Giggling Squid: An En-Thai-cing New Restaurant In Wimbledon

Wimbledon Village is replete with chains — Pizza Express? Check. Strada? Check. Carluccio's? Check.

So it's great to see a fresh name in the form of Thai restaurant Giggling Squid. As it turns out it is a small chain, but this is the first branch in London so we're treating it as a newbie.

The floral decor is inviting and the menu so vast with so many enticing options, it takes us a while to decide what we want. With the seared scallops, it's all about the accompanying sauce, delivering a spicy kick that really makes the scallops zing. Plus, we can't resist the soft shelled crab, with just the right level of crispiness.

We highly recommend the Koong Chu Chi; the butterfly prawns are supremely succulent and frankly enormous — we need to find out which B-movie they sourced them from. We've tried a lot of Thai food and sometimes it goes heavy on the coconut — but not so here, and it's a refreshing change.  

Dessert throws up some surprises and we still can't make our minds up on that black sesame ice cream — it's an odd taste, though it does grow on you. Top billing belongs to the mango and lime cheesecake, which is a lot lighter than the cheesecakes we're used to, so we get the great taste without the bloated regret afterwards.

Giggling Squid is a great tasting new addition to Wimbledon's food scene, and at reasonable prices to boot. Break free from the usual chains and pay it a visit.

Giggling Squid, 26 High Street, Wimbledon, SW19 5BY.