Giggling Squid - Portsmouth

You're walking into something genuinely good here. Giggling Squid has pitched itself perfectly for Portsmouth: unpretentious enough that you'll see families with kids and office workers on their lunch break, but skilled enough that you're getting real Thai cooking, not the diluted stuff. The room's got energy—it's the kind of place where the buzz of conversation makes you feel like you've stumbled onto something the locals have already figured out. Order the larb if they've got it on, stick with their curries cooked to actual heat levels, and don't skip their desserts. It's in Vulcan Buildings, which means you're properly in the heart of the Southsea end of things, close to all the better bits of Portsmouth.