Melissa Leong

“Think of the phrase 'dining institution' as a badge of honour. One that is earned after many years, and many more hearts won.”

“I am a huge fan of so many Indian regions and dishes, but if I had to pick one, as simple as it is, 'dal' will always have my heart.”

“I have a huge workload. I don't know how to say no sometimes.”

“Freshly grated nutmeg over fresh pasta with truffle oil is simple perfection. It's also integral in any good bechamel or chai mix.”

“I am very proud of my family and my heritage and my history, and I'm also proud of my own achievements.”

“Singaporeans are food people, period. My first memories, let alone of food, were of sitting on the floor of the kitchen with my mother, watching her pound aromatics to make sambal and later on, learning to stuff wonton pastry.”

“My family taught me to be adventurous. As fearless eaters, mum and dad were never afraid of exposing us to strange textures, scents, and offally bits - the works.”

“First and foremost, if you want to be a good writer, you need to be a good eater. You need to be fearless when it comes to eating, you can't show predilections or bias.”

“A restaurant open for less than a month is many things, but an institution it most definitely isn't.”

“For the young, and those newly introduced to Australia, milkbars represented an opportunity to dip a toe in the water when it came to discovering Australian food culture at a grass roots level.”

“Everybody deserves to be seen and to be heard. Regardless of whether that is your culture, your language, who you love, your ability, or the way you chose to live your life, everybody deserves to be seen and be heard.”

“Bangkok's street food culture may have recently been forced to clean up its act but personally, we think there's nothing better than a steaming bowl of noodles eaten within tripping distance of traffic, washed down with a cold beer, of course.”

“My job involves sharing food and the stories behind the plate, in part, via social media.”

“I don't really like being asked how I feel about being a 'household name.'”

“I do love fashion as a mode of self expression, and I appreciate it for being wearable art.”

“A key feature of Macedonia's protein dishes is the mix of meat, so you'll often find a stew of pork and chicken, for example, rather than a singular beast.”

“It seems like our first food memories, no matter how unpleasant, often end up making their way into our hearts anyway.”

“When you go through things like burnout you learn what to do and what not to do in the future.”

“In the cultural Thermomix that is Australia, it's natural that we pick up a taste for flavours, techniques and ingredients that are integral to a place or a people not from our own background.”

“It's hard to comprehend a hot brunch menu without a shakshuka.”