VEGANUARY is here, so I went to try the new vegan menu at a Thai restaurant in Beaconsfield.
Giggling Squid on London End in Beaconsfield Old Town recently launched its new menu in time for Veganuary, a popular campaign encouraging diners to take up eating meals free of animal-products.
The Thai restaurant chain boasts almost 50 restaurants across the country, and non-vegan menu continues to be served alongside the vegan option.
This was my first time inside the restaurant, and I was positively surprised how spacious it is at the back. At no point did you feel unpleasantly close to other diners.
Me and my dining companion were warmly greeted by the staff inside the signature mint green coloured restaurant.
What is Giggling Squid vegan menu like?
The first impression of the vegan menu is that long gone are the days when vegans or vegetarians had to work hard just to be served a haphazardly heated pile of unidentifiable vegetables.
The separate vegan menu had starters from £5.99, two noodle dish options from £10.75, rice and sides from £3.50, curries from £11.95, and stir fries starting at £8.99.
Spiciness is noted by medium or hot.
As a starter I ordered the vegan spring rolls with homemade sweet chili sauce.
The consistency was perfectly crispy on the outside, soft and well assembled on the inside, and piping hot. There was no way to tell it apart from non-vegan rolls.
For the main I had the other noodle option – the ‘Giggling Pad Thai’ described as “flavoursome rice noodles with tofu, beansprouts, sliced red onions, Thai chives and crunchy peanuts”.
Once again there was no way to tell it apart from its non-vegan counterpart.
It is traditionally made mild, and after the sweet chili sauce I probably should have ordered something spicier, such as the hot ‘chili and basil gra pao’ or medium ‘Thai red curry’.
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The only downside to the otherwise pleasant dining experience was burning my tongue with the jasmine tea, which I can only blame myself for.
Luckily, I could turn to my delicious ‘pineapple, coconut and mekhong sorbet’ dessert, the one vegan treat on the dessert menu for £4.95, which helped to soothe and left me wanting more.
Overall, the Giggling Squid vegan menu has something for every taste, while the spacious setting and friendly and quick service can cater for a bigger group of diners.
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