insideKENT Magazine Issue 79 - October 2018 | Page 112
FOOD+DRINK
The Giggling Squid SEVENOAKS
HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
THAI IS MY FAVOURITE FOOD, WHICH MAKES ME A BIT OF A DISCERNING DINER
WHEN EATING AT THAI RESTAURANTS. SADLY, SO MANY SEEM TO THROW ALL OF THE
RIGHT ADJECTIVES AT YOU - ‘AUTHENTIC’, ‘MODERN’, ‘FRAGRANT’ - RAMPING UP YOUR
HOPES, ONLY FOR YOU TO SEE THOSE HOPES RAPIDLY DASHED BY A GREASY SPRING
ROLL, OR WORSE STILL, AN APPARENTLY SPICY CURRY THAT FAILS TO EXCITE A SINGLE
TASTE BUD. NOT SO AT THE GIGGLING SQUID – NOTABLY THE SEVENOAKS BRANCH, THAT
PROMISED THE insideKENT TEAM AN AUTHENTIC THAI MEAL FULL OF FLAVOUR AND
DELIVERED AT EVERY TURN. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
The interior here gets a firm
thumbs up for starters. A
converted former church with
high ceilings that flood the space
with light, it’s a sleek looking
restaurant with dark wood
flooring, hints of bamboo,
gorgeous deep green plants that
add a sense of life while looking
incredibly stylish too, and soft
lighting tucked away behind
modern wall motifs made from
wood in neutral shades. It looks
Thai without screaming an
identity at you, which is the
welcome sign of a thoughtful
interior as opposed to one that
looks too dressed or, worse still,
themed.
Onto the actual starters… We have
some seasoned Thai eaters on
our team and some that had, until
this lunch, never tried the cuisine
and so weren’t familiar with
certain items on the menu, but
this caused absolutely no
problem.
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Alongside more recognisable
delicious dishes such as chicken
satay, spring rolls and pork ribs,
there are also some more
traditional Thai offerings such as
crispy pak maew – a lightly-fried
tempura of the little known leafy
Thai vegetable, pak maew, and
sleeping honey duck – tender
duck breast cooked in honey with
cashew nuts. Every starter was
devoured, as was the restaurant’s
show-stopping salt and pepper
squid, which is renowned across
the South East and that you must
order; crispy on the outside and
extremely tender in the middle,
it melts in your mouth leaving a
delightful kick of salt on your
tongue.
Broken down into individual Thai
tapas, two-dish combis, one big
dish and Thai tapas sets of four
slightly smaller dishes served on
one large square plate divided
into sections, the menu caters for
all appetite sizes as well as all
tastes, and means diners can try
a good selection of food without
over-ordering…or, thankfully,
sharing. The ‘Two Giggling Squids’ – a tasty combination of chicken
massaman curry, salt and pepper squid, lime and chilli beef and
jasmine rice looked as lovely as it tasted and was a popular choice
around the table, as was Thai ‘old faithful’, chicken green curry – creamy
with coconut milk, generous with vegetables and buzzing with classic
Thai herbs and spices like lemongrass and galangal, it’s definitely the
best Thai green curry I’ve tasted and it wasn’t shy with punchy chilli
either, which it shouldn’t be.
Thai food is all about that irresistible combination of salt, sour, sweet
and spice that dance on your taste buds together, producing a really
satisfying depth of flavour and which food at the Giggling Squid delivers
with an expert touch. If Thai food is your thing, or if you’re a total
newbie to the exceptional cookery that this gastronomic gem serves
up, book a table now – you won’t be disappointed.
Giggling Squid Sevenoaks
3c Dorset Street
Sevenoaks
TN13 1LL
01732 465 898
[email protected]
www.gigglingsquid.com/restaurant/sevenoaks
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