (and even if it was I would still order a myriad of sides because they're all too delicious to pass up) so we ordered some shredded duck spring rolls and, our all-time favourite, the prawn salad with spicy lime dressing.

Right, let's begin our tasty Thai travels. The chicken massaman curry will beat any takeaway curry you will ever have. The chicken is perfectly tender and swimming in a rich, creamy, coconutty sauce, beautifully spiced and topped with natural yoghurt and toasty cashews. I could literally drink the sauce alone- it's just so good. The jasmine rice gets the balance of fluffy and sticky just right and does a very good job of absorbing the massaman sauce.

We've never tried the beef salad before and this was very, very silly of us. Tender and juicy, the beef sits in a pool of lime, chile, coriander, spring onion, red onion and a whole load of other face-smackingly fresh ingredients. The beef absorbs all these flavours, almost melting in the mouth and may just have edged onto the top spot with the prawn salad as my favourite. This is probably because the sauces are very similar, if not the same. Frankly you really can't have enough of this dressing so I'll let them both sit on the podium together for now. As with the beef, the prawns soak up all those intense Thai flavours and it will take some serious willpower to stop yourself from licking the plate clean.

The salt and pepper squid are encased in the lightest batter, drizzled liberally with sweet chilli sauce and garnished with fresh chiles and spring onions. What I love about this dish is the range of textures, as well as flavours, in each bite. The crunch of the batter adds a bit of drama to the lovely chewy squid, while the sweetness of the sauce and the spiciness from the chile have a little party on your tongue.

Meanwhile, waiting patiently for their time to shine, the shredded duck rolls sat looking pretty. I absolutely love duck and these are liberally stuffed with very flavourful meat, a good layer of spring onion and cucumber, and drizzled with a hefty dollop of hoisin sauce. I don't feel like I have to sell these much; anyone who likes duck pancakes (which is just about everyone) will LOVE these. Another solid favourite.

Who am I kidding, basically everything on the menu is a solid favourite, but each dish really deserves the title. I've tried my fair share of Thai food and The Giggling Squid has stayed safely at the top of my list ever since I discovered it a year or two ago.

They also do a fab Baileys coffee, which was just what I needed to prepare myself for Brighton's answer to the tempest, which was brewing nicely outside.

Unfortunately The Giggling Squid cannot bring the weather of Thailand over to our not-so-fair isle, but they do a damn good job of bringing the flavours.

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