RESTAURANT owner Ahmad Mohamad is celebrating his new business The Picked Walnut receiving a five-star hygiene rating.

Mr Mohamad said the top score for the Cowley Road eatery, which serves Syrian dishes, is now on display so customers can see it.

The 49-year-old from Syria, who lives with wife Catherine and daughter Isabella-Zahia, opened the new restaurant in August.

It was formerly the Mirch Masala Indian restaurant.

Mr Mohamad said the interior of the restaurant, including the kitchen, was completely refurbished before it opened earlier this year.

He said: "We revamped the whole place - the kitchen was refurbished 100 per cent, and also the restaurant's interior.

"When you start afresh that is a big help towards ensuring hygiene and cleanliness and the inspectors who visited were very impressed.

"All the kitchen staff have been properly trained and there are instructions on display in the kitchen, both in English and in Arabic, to ensure they are reminded about the correct procedures.

"They are reminded about hand-washing and staff are also very careful about how the food is kept and prepared."

Mr Mohamad said manager Abi Pocket regularly reminded staff about hygiene standards and guidelines.

He added: "I think's it's a good idea for restaurants to display their ratings - that gives customers confidence in the cuisine that is being served.

"Of course some restaurants with fewer stars might not want that on display but I think it's a good idea to keep customers well informed.

"We will be making regular checks with staff to make sure we maintain the five-star rating.

"The emphasis here is on providing fresh food daily - one of the most popular dishes is Molokhia, a leaf dish served with garlic and chicken.

"We cook a big pan every day and it usually goes very quickly.

"Syrian food is quite like Lebanese food but we are not just serving mezze - I want to create home-made dishes like my mum used to make.

"But it's not just traditional Syrian dishes - we are trying to be creative so we can offer dishes suitable for British diners too."

Mr Mohamad, who opened The Pickled Walnut in August, said he was keen to support charities helping people suffering the effects of the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Following an inspection on September 21, inspectors awarded the restaurant the five-star rating, according to the Food Standards Agency.

Hygienic food handling was rated Very Good, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building was rated Very Good, and management of food safety was rated Good.