Chichester restaurants: A look at the vegan menu and virgin cocktail list at Giggling Squid

But for those who endured Dry January or braved Veganuary and are considering taking their new abstinences into the future – help is here.

Giggling Squid’s Chichester restaurant, in Unicorn House, has a fresh and feisty new vegan menu can be paired with its impressive virgin cocktail list. Of course, we had to investigate.

First order of the day: drinks.

A virgin mojito, 136kcal, comes in at £5.95 and is bursting with flavours of fresh mint and lime. The Giggling Squid team swapped soda water for a fiery Jamaican ginger beer to give the drink the additional kick it might otherwise lack without rum.

King oyster mushrooms were picked to start and they certainly earned their regal title. The meaty flesh of the mushrooms make a delicious and healthy substitute for meat-eaters-turned-vegan but are fantastic starters in their own right. Succulent and fresh with coconut flavours resting on a yellow curry paste. This dish came highly recommended by the affable general manager Karl Purkiss who can talk about the ins and outs of each menu item with ease. 312kcal and £7.25

The Strawberry Cooler gives a fair fight against the virgin mojito for the top spot on the drinks menu. At £5.75 and just 103kcal, this lighter option is just as refreshing but works brilliantly as a palate cleanser between starters and mains with a juicy strawberry sweetness backed up by lemonade, fresh mint and a splash of lime.

Now onto the main event. The vegan tapas set. A four-cornered plate beneath as many Thai staples: A vegetable green curry, stir fried vegetables, spring rolls and Jasmine rice. The green curry was deliciously creamy which balanced well with the heat of the dish. The red pepper, green beans, courgette slices and baby corn were light and fresh and added a welcome crunch that went well with the soft tofu that soaked up the incredible juices

The Jasmine rice, packed into a white dome, was easy to eat with the curry — even for a chopstick novice like myself. But when, eventually, the chopsticks proved too much the trusty fork was there at hand.

The stir fried vegetables were warm and rich in a thin but flavoursome broth and without the heat of the green curry, proved a welcome comfort. But as is expected with Thai food, the heat is never far away and the vegetable spring rolls disappeared in minutes with help from the sweet chilli sauce they rested on.

Having never eaten in the Chichester branch, I was taken back by the size and layout of the interior. Though it was once home to The Chichester Observer, albeit before my time, I’d only ever stepped foot in the Horsham branch.

You can feel the history of the building and, with a views of St Pancras Church and the cathedral spire, this is certainly one of the cities most iconic spots and I’m pleased to say the building hasn’t gone to waste.

The Giggling Squid cookbook gives you the recipes to several of their meals too so you can show of to your friends by rustling up some of your favourites at home.

Find out more about Chichester Giggling Squid here.