THAI food, delicious as it is, has yet to make it to the giddy heights of popularity enjoyed by Indian and Chinese restaurants. This is a complete mystery, not only because Thai food is so fragrant and fresh, but also in view of the number of us who now holiday in Thailand.

Rod and Kalaya Britton, owners of Ruan Thai, a new restaurant at The Old Castle Hotel in Rodwell, Weymouth, have found that people's choices are influenced by their visits to Thailand. The dishes gang kiew wan, a spicy green curry, and gang dang, a spicy red curry, for example, are favoured by people who have been to Thailand and sampled the curries, there.

Kalaya, who is head chef in the restaurant, is from Thailand, but she met Rod in Surrey, where the couple opened their first restaurant, Luern Thai, together. They moved down to Weymouth only eight weeks ago, although Rod already knew the area as his mother kept a caravan in Camp Road for years. With the couple came three Thai members of staff from their other restaurant and the team opened the doors of Ruan Thai (the name refers to the old wooden Thai house pictured on their leaflets and menus) a mere two weeks ago.

The couple felt that Weymouth could benefit from a little piece of Thailand.

Kalaya says: "The first thing we ask the customers is, do they know about Thai food? We do warn them that it can be spicy, but everything is done for them fresh. It is all made here."

Traditional Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh, rather than dried, herbs. What does Kalaya use? "Lemongrass, lime leaves, coriander, sweet basil, holy basil, ginger, galangal" What is galangal? "It is the same as ginger in that it's a big root, but it smells stronger."

Also known as Siamese ginger, this root is an important ingredient in Thai cuisine, and a spice with an interesting history that includes numerous medicinal properties and applications. While not exactly hot like a chilli, galangal does have a sharp pungency to it.

Thai cuisine varies from region to region. Southern curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while north-eastern dishes often include lime juice. Kalaya is from the central province of Prachin Buri. Where did she learn to cook? "At home with my family," she says.

Rod adds: "That's the way they do it out there, they learn when they are tiny."

Kalaya runs the restaurant with Tor Sriwongchai who came with the Brittons from Surrey. Aside from the curries, pad thai, the famous Thai dish, which consists of stir fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprout, carrots and spring onion, is always popular, as is pad mee, a similar dish with stir fried egg noodles. Both are offered on the lunchtime menu, which offers a selection of main courses at bargain prices from around £5 to no more than £6.50.

Another popular dish is the rice served in a fresh pineapple skin, which looks almost too good to eat. The restaurant also has a takeaway menu that offers a 10 per cent discount (although they don't deliver).

Rod says: "It's got a lovely bar as well as a big garden, and it's all family friendly."

Unsurprisingly, Ruan Thai has an oriental feel, decorated as it is with wooden carvings that Rod and Kalaya brought back with them from Thailand; they have a house in Ban Chang.

"But we haven't gone there for over a year," smiles Rod, "we've been a bit busy running two Thai restaurants over here."

Ruan Thai in The Old Castle Hotel on Clearmount Road, Rodwell, Weymouth, is open from Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10.30pm and on Sunday from 12.30pm to 10pm. Call 01305 766 005 for more information or bookings.