Quotes from Alvin Leung

Everything I do is about Chinese culture. My dishes have to symbolize something because they taste better when people understand.

All my dishes are engineered.

Chinese cuisine has so much diversity, the area it covers is so great and so is the taste.

My food is an extension of my personality.

My approach goes way beyond simply ingredients and techniques. Every dish has to have a story.

Unless people die from it, a little diarrhea isn't going to stop us from having our live fish.

Engineers are very logical and everything has to be tested so when we fail, we'll know why and how to improve things.

A friend of mine had a private kitchen that was available and it was an inexpensive way of starting a restaurant and testing whether or not I could sell my cuisine.

I travel on 150 flights a year; I am everywhere.

I love cooking with wine.

A dish should have flavor, texture, appearance and smell, but I'm doing it differently. We take Chinese food, play with your sentiments, memories of it, and then take you to the border; you won't fall over the edge, but you get excitement.

The DNA of Rojak is found in its textures.

There always needs to be some excitement and some peace and quiet - otherwise you'll have a heart attack.

You don't call yourself the Demon Chef by being gentle. I am tough.

It's not that hard to make good food.

One good thing about being brought up with Chinese food from another country means that you're not a purist and you will accept deviation.

My success rate is about 80 percent. Two of ten dishes won't work.

I think it is important to grab the moment and be ready when the opportunity is in front of you, but people may not be ready when that moment arrives.

I take whatever I can get with grace.

Your best guide is a good word from a friend.

Change is always good. You can't keep tradition all the time. Yes, Grandma cooked on a wood stove but she would have used electricity if she could.

I have developed recipes that are diabetes-friendly for my restaurant menus.

It's important to learn from your mistakes and then to refine.

My grandmother passed away from diabetes. And my father died from heart disease as a result of diabetes. They were in their early 60s.