June 19 (UPI) -- Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. host Padma Lakshmi says choosing the season's winner was a "tough" decision.
Lakshmi, 49, and Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio appeared on Thursday's episode of Watch What Happens Live following the All-Stars L.A. finale.
Melissa King, who previously competed in Top Chef: Boston, was named the winner Thursday, besting Bryan Voltaggio (Top Chef: Las Vegas) and Stephanie Cmar (Top Chef: New Orleans).
"It's always tough to decide," Lakshmi said. "In this case, they were really both great meals."
In the finale, King, Voltaggio and Cmar prepared a four-course meal for the judges. King served char siu glazed octopus, squash agnolotti, grilled squab and Hong Kong milk tea tiramisu.
"Melissa got it," Colicchio said. "The meal that she put together, I would put up there as probably the best we've ever had on the show. It was just fantastic."
Colicchio said King paid tribute to her Hong Kong heritage while also incorporating Italian traditions and ingredients.
"She took her sense of self, her heritage, her background, and just perfectly wove it into where we were. We were in Tuscany and using local ingredients," he said. "It was just spectacular."
Lakshmi and Colicchio also played a game where they answered questions about the season by picking from a pool of the contestants. Lakshmi said Cmar prepared the worst dish of the season and that she was surprised Cmar made it so far in the competition.
In addition, Colicchio said he would want King or Gregory Gourdet as his sous chef if he were in the finals. Lakshmi said she would least want Brian Malarkey on her team during Restaurant Wars.
Lakshmi stars in the new travel series Taste the Nation, which premieres Friday on Hulu.
