The executive chef at Hanoi’s luxury Metropole hotel has reportedly revealed new details about Kim Jong-un’s appetite for luxurious meals of foie gras, caviar and lobster.

Australian Paul Smart, who earned his chef stripes at the London Ritz and once cooked for Queen Elizabeth faced the high-pressured task of catering to the divergent tastes of Kim and Donald Trump, the US president, when they met for their second summit in Vietnam last month.

In an interview with the state-run China News Weekly, and reported in the South China Morning Post, Mr Smart disclosed that the North Koreans brought their own ingredients, including Wagyu beef, kimchi, foie gras, ginseng and persimmon punch to his kitchen.

They also brought their own staff to work alongside the Australian and his team.

He described them as “mysterious but very professional”, adding that they worked meticulously and would taste dishes an hour before they were served to their leader to make sure that the food was safe.