MasterChef's Khanh Ong may just be Canberra's most excited tourist

So when he got the chance to head to the capital for work, he knew he had to make the most of it.

Ong, who was on the 10th and 12th seasons of MasterChef, will be doing a meet and greet at Betty's Burgers on Saturday to celebrate his new collaboration with the brand.

Together they've developed a limited-edition glazed pork belly burger, inspired by Ong's upbringing.

"I'm Vietnamese so I grew up eating it and so it's got a really lovely hoisin glaze on it," he says.

"It's really juicy and we've got some charred pineapple on it as well. And look, you can't really go past it - it's just delicious. So I'm excited for people to try the burger.

"And it's one of those things that I feel like people don't think they can just make. I know I didn't make that many burgers until probably the last 12 months when I was like, wait, burgers are really fun. They're really easy and you can be really experimental."

But while burgers will certainly be on the menu for part of the trip, Ong ensured he had at least a couple of nights in the capital.

When it comes to Canberra's food offerings, the cook is keen to explore the city, especially in the area around the Canberra Centre. But it's the National Arboretum that has Ong the most excited for his upcoming weekend away.

"You guys have some sort of tree museum? Which shouldn't be something that I'm excited about but I like to be outdoors. I like nature," he said.

"I'm also keen on the National Museum and I want to go ballooning.

"I've also heard about the bridge to bridge walk around the lake, and check out the Sunday markets."

Since appearing on two seasons of MasterChef, Ong's culinary prowess and charismatic personality have made him a social media sensation, inspiring more than 870,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok with his innovative recipes and lunch box ideas. He also appeared on the ninth season of Australian Survivor and 10th season of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here.

In 2023, Ong also had his own food show on SBS Food, Khanh Ong's Wild Food.

He is also the author of the cookbook A Gay's Guide to Life, Love and Food, which features his favourite recipes along with dating advice, anecdotes, and life hacks.

Ong will be at Betty's Burgers at the Canberra Centre from 1.30pm to 2.30pm on Saturday.