Accidental Chef

Funky chef, Melvyn Lee, begins his culinary journey in Pampanga, Philippines. Known as the culinary centre of the Philippines, Pampanga is the place to go for foodies. Here, Melvyn visits two very different families- a celebrity artist, and a tribal chief, and experiences the Filipino life and cuisine in a whole new light.

This week, Melvyn stops over in Hanoi, Vietnam. The capital of the nation, Hanoi boasts more than 1000 years of history. Along with that, comes a long-standing history of traditional cuisine with many famous delicacies. Melvyn visits a Vietnamese rice farmer, where he experiences a typical Vietnamese home cooking.

Melvyn finds himself in seafood galore as he heads to Xiamen, China this week. He meets two different families- one living in a rustic fishing village and the other, the owner of a famous restaurant chain in Xiamen.

Melvyn experiences the contrasts in multicultural Malaysia where he meets up with two very different families: Malaysian royalty who live in an upscale suburb in a sprawling bungalow and a family belonging to the Mah Meri tribe, a once nomadic indigenous people who still live off the land.

This week, Melvyn explores Taiwan. He scales the altitudes of Taiwan's central mountains to meet an aboriginal woman. With her, Melvyn discovers some unique local produce and learns how to prepare a dish that dates back to the hunting days of the Atayal men.

This week, Melvyn finds himself in South Korea. He experiences two distinctly different cultures and cuisines of the country- that of the royalties and the monks. He meets royal food expert to learn about the imperial traditions and cuisines, which had influenced so much of Korea. Then Melvyn goes zen with a famous Korean monk.

Melvyn arrives in Cambodia this week. Melvyn is first invited to dine with a privileged family. In their mansion, Melvyn feasts on one of the most unusual things he's ever experienced - ant's eggs!

Melvyn's culinary journey culminates to a homecoming this week- Singapore. In this city where he grew up, Melvyn hopes to rediscover the history and culture through two very important groups of Singaporeans- the Peranakans and the Eurasians. They represent the multi-ethnic past and present of the nation.