I’m quite lucky living in Bracknell (who would’ve thought i’d ever say that eh) as it’s easy to get to other places in Berkshire such as Windsor, Ascot, Reading and Wokingham. Meaning that eating out options are pretty much endless, with a lovely combination of large chain restaurants, small local chain restaurants and pubs. Recently for my sisters 19th birthday we headed to the Giggling Squid in Wokingham. Due to the lovely unique decor of the Giggling Squid in Wokingham I was surprised to read up that the chain now have 23 restaurants spread across the South, ranging from Bath, to Billericay, to Brighton, and many places in between. Giggling Squid is a Thai restaurant. Often I find that larger and large chains lose their character and personality, but the Giggling Squid was full of both.
I often worry about eating out and trying out cuisines such as Indian, Chinese and Thai as ingredients that i’m allergic to such as nuts and coconut, can easily find their way into these dishes. However I found the menu pretty Sophie friendly (especially now i’m a vegetarian) and I had a few options of dishes that I could choose from. I did however go for Prawn Crackers (£3.50) as a starter and they were delicious. I think the waitress was a little confused by my choice, but they’re so worth it and the dip they come with is so lovely. My mum and sisters went for the Salt and Pepper Squid (£7.25) to start and my dad went for the Moo Ping (£6.50) – street food style pork skewers with a Tamarind dipping sauce. We were all very impressed with our starters and were certainly excited to try our mains. For my main course I chose the Vegetarian Sharing Platter (£15.25) for 2 off of the starters menu, and it was my kind of meal. With lots of delicious bits to choose from, the board meant that I got the best of a few amazing dishes as one meal, and included Fried tofu, Thai corn fritters, vegetable tempura and 2 giant vegetable spring rolls. I enjoyed the whole platter, although I could live without the fried tofu, and could happily eat the vegetable spring rolls every day for the rest of my life, so swings and roundabouts! The others went for the Giant Butterfly King Prawn Pad Thai (£13.95) and the Fishing Village (£13.95) mixed seafood curry, alongside some Sticky Rice (£3), which was enough for 2 people. The prawns in the Pad Thai were huge and definitely well received by both my dad and sister, and the Fishing Village dish also went down a treat with the birthday girl and my mum. Although – with one chili next to the description on the menu, I think my mum expected this to be on the more mild side of things and found it a little spicy, but still thoroughly enjoyed.
I can imagine that if you get carried away with ordering starters, mains and sides of rice and prawn crackers that the prices can tot up quite quickly, but I think for the lovely atmosphere, quality of ingredients and delicious food, the prices are well worth it.
We were very impressed with our visit to the Giggling Squid and I can’t wait to go back again soon. I can imagine it would be a lovely spot on a Friday night with the girls and some wine, or some of their fun cocktails that I spied on the menu. The staff were also super friendly and helpful, we had a few questions and for the ones our waitress couldn’t answer she simply grabbed someone else and they helped to explain a few dishes. As it was also an occasion, my sister got a cute birthday dessert of ice cream with some writing and candles, the perfect finish to a birthday meal with the family.
Have you tried the Giggling Squid? What is your favourite cuisine?
Sophie x