In Weymouth, new entry does Thai right

Lime Leaf is a Thai restaurant that opened six months ago. The place is cozy and sparkling clean, and the tasteful decor looks like something you’d see in a Pottery Barn catalog - but with bolder colors and even better style.

The walls are painted in bright hues of tangerine and lime green. Flickering candles sit on each table, and there are even candles tucked in the nooks of built-in shelves along the wall.

There are seats for at least 25 people, but on a recent Saturday evening, it was rather quiet; only two tables were occupied. It appears this culinary treasure has yet to be discovered by many folks.

The menu is extensive. I counted at least 20 different appetizers (which include things like spring rolls, dumplings, mussels, shrimp, chicken wings); 10 different kinds of soup (chicken coconut, egg drop, wonton, et al.); eight different salads (fresh greens, seaweed, seafood, and more) and dozens of entrees.

I loved that there were so many choices, some of which allow you to mix and match beef, chicken, pork, tofu, duck, shrimp, scallops, or squid with an array of vegetables and sauces. I appreciated that Lime Leaf’s menu used illustrations to show how spicy each offering is. One pepper symbol means spicy; two means hot and very spicy; and none means the dish would be suitable for my bland-loving Irish-American taste buds.

Lime Leaf’s food is reasonably priced - actually quite a bargain, considering the epic size of the portions. And some of their side dishes are a downright steal (a side of white rice costs $1, peanut sauce is $1, and steamed veggies cost $3).

We started off our dinner with two appetizers: the tofu triangles ($5) and the Lime Leaf triangles ($7). The former comprised bite-sized triangles of tofu covered in a thin crispy crust, served with a deliciously sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. The restaurant’s namesake appetizer consisted of crispy triangles of minced shrimp and chicken, accompanied by a cucumber sauce.

For the main course, I ordered the salmon ($16). To say the portion size of my meal was generous is an understatement - this had to be the biggest piece of salmon I’ve ever received at a restaurant. The fillet arrived at our table steaming hot, and was topped with an incredibly tasty ginger sauce and a pile of sauteed onions, mushrooms, scallions, red and green peppers, and shredded ginger. It wasn’t the most succulent piece of salmon I’ve ever had, but it was tender enough.

My side of brown rice ($2) went perfectly with the sauce and veggies. All told, it tasted wonderful, and it was the most delicious - and satisfying - meal I’ve had in a very long time.

One of my companions chose one of the curry options from Lime Leaf’s menu: the tofu version of the Massaman dish ($12), which came with potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and peanuts. (“Yummy,’’ she said.)

My other companion ordered the beef macadamia ($13), which was marinated beef sauteed with mushrooms, red peppers, ginger, scallions, and macadamia nuts, served on a bed of fresh watercress. She praised the dish and noted the sharpness of the ginger and watercress combined really well with the beef, sauce, and creamy-tasting macadamia nuts.

As we ate, I sipped a Singha Light, a brew that hails from Thailand. One of my companions pointed out that the beverage was immortalized in a song by the Pogues, “House of the Gods,’’ in which Shane MacGowan sings: Sipping Singha beer on Pattaya beach, Singha beer don’t ask no questions, Singha beer don’t tell no lies . . .

My lager was ice-cold and didn’t taste much different from an American light beer. And that was fine by me.

None of us could finish our meals, and we ended up bringing our leftovers home. We did want to try something from Lime Leaf’s dessert menu, which includes banana dumplings, Thai custard, and sweet sticky rice, fried banana, and exotic flavors of ice cream like mango, coconut, and green tea, as well as fried ice cream.

But we were quite full by this point, so, for dessert, we shared a single bowl of green tea ice cream ($3). It was refreshingly good. It had a sweet, subtle flavor, similar to lime sherbet, but without the citrus zing. It was served with a dollop of whipped cream, a smattering of rainbow sprinkles, and topped with a sweet maraschino cherry. A very tasty treat.

Many small touches make Lime Leaf stand out. A glass jar sits on the counter at the front of the restaurant, full of peppermints, candies, and lollipops that customers are welcome to take on their way out.

Beside that candy jar sits a stack of frequent diner cards. You can take a card and get it stamped every time you return. Once you have four stamps, you’re eligible to get a free appetizer (worth up $6) on your next visit.

As we left the restaurant, I grabbed one of those frequent diner cards and slipped it into my back pocket - because I definitely want to come back soon.

EMILY SWEENEY