WINFIELD - Diners will find it easier to get a table at the Thai House.

The popular Thai restaurant has closed its Dunbar location and will open a larger restaurant, with more comfortable seating, today in Winfield.

The new restaurant at 3361 Winfield Road (U.S. 35) will seat about 100 customers, and also will include a coffee bar and bakery.

The extra seating is a welcome relief to Paradorn Hoon and his wife, Suphab, the owners of Thai House. The Dunbar restaurant, which closed Aug. 23, seated about 35 people.

Paradorn Hoon said people would regularly come from Huntington and Beckley to eat at the restaurant, but often could not  get a table.

He and his wife opened the Thai House in Dunbar in 2004. The small restaurant located on Roxalana Road quickly gained popularity that limited seating and a cash-only policy could not quash. (The new restaurant will accept credit cards.)

Although they've left for bigger quarters, the Hoons plan to reopen the Dunbar restaurant. Paradorn Hoon said his lease on the building in Dunbar does not end for another year, and he also has the option to extend the lease for an additional six years.

The only hitch in his plan, he said, is recruiting cooks to run the restaurant. The couple believes, in order to keep their guarantee of authentic Thai food, they need a cook trained in Thailand.

West Virginia doesn't have a lot of Thais, and it's hard to recruit cooks when there are more attractive offers elsewhere, he said.

The family is undeterred, however, and plans to reopen the restaurant within a year.

WINFIELD - Diners will find it easier to get a table at the Thai House.

The popular Thai restaurant has closed its Dunbar location and will open a larger restaurant, with more comfortable seating, today in Winfield.

The new restaurant at 3361 Winfield Road (U.S. 35) will seat about 100 customers, and also will include a coffee bar and bakery.

The extra seating is a welcome relief to Paradorn Hoon and his wife, Suphab, the owners of Thai House. The Dunbar restaurant, which closed Aug. 23, seated about 35 people.

Paradorn Hoon said people would regularly come from Huntington and Beckley to eat at the restaurant, but often could not  get a table.

He and his wife opened the Thai House in Dunbar in 2004. The small restaurant located on Roxalana Road quickly gained popularity that limited seating and a cash-only policy could not quash. (The new restaurant will accept credit cards.)

Although they've left for bigger quarters, the Hoons plan to reopen the Dunbar restaurant. Paradorn Hoon said his lease on the building in Dunbar does not end for another year, and he also has the option to extend the lease for an additional six years.

The only hitch in his plan, he said, is recruiting cooks to run the restaurant. The couple believes, in order to keep their guarantee of authentic Thai food, they need a cook trained in Thailand.

West Virginia doesn't have a lot of Thais, and it's hard to recruit cooks when there are more attractive offers elsewhere, he said.

The family is undeterred, however, and plans to reopen the restaurant within a year.

Paradorn and Suphab Hoon, natives of Bangkok, have more than 20 years of experience working in restaurants. Suphab Hoon has worked as a chef in Germany and Orlando, Fla.

To prepare for the influx of customers, the couple has hired six more staff members to wait tables and assist Suphab Hoon in the kitchen. In Dunbar, with the exception of one hired kitchen hand, the couple managed the restaurant on their own.

To the Hoons, presentation of the food is as important as how it tastes. They use hand-painted dinnerware made in Thailand, and the entrees and appetizers are decorated with garnishments hand-carved into flower designs by Suphab Hoon.

That attention to detail will extend to the restaurant's selection of traditional Thai deserts, Suphab Hoon said. Some of her specialties include Thai green tea cake, Thai fruitcake, coconut cake, coffee cakes, sweet rolls and a variety of pastries.

Paradorn Hoon traveled to Thailand to buy decorations for the new restaurant. In Bangkok, he took several classes on the art of coffee making.

"You'll get a good cup of coffee here," Paradorn Hoon said of the new restaurant.

The restaurant also will include a couch and several other comfortable chairs, in addition to a wireless Internet connection, for customers who are looking for a place to relax, he said. 

The Thai House is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The Thai House also is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. To see the menu, visit www.thaihousewinfield.com. 

Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 348-5113.