Dear Mummy, it’s not every day that you get to travel the world in one sitting but we did when we visited Giraffe World Kitchen in Basingstoke. We treated our taste buds to their exotic menu and it really did transport us to another country…well many in fact.
Based in Festival Place, Basingstoke this Giraffe World Kitchen restaurant is one of many chains across the country, but don’t let that fool you as it has a very independent feel with friendly locals and helpful staff. We’ve walked past many times and aways thought it looked too exotic and swish for our little family however when we were invited down to review it we decided to expand our culinary horizons and give it a whirl.
The restaurant has amazing decor that takes influences from all parts of the world. I was mesmerised by all the patterns from the Moroccan inspired tiles to the African tribal patterns. Right next to our table was a world map and we charted the dishes on the menu while waiting to be served. We arrived just before lunchtime and the restaurant wasn’t busy so we got served right away.
It was a very hot, sunny day outside so we opted to hide from the heat of the sun and dine inside. The large floor to ceiling windows and folding doors were opened giving us an alfresco dinning experience. As restaurant is located just off Festival Square my folks enjoyed people watching as shoppers walked to the cinema and surrounding pubs and restaurants.
We were all on soft drinks so didn’t get to marvel at the exotic cocktails on offer, however we did indulge in the non-alcoholic drinks with both my mummy and I tasting the Mango Mama smoothie (£2.95) which was delicious! All food is cooked to order so we selected our starters of Nachos and flat breads while I enjoyed the free kids activity pack. It included a cute giraffe mask which I wore throughout our visit and lots of colouring in. (see video above)
What my folks were excited about was that KIDS EAT FREE at Giraffe World Kitchen (Valid all day until the Sunday 3rd September) and it serves up good healthy food and perfect for clean eating. Even without the summer offer the usual Kids Meal Deal is Main +Drink + Dessert for £6.50 making it great value for money. There was so much choice for kids on the menu that I didn’t know where to start so our server, James, explained the menu to me – he clearly has a passion for food!
I picked the Grilled Chicken Breast (£5.25) with salad and steamed vegetables and woofed down my broccoli after playing with it trying to feed my plastic toy giraffe (see video). It was a very relaxed meal and we all took our time eating our food and never felt rushed or pressured into leaving.
My daddy enjoyed Nachos (£7.95) with black bean chilli, Monterey Jack, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos and chipotle for starters. While my mummy and grandma shared the Prawn Saganaki (6.25), king prawns in a tasty garlic, chilli, white wine, red onion & tomato sauce. Crumbled with feta, served with toasted flatbread.
The mains came out shortly afterwards giving my folks plenty of time to digest and they were delicious. My Grandma had Turkish Smoky Chicken Pide (10.50) with grilled chicken, Turkish peppers, baby spinach, feta and roasted red pepper and chilli on a spiced tomato base. Daddy had Chicken Milanese (11.95) which was breaded chicken escalope with a basil & roasted tomato sauce, garlic crushed new potatoes and a dressed green leaf salad. While mummy opted for the best thing on the menu (staff recommendation) the Lamb Tagine (£13.95), Moroccan lamb scattered with pistachios, almonds and pomegranate with couscous and toasted flatbread. All our food was delicious and the portions were massive and too much for us to finish! (see our video for the dishes). The dishes were perfectly seasoned and the meat was cooked to perfection. Next time my daddy wants to try some of the juicy burgers as he saw them come out of the kitchen and they looked spectacular!
The best bit for me of course was the dessert and I had the Strawberry & Banana Lollipops (£1.95), fresh fruit skewers with yummy chocolate dipping sauce. As you can tell from the above photo and the mess I made in our review video it was a great success. I even carried on talking about how great it was while walking home. My folks enjoyed a Fresh Fruit Sorbet Sundae (£5.95) which could have fed a whole family!
We were so impressed with the service and the wide range of food at Giraffe World Kitchen that we’re signing up to their newsletter so we can gain access to special offers. Giraffe isn’t the cheapest of places but I think this is going to be our new favourite restaurant in our home town! There’s a whole world of food out there just waiting to be explored…
Love Bella x
Disclaimer: We were offered complimentary meals in order to conduct our review, all options and photos are our own.
dearmummyblog.com 
It looks like a really great family friendly option – lovely that it had such a wide range and great service! Both a must for families.
This looks like a super cool place to go. What a great review, thanks for sharing with us.
I’ve seen this place before but never been in! Sounds fantastic.
The food looks so yummy. I love the banana and strawberry lollies! the restaurant seems to have been really accommodating.
Oh we’ve heard a lot about this place lately but never been. It sounds great!
It’s great they are family friendly as that is key when going for a meal with little ones. The sorbet sundae sounds nice.
This looks a fab place and interactive too. I will deffo spread the word about the Giraffe World Kitchen in Basingstoke :)x
Oh my the food looks absolutely delicious. I love the sound of the strawberry and banana lollies and the nachos x
I’ve been to a Giraffe world kitchen once and the food was really nice from what I can remember, I need to make another trip soon x
I’ve been here before and I loved the food! Delicious. Mmm.
Ooo love the sound of the strawberry & banana lollipops! I do love Giraffe x
What a wonderful place to visit with delicious food! Would love to try their yummy dishes!
What a cool place! My girls would love to go here 🙂
We have one in Aberdeen and I still haven’t got round to trying it, you’ve reminded me to get round to it!
I’ve never heard of this place before but looks like you all had a great time x
That food looks delicious! I’ll have to see if we have one nearby!
I keep saying I’m going to take the kids to Giraffe to eat, and then I never do! If we go to Meadowhall to do Stacey’s birthday prezzi shop one night this week we’re definitely going to check it out as the food looks more and more appetizing every time I see it!
Louise x
I love it when you try a restaurant that you thought you wouldn’t like but then end up liking it so much. The dessert looks amazing, would totally try that one.
My husband raves about Giraffe, but I’ve still never been there. I’d like to visit the one in Nottingham as that always looks and smells good when we go past!
What a great family restaurant, with such a wide choice on the menu. The food looks delicious!
Oh my goodness the lamb tagine sounds gorgeous! I’ve never been to a Giraffe restaurant so it’s good to hear what a fab variety of dishes they offer 🙂
Looks a great place and family friendly. Annoyingly we don’t have one in Cardiff
The staff definitely make a place, if we receive bad service we are unlikely to go back again. The food looks delicious and the decor is so vibrant and fun. Love it!
I’ve never been to giraffe. I always walk past it. aw the last photo is cute!
There’s a Giraffe restaurant in Glasgow but I’m ashamed to say I’ve never been. The food looks delicious though. Need to give it a try sometime.
This looks like so much fun! She is adorable! Love the yummy food!
The food looks yummy. I can see your little one is really enjoying her meal.
I love Giraffe restaurants and was really disappointed when both our local ones shut down
Wow the decor looks amazing! I have never been to a Giraffe restaurant before but they look great.
Not been to a Giraffe before, but I love that they are so family friendly. Always gets a big tick from me for that one. The food looks lovely.
I’ve never heard of this place before, but the food looks so nice
We love giraffe, it’s so family friendly and the food is fantastic. I love the brunch #twinklytuesday
We love Giraffe too – the food is always delicious and their family friendly facilities make a trip there even more enjoyable 🙂 #TwinklyTuesday
Giraffe World Kitchen sound like a great place to go to.#TwinklyTuesday
This looks really great. We have a Giraffe near us but I had never heard of the world kitchen version! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday