The second notable Thai restaurant in Henley – and on the same street – Giggling Squid has gone down the “upmarket/bistro” approach. Not that Bistro and Thai are two natural bedfellows. In fact they are only slightly more likely to be seen together than “Thai Tapas” which is what Giggling Squid seems to offer on its lunchtime menu.
The room and decor are lovely. Old timber beams and wooden floors, smart(ish) toilets and some lovely purple banquets, if you are lucky enough to get such a table. If you are unlucky, you will get a table practically on the front door step, as the amused Squids are clearly trying to max out their square footage.
The wine list is healthy, but with only one choice of each colour by the glass, a little restricting; especially if you are dinning with someone who prefers Singha to Sauvingnon.
The (non tapas) food was tasty, but not stand-out special. Salt and Pepper squid came disguised as calamari rings, in a thick batter. Tom Kha soup was deliciously creamy and fragrant, and stacked to the rafters with chicken, onion and other vegetably bits – although could easily have handled a smidge more heat.
Our sizzling Tipsy Tipsy (which we believe to be a first cousin of Drunken Tiger) was overly sweet, and notable only by its absence of sizzle… not even a hiss or a splutter by the time it arrived. The rest of the meal was fairly unmemorable – although portion sizes were more than generous.
Unfortunately, the service meant that these two squids were not giggling by the end of the meal. In fairness, I have experienced far worse service elsewhere (no one was left covered in food, insulted or with the wrong meal), however we were left sitting in front of our dirty plates for close to 20 mins after we had asked for our leftovers to be boxed up (see mention of generous portion sizes) , and what the wait staff lack in proactivity, they make up for in the disarming ability to avoid eye contact.