Cheong Liew tends to speak in obscure parables. When asked about the development of his latest menu for the Grange Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel, Adelaide – his home for the last 12 years, he compared it to 'like carrying a flower pot in your hands, you look forward to the day that you can put it down.' Ingenious, gentle and quick with words, Cheong has masterfully spearheaded the fusion cuisine movement.

 

His blooming talent was obvious over 25 years ago in Adelaide where he began cooking in his native Malaysian style with his family. He describes his artistic style as healthy and vigorous and while complex, his menu is in a constant state of development. Cheong is a different type of artist. His work, it seems, is never complete. As opposed to some of his fellow craftsmen, Cheong is somewhat hesitant to celebrate the delicious pieces but, rather, he embraces the creative process.

After celebrating over a decade of gastronomic success at Hilton, Cheong Liew has achieved celebrity status worldwide thanks in great part to his knowledge of how to make the New and the Old World congregate on one plate. Cheong's artistry knows no geographic boundaries; it is only wrapped in a thin veil of grace and imagination.