Founder ​​​​Mandy Yin is one of the few Malaysian chef/owners in the UK, having founded Sambal Shiok in London in 2013. She is a Malaysian-born Chinese of Peranakan Nyonya heritage. "I take inspiration from everything I ate in my childhood growing up in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Then I mix it up and put a new slant on it."

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​You can find the restaurant's legacy and memories in Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook which has sold over 30,000 copies worldwide.

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'We make £0 from our £22 laksa - a popular chef's battle to survive' 

The Times, November 2025

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‘My focus is survival’: how rising costs are hitting independent restaurants

 Mandy Yin, Guardian March 2024

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