THE last thing you'd expect a maths teacher to do in his spare time is run a Thai restaurant but Mark King just can't resist sharing his love of Thai cooking with the rest of the town!

Thai Sakon on St John's Road has been open only a few weeks but already its reputation is building as a top place to sample Thai dishes.

After spending five years living and working in Thailand, Mark returned to England with hopes of arousing local interest in his preferred cuisine.

While training to be a teacher in the UK, Mark found employment in several Thai restaurants alongside his wife Gung, gaining valuable experience in the field.

The couple decided to take the plunge and go into business themselves when a Huddersfield restaurant they had previously worked in became available.

"We'd heard it was on the market and thought, let's go for it!" says Mark.

Now, he already has plans to expand Thai Sakon.

"We'd like this to be a really popular restaurant that everybody knows about and then possibly move on to a second."

Mark, who employs three chefs, continues: "Customers have come in and said that they've been to Thailand and that it's nice to find a restaurant that reminds them of their experience."

Although comparisons with Chinese cooking are inevitable, Mark insists that Thai food has a flavour all its own.

"There are some very distinct ingredients that go into Thai cooking that you don't get with any other cuisine."

Special mention must also go to Gung's intricate vegetable carvings.