Chef of the Week: Chef Mathew Leong of RE-NAA, Norway

1. You moved from Singapore to Norway at just 21 years old. Looking back now, what was the biggest cultural or professional adjustment you had to make in those early years?

The biggest adjustment was learning to fully understand seasonality. In Singapore, ingredients are available year-round, while in Norway, nature completely dictates the menu. You learn to respect short seasons, simplicity, and restraint in a much deeper way.

Fermentation was also a huge learning curve for me. In Nordic cuisine, techniques like curing, aging, pickling, and fermentation are deeply connected to both preservation and flavour development. While Singaporean cuisine has fermented ingredients too, the approach in Norway felt much more systematic and ingredient-focused. It changed the way I think about flavour, balance, and patience in cooking.

2. Within just a few years, you went from being a young cook in a new country to becoming Executive Chef of RE-NAA and helping lead it to three Michelin stars. What do you think accelerated your growth the most?

A lot of it came down to hard work, discipline, and a constant hunger to learn. Moving to a new country at a young age meant I had to stay focused and never lose sight of why I came to Norway in the first place. At that time, Michelin had not yet arrived in Singapore, and I wanted the experience of working in a Michelin-starred restaurant and learning at the highest level possible.

There were also many sacrifices behind the scenes. Fine dining at that level demands total commitment, long hours, and strong mental resilience. But those experiences built the determination and consistency that are essential in this industry. I’ve always believed that growth happens when you stay uncomfortable, stay curious, and never stop learning.

3. How has your Singaporean upbringing continued to influence your cooking style, discipline, and leadership approach inside the kitchen?

Growing up in a multicultural country like Singapore meant I was constantly exposed to different cuisines and flavours, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, all within everyday life. Being surrounded by hawker culture teaches you very quickly that flavour balance is everything: acidity, sweetness, spice, umami, and texture all need to work together harmoniously. Even when I cook very minimalist Nordic dishes today, that instinct for layered flavour is still there. At the end of the day, it’s always about the flavour.

Singapore also gave me a strong sense of discipline and respect. In many Asian kitchens, there is a deep respect for seniority and experience, and that was something I learned from a very early stage. Kitchens can be incredibly demanding, but that environment taught me consistency, attention to detail, and humility. As a leader today, I try to combine high standards with openness. I believe younger chefs perform at their best when they feel both challenged and supported.

4. Nordic cuisine is often associated with restraint, purity, and seasonality. How do you balance those principles with the bolder flavours and culinary instincts that come from an Asian background?

I think the two cuisines actually complement each other very naturally. Nordic cooking is deeply rooted in seasonality, purity, and respect for ingredients. There’s a strong focus on clarity and allowing the produce to speak for itself. Asian cuisine, on the other hand, is often richer and bolder in flavour, with a strong emphasis on balance, depth, and harmony.

When combined thoughtfully, they can elevate one another beautifully. The Nordic approach keeps the food clean and ingredient-driven, while Asian influences can help bring more depth, complexity, and balance to the dish. Sometimes it’s obvious through fermentation, spices, or sauces, and sometimes it’s much more subtle. For me, it’s about creating flavour that feels natural and balanced.

5. You represented Singapore at the Bocuse d’Or and achieved the country’s strongest result in decades. What did that experience teach you about yourself, both professionally and personally?

The Bocuse d’Or was one of the most demanding experiences of my career. The preparation lasted almost four years and was mentally and physically exhausting. During that period, I was working full-time at the restaurant from Tuesday to Saturday, then spending Sundays and Mondays training for the competition. There were very few breaks, and a lot of personal sacrifices, especially time away from my family.

6. Competing at Bocuse d’Or requires extraordinary precision and mental resilience. How different is the mindset of a competition chef compared to leading a three-Michelin-starred kitchen during daily service?

Competing at Bocuse d’Or is mentally and physically exhausting in a very different way. You are preparing two dishes within 5 hours and 35 minutes, and the level of precision required is extreme. During training, we repeat the same dishes over and over again until every movement becomes automatic, even down to knowing the exact number of steps to take within the competition box. Of course, competition day still depends on factors you cannot fully control, like ingredient condition, oven temperatures, or small unexpected issues, but overall it is a highly controlled environment built around repetition and precision.

Running a three-Michelin-starred kitchen is very different because it is far more unpredictable. Every service brings new challenges: different guests, team dynamics, ingredients, and situations, yet the expectation for consistency remains the same every single day. The challenge is not only maintaining the quality of flavour and execution, but also delivering the same level of hospitality and experience night after night. That requires not just precision, but adaptability, leadership, and trust in the entire team.

Both require discipline and precision, but leadership becomes much more important in a restaurant environment.

7. Many young chefs dream of working abroad, but few successfully build a long-term career in a completely diƯerent culinary culture. What advice would you give to chefs considering a similar path?

Discipline, focus, and patience are extremely important. You have to stay humble, be receptive to feedback, and never be afraid to learn from mistakes. And of course, to always stay consistent.

Moving abroad may sound exciting and glamorous from the outside, but the reality can be very different. You are alone in a foreign country, adapting to a new culture, language, environment, and way of working. There will be moments that feel uncomfortable and isolating. But those experiences also help you grow the most, both professionally and personally.

There’s really no shortcut, it really all boils down on how much you’re willing to sacrifice to achieve what you desire.

8. Stavanger is not traditionally the first city people associate with global fine dining. What makes the region special from a culinary perspective?

What makes Stavanger extraordinary is proximity to incredible ingredients. The seafood here is among the best in the world, langoustines, scallops, king crab, shellfish, cold-water fish, and everything is deeply connected to the surrounding landscape and seasons.

There’s also a strong culture of producers and craftsmen who genuinely care about quality. That relationship between restaurant and producer is very important.

9. What is one key difference between diner expectations in Singapore and Norway that surprised you as a chef?

What surprised me most was actually the duration and pace of dining. In Singapore, diners are used to incredible convenience, fast service, and endless variety at any hour of the day. Hawker culture is deeply rooted in everyday life, and people expect food to arrive quickly with very little waiting time. The dining culture is energetic, efficient, and fast-paced.

In Norway, dining is much slower and more intentional. Guests are comfortable spending several hours at the table, fully enjoying the atmosphere, conversation, wine, and progression of the meal. There’s a stronger focus on the overall experience, sustainability, and appreciation of local ingredients, especially seafood. It was a very different rhythm from what I grew up with, but something I learned to value over time.

10. How would you describe your own culinary identity today? Do you see yourself primarily as a Nordic chef, a Singaporean chef, or something entirely different?

I would describe my cooking as rooted in modern Nordic cuisine, but naturally infused with my Asian heritage. The foundation of my food comes from Nordic principles, seasonality, purity, technique, and respect for ingredients, while my understanding of flavour is deeply shaped by growing up in Singapore. That combination influences the way I build balance, depth, acidity, and texture in my dishes.

11. Achieving three Michelin stars at such a young age is incredibly rare. Did the third star change the atmosphere or expectations within the restaurant in any noticeable way?

The third Michelin star definitely brought greater expectations from guests. Naturally, people arrive with very high expectations of the food, service, and overall experience. But internally, the kitchen team and our mentality have remained very much the same. We still focus on consistency, teamwork, and the small details every single day, because that is ultimately what brought us there in the first place.

At the same time, we try not to let recognition change the way we work or think. The three stars are an incredible milestone and achievement for the entire team, but it’s very important that we stay humble. In this industry, the moment you become too comfortable or satisfied is when standards start to drop. For us, the focus is still on learning, improving, and giving guests the best possible experience every service.

12. Fine dining globally seems to be moving toward lighter, more vegetable-driven, and more personal cooking. Where do you see modern haute cuisine heading over the next decade?

I think fine dining will continue becoming more personal, more transparent, and more connected to sustainability. Luxury today is changing. Guests increasingly value craftsmanship, storytelling, sourcing, and authenticity over excess.

I also think we’ll see more focus on vegetables, preservation, fermentation, and local ecosystems. Chefs are becoming more conscious of waste and environmental responsibility. At the same time, diners still want emotion and hospitality. Technology and technique are important, but ultimately restaurants succeed because they create meaningful human experiences.

13. Finally, for home cooks looking to improve their everyday cooking, what is one technique, habit, or principle that can make the biggest difference?

A lot of people focus on recipes, but good cooking is really about understanding balance and seasoning.

The second thing is respecting ingredients. You don’t need complicated techniques to cook well. Often, simple food made carefully with good ingredients is the most satisfying. And finally, learning the basic skills like curing fish, seasoning correctly, or handling produce properly can completely change the final result.

Chef Mathew Leong | Instagram
RE-NAA
Nordbøgata 8, 4006 Stavanger, Norway