Giggling Squid serves the kind of Thai food that makes your face beam and your belly feel truly full, with goodness. In the heart of Leicester, you’ll be hard pressed to find somewhere that serves more divine Thai food than at Giggling Squid – which has family at its core. The restaurant’s decor is summery, floral and has beautiful touches everywhere. If you’re lucky, you may even get sat in one of the bird cage style booths.
At the table, you should order the prawn crackers to nibble on, which come with a delicious sweet chilli sauce. To start or share amongst the table, try the satay four ways with a selection of marinated skewers, like the moo dang pork, chicken, grilled squid and butterfly prawn, served with satay and zesty Thai herb dipping sauces. The fisherman's feast is a basket filled with soft shell crab, crispy squid bits, salt and pepper squid, classic papaya salad and a variety of sauces. Individual starter portions include the crispy pastry golden money bags, and Samui zingy prawns, along with the Giggling wings and salt and pepper chilli mushrooms.
The curries at Giggling Squid are famously lush, silky and layered with rich depths of flavour, and include the massaman which is simmered in coconut milk and flavoured with star anise, cinnamon and cardamom, before being topped with crunchy cashew nuts. The noodles and stir fries are full of aromatic flavour, and include the richly flavoured, spicy flat noodles of pad kee mao, with fine green beans, coconut tips, chilli, garlic and green peppercorns. The sticky chicken is the restaurant's hit dish, which is the favourite of the owner's daughter. This hearty bowl of crispy fried chicken is tossed in a sweet and sticky delicious sauce.