New restaurant plan for York moves step closer

THE opening of a new Thai restaurant in York city centre has moved a step closer with a bid to licence the venue lodged.

An alcohol licence application has been lodged for Giggling Squid, a national chain serving Thai tapas, which is set to open in the former Banks music shop in Lendal.

Giggling Squid’s website stated its restaurants offer plentiful dishes, bold flavours and exotic ingredients to be enjoyed together.

Some of the food from Giggling Squid

The lodging of the licence application with York Council comes after planning permission was granted for the restaurant in May and for its signage in early June.

The plans are set to see the vacant unit formerly home to Banks which closed in February.

Banks was Britain’s oldest music shop, tracing its roots back to a store which first opened in Blake Street in 1756.

Chokdee Ltd, which trades under the name Giggling Squid, has applied for opening hours of 10am to 11.30pm all week.

It would have a licence to sell alcohol from 11am to 11pm if its application is approved.

Husband and wife Andy and Pranee Laurillard founded Giggling Squid in 2002, opening their first restaurant in Brighton.

Their chain now has almost 50 restaurants across the UK, including one in Harrogate, with plans to open a site in Leeds.

Giggling Squid dishes (Image: Giggling Squid)

The menu includes curries, noodles and stir fries including pad thai, meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes and a number of different rice dishes.

There are also sharing platters including satay skewers.

It also offers a selection of cocktails.

Giggling Squid first announced plans to open a restaurant in York in February.

It came around a year after Hal Leonard Europe, the owners of Musicroom which Banks was a part of, announced plans to move online and close a number of stores.

The store in York closed along with those in Edinburgh, Exeter, Lincoln, Salisbury and Stratford and its flagship store in London’s Denmark Street has also shut since.

Giggling Squid’s application is open for representations until Wednesday, July 17.