At age 26, he became the youngest Singaporean to represent the country at the prestigious competition. There, he was ranked 12th in the world.
BRINGING ASIAN FLAVOURS TO THE WORLD
When asked if it was challenging to introduce Nordic dishes infused with Asian flavours, Leong replied with a definitive “not at all”.
Instead, it is an increasing trend for restaurants in the West to use Asian flavours in their food.
“Nordic dishes with Asian flavours, they are a match made in heaven. Asian flavours can be combined so easily with many cool techniques and different tastes,” he said.
“Asian cuisine and Asian cooking are spreading around the world. More and more kitchens in Europe are combining with Asian flavours. This has made me really, really proud.”
Chefs in Europe are now growing their own Asian ingredients in their backyard.
“(Here in Europe) we also have Asian ingredients like wasabi, but with a little twist. It’s not from Japan – we have Icelandic wasabi,” Leong said. “Some Asian ingredients can be grown in Spain as well. But, of course the very special ones, we still have to come back to the roots of Asia.”
HE IS NOT THE BEST CHEF YET
Even celebrated chefs like Leong have to step aside and tend to the dishwasher when a better chef is present in the kitchen – his mother.
“At home, I don’t cook, I wash the pots,” the chef said, laughing. “My mom is way better than me. She cooks.”
Leong may be able to whip up world-class, complicated gastronomical delights but the seemingly simple dish of fried chicken is his Achilles’ heel.
“I’m still trying with fried chicken. Two months ago, I made fried chicken and it was a disaster. (My girlfriend) was laughing and saying, ‘you are a Michelin Star chef and you cannot cook fried chicken’,” he recalled, chuckling.
ONE DAY, HIS OWN RESTAURANT
Leong said he would love to return to Singapore one day to set up his own Michelin-starred restaurant.
“What I love and miss about Singapore is that the restaurant scene is global and diverse, and holds a strong reflection of the culture. From Michelin-starred to hawkers … it’s where you can taste it all, in one country,” he said.
“I would love to be back in Singapore. It’s my home country, and it will be really nice to bring back the knowledge to share with the future generation of Singaporean chefs.”