Gourmet Galle Mandy Yin

Growing up in Malaysia really instilled in me a love and dedication to good food - experiencing the hawker centres, food courts and such a massive variety of food, available all day every day.

Mandy Yin is Malaysian-born Chinese of Peranakan Nyonya heritage. She moved from Kuala Lumpur to London as a child and later became a corporate lawyer before embarking on her career in food. Having started off small with a street food stall in 2013 before pursuing her laksa bar as a pop up concept, she opened her award winning flagship restaurant Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar in 2018. She is also the author of Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook and is a regular feature in national and international press and TV. 

Q: Tell us a little about your journey with food and the culinary world?

I love bold, punchy flavours - usually with a chillie-kick. All of my cooking is inspired by things I have eaten in Malaysia, and then influenced by my favourite dishes when eating out in London or on other travels. My favourite ingredients are  Malaysian fermented shrimp paste, chillies, coconut milk, lemongrass and tamarind. This will give you an idea of the flavours I bring to the table! 

Gourmet Galle is a 12 week-long gourmet food festival up and down the south coast of Sri Lanka giving guests the fantastic opportunity to enjoy a meal cooked by celebrity and world-renowned chefs and to learn how it’s all done at their masterclass. The dinners take place in exquisite homes and the finest boutique hotels and each menu is curated especially for the occasion.

 Catch Mandy Yin for dinner on Saturday, 16th March at the Sun House for a multicultural dinner or learn how to make an authentic nasi lemak at her masterclass 
on Sunday, 17th.