Restaurants / Reviews
Giggling Squid
“That’s quite a good name,” a passer-by commented as she walked past Giggling Squid in Clifton Village. And this new restaurant is quite good; nothing more, nothing less.
A bow and a greeting in Thai greet diners as they walk into what used to be Strada on Princess Victoria Street and is now the first Bristol opening of a growing chain that was founded in Brighton in 2009 by husband and wife team Andrew and Pranee Laurilland.
The only splash of colour inside the restaurant comes from a packed shelf of books in one corner – all for decoration of course.
is needed now More than ever
The rest of the decor is very muted, with a grey banquette in the middle of the room, a selection of wicker baskets attached to the wall in one corner, stones glued to another wall and what looks like driftwood bolted to another.
Although not mentioned by name, Pranee’s personality is all over the menu. Dishes have got names like ‘yummy duck spring roll’ and ‘glorious morning’ (a type of stir fry), with some including anecdotes from Pranee about her relationship with the food: “according to ancient medicine (and my mum), ginger is believed to help comfort irritated stomach”.
Even my glass of Nuviana Chardonnay from Barcelona got the Pranee seal of approval: “Aromatic, rich and full of character. Could be a description of my husband.”
A starter of moo ping (£6.25, not to be confused with an online greetings card vendor) consisted of three skewers of grilled marinated pork, typical Thai street food with not much of the marinade coming to the fore.
With a name like Giggling Squid, I had to try the cephalopod, and it came in a main of red curry squid . The decoration inside this restaurant may be muted but this dish was a riot of colour – green, red and yellow, served alongside fluffy egg fried rice.
But it was like eating a chewy, slightly undercooked cocktail sausage. It looked like a condom blown up and felt like biting through latex.
From just two choices of desserts (caramelised mango cake and chocolate feuillantine), black sesame sorbet (£4.95), made especially for Giggling Squid by an unnamed “tiny shop in Brighton”, was much more interesting with tiny seeds occasionally making themselves known and tricking my brain that I was in fact eating a particularly cold bread roll.
The sorbet certainly benefited from a sweet sauce drizzled on it and being accompanied by slices of strawberry, orange and kiwi fruit.
Quite good then and never less than attentive smiling service in this slice of Thailand transported to Bristol via Brighton.
Giggling Squid, 34 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4BZ
0117 973 2543