Mandy Yin

Mandy Yin is Malaysian-born Chinese of Peranakan Nyonya heritage. She moved from Kuala Lumpur to London at 11 and later studied and practised corporate law. She eventually gave this up for a career in food. Her life goal is to showcase Malaysian food whilst being accessible to all. Spicy, powerful flavours are her calling card. Mandy started off small with a street food stall in 2013 before pursuing her laksa bar as a pop up concept. She has steadily built a loyal following for her unique dishes, drawing on her food memories of growing up in Kuala Lumpur mixed in with her London favourites and travel inspirations. After a series of sell-out runs for her pop up laksa bar across London, Mandy opened her flagship restaurant in Highbury in 2018 to critical acclaim for her signature Peranakan Nyonya curry laksa. Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar has gone on to achieve cult, award-winning status. The first print of her debut book, Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook sold out in less than two months of release in 2021 and has been nominated for several food writing awards (Fortnum and Masons, Guild of Food Writers, Andre Simon). Mandy is regularly featured in the national press and TV.