THE Giggling Squid has announced its new Salisbury restaurant will open on March 31.

The Thai restaurant chain is opening at the Market Place site which was vacated by Strada and they are planning to invest £150,000 to make it the biggest diner in the group with 150 seats.

Giggling Squid, which opened its first restaurant in 2009 in Hove, has established a strong reputation for its authentic, rustic and fresh Thai cooking with the emphasis on street food and coastal specialities. “It’s been an exciting 18 months, bringing great neighbourhood Thai restaurants to five new towns, dealing with a devasting flood in Hove and ramping up for further growth,” said Giggling Squid MD Andrew Laurillard.

“Substantial new banking facilities with Barclays and a strong new site pipeline make us optimistic of continuing the current growth trajectory into next year and beyond.”

Laurillard believes continued investments in systems, processes and people stands the company in good stead to improve quality and margins as the business grows.

“We are still having great fun and we hope to up our rate of openings to seven or eight restaurants a year,” he said.

The lunch menu offers a choice of six Tapas-style tasting sets that allow diners to sample several of different dishes in at a single sitting, costing between £8.00 and £10.50 with 16 individual dishes priced under £4.00. Big dishes with rice cost £6.50 to £7.95. Combi meals with starters are priced between £6.00 and £7.25.

The evening menu is more extensive with over 50 dishes available. The popular Thai Green Chicken Curry costs £8.95.