Camile Thai: not cheap, but great special offers

In Dublin, it’s easy to find cheap Chinese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, and even Japanese eats. Thai food remains, by and large, relatively expensive.

This shows no sign of changing. Sadly, one of the nicest Thai restaurants around, Camile in Rathmines, have put up their prices and taken away their free ice cream machine. The €5 kids meal is now €7. Bit of a shame. (Update: it’s actually only at the sit-down branch in Rathmines that the kid’s meal is €7, the takeaway kid’s meals are still €5.)

That may be a little off-putting. Although a takeaway meal for two with rice, plus delivery charge, could set you back close to €30 – not cheap – Camile, with branches on the South Circular near Rialto, as well as in Rathmines, Dun Laoghaire, and Phibsborough, does have some good deals on its takeaway meals. And it is delicious.

Currently, you can try one of their stir-fries for just €1 when you get any buy any other main from the Phibsborough branch*. There are also daily specials, such as Jungle chicken curry with chillies, peppers, bamboo shoots and basil leaves for €9.95. Every Friday brings a new fish dish. One particularly appealing option is the meal for two deal, where you can get a curry or stir fry for two people for €15.95 (it costs €11.45 for one person, so this is a decent offer, even if the meal for two just about feeds two people with rice).A few weeks ago, we had Chu Chee Sea Bass: a deep fried sea bass fillet with onions, fine bean, chilli, sweet basil, and lime leaves, for €12.95. It was really extraordinary. The fish arrived sizzling hot, it danced with freshness, and swirled in sweet, hot flavours that had us warring over the last scraps.

It’s really worth keeping an eye on Camile’s Facebook page, as there’s plenty of deals and bargains that make this Thai food a little more affordable. Next Tuesday, for instance, Camile will randomly choose one name from comments, and everyone with this name will get a free main that evening in Camile, for collection or takeaway only: all you need to do is to show your photo ID at the counter. And for the rest of February, you can get a main and a drink for €10 when you order online, a saving of up to €3.

Have you tried Camile Thai? What do you think of its deals? And can you recommend a cheap Thai restaurant or takeaway? 

*according to their Facebook page. T&Cs may apply.