A man who left school with only a handful of CSEs has realised a lifelong ambition and now owns a successful chain of Asian cuisine restaurants.

Omar Uddin, 40, is set to launch his third and biggest restaurant next week after spending half a million pounds fitting out the central Newcastle site, and plans to open four more outlets over the next two years.

All three Arami restaurants - the other two are based in North Shields and Prudhoe - specialise in Asian food with a bias towards Bangladeshi dishes.

Mr Uddin came to the UK from Bangladesh aged seven, and he left what used to be called Rutherford School in the West Road area of Newcastle at 16 with few qualifications.

Over the next 10 years, he worked his way up from part-time waiter to restaurant manager and nurtured a burning desire to own his own restaurant.

However, instead of taking the plunge at that stage, he carefully set about laying secure foundations for the future.

"I wanted to own my business but I wanted to give myself the best chance of success," he said.

With commendable foresight Mr Uddin embarked on another 10 years of preparatory work, ensuring he had the necessary skills and funding to make a new venture work.

"In 1991, I went to Bangladesh for 18 months and worked in the family business there on a farm growing spices such ginger and chillis and, in 2001, I visited a relative in Saudi Arabia learning all the time about the cuisine and how to prepare it.

"I even worked for a year in the finance department of a business called Safe Style UK so I got a proper understanding of money and how it worked in a business."

The thoroughness paid off and in 2002 after years of working for others, Mr Uddin was able to strike out on his own and spent £119,000 of his own money launching his first business in a former building society building in North Shields.

"Our strength has always been modern surroundings and excellent Bangladeshi food," he said.

Thanks to Mr Uddin's background and research, the cuisine takes its influence from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh, a region which has a large number of lakes, and fish dishes are feature, as are spices and fruits.

Another restaurant followed in 2004 when a friend sold him his ailing business in Prudhoe, Northumberland.

He said: "I spotted an opportunity where I could make some changes and it has been very well received."

Mr Uddin has now brought his business model to Tyneside and used award-winning interior designer Neil Wilson in his biggest venture yet, an 80-cover restaurant in the centre of Newcastle on Leazes Road.

"It is very exciting seeing your ideas and hard work become reality. There is a gap in the market, as my previous success has shown," he said.

"Now we are hoping to expand and open a further four restaurants in the North-East over the next two years."