A CHEF is closing his "dream" restaurant just seven months after opening it.

Suleyman Kahraman, 35, said it was always his ambition to bring the cuisine of his homeland to Leyton.

But after opening The Black Garlic, in High Road Leyton, in January, this week will be the restaurant's last.

Suleyman, who is originally from Turkey, describes his food as modern Ottoman, flavoured with rich and diverse influences from all over the world.

Inside the restaurant, the nicely decorated and minimal dining room make it hard to believe it wasn’t a success.

Take one look at Tripadvisor and Open Table and it will tell you the restaurant is rated 4.5 and 4.8 out of 5.

Suleyman said: “We never had one complaint about the food since we opened. I never saw one plate coming back to my kitchen.”

But due to its position in the High Road – an 11-minute walk from Leyton station – it has suffered without a frequent lunch trade.

Suleyman said: “We started really well at the beginning but then I lost my business partner to health problems.

“He’s been with me for 10 years so it was a real body blow.

“We have amazing customers here, lots of families. But because of our lease we had to open at 9.30 in the morning.

“In Leyton, a restaurant just can’t have a lunch trade.”

The chef wanted to make sure his restaurant was “all about the food” so he didn’t hire any waiters to serve the tables.

He did that himself.

He added: “It is really hard for a chef to face the customers. You have to have 100 per cent trust in yourself and your food.”

Between slaving over the stoves and serving the food face to face, Suleyman still wasn’t making ends meet.

He said: “In the end we just weren’t covering our costs and we had to close.”

Suleyman said The Black Garlic dream has not ended however, admitting his first restaurant was more of “trial” for things to come.

To his loyal customers, he adds: “Don’t worry, we’ll be back in Leyton.”