Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

Whizzing along the busy N11, it’s easy to forget that just a stone’s throw to your left or right is a whole chain of small peaceful old villages and communities going about their daily business.
Cabinteely Village on the Old Bray Road is one such place. Here, but few hundred metres from the bustling Dunne’s Stores at Cornelscourt, there is the calmness of the beautiful Cabinteely Park, plus a number of small cafes and restaurants, including the excellent Tamra Thai restaurant.

It’s set in a black fronted building at the traffic lights beside the dinkiest picture post card little old Post Office and diagonally across from the equally picturesque Garda Station.
As it transpired, there’s a tale within every tale, Tamra is a sibling of the excellent Veda Indian restaurant, which is owned by Krishan Kant who originally trained as a chef with the prestigious Taj Group in India.

The menu proved to be extensive with starters including traditional Thai style spiced fish cakes; kai satay; duck spring rolls; golden fried tiger prawns; chicken wings, wontons, sticky finger ribs, crispy pork belly, and a selection of salt & chilli pepper coated calamari, prawns, or wings. They also have a platter for two, which can be a good way of trying a few different thing, or one of my favourite dishes – aromatic duck for two.

Rena being vegetarian chose golden fried sweetcorn cakes which, spiced with kaffir lime and paprika, were delicious light and crispy, served with sweet chilli sauce. It was the aromatic quarter duck for me, well sliced both moist and crispy, served with julienned leek, carrot and cucumber with steamed pancakes and hoisin sauce.

Again, the selection of curries, salads, sides, soups, fish & seafood, noodles and stirfries was extensive – we were really spoiled for choice. Wild ginger lamb winked at me as did crab yellow curry and indeed prawn roasted chilli. Rena had a Panang Curry  with tofu. This was available also with chicken, lamb  or duck. Again, she was very happy with fulsome bowl of tofu, green beans, and dome of boiled rice. I loved my Phad Thai; rice noodles stir fried with egg, bean sprouts, julienned carrot, crushed peanuts and lime wedges. It all felt very fresh and nicely cooked rather than the big plate of noodles you feel sometimes has lingered too long in a bain marie waiting for you to show up.

Desserts included Sticky Toffee pudding, Meringue Roulade, Brownie, or Eton Mess, a scrumptious concoction of crushed meringue, berry compote, strawberry and cream.  
There was a good selection of wines and they also had half bottles, which I rather like to see – everyone can do their own thing — as well as Prosecco or Champagne if you feel like celebrating.

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