SINGAPORE — Marking his first foray into Singapore, award-winning chef and restaurateur David Myers unveiled his newest creation, Adrift, at the atrium of Marina Bay Sands. Inspired by the Californian chef’s wanderlust approach to creating new gastronomic experiences, the concept is anchored by the places, faces and flavours of his path “from California to Asia”, pairing “a nostalgic spirit with a modern aesthetic”.

The restaurant offers a unique look into what Myers describes as a completely new adventure, which is “absolutely different” from previous concepts such as French bistro Comme Ca and Hinoki & The Bird in Los Angeles. “It’s a new creation, a new concept, a new brand,” he told TODAY. “I’m looking forward to utilising ingredients that we are bringing in from the United States but are also (commonly found) in Singapore.

“I remember the first time I used soursop, it blew me away — I just absolutely love it,” he added.

The food in Adrift will be Californian with an Asian edge — a playful reflection of his well-travelled palate. “It is a personal ode to the vibrant experiences I’ve encountered in my many travels. It’s a colourful food culture mash-up from both sides of the Pacific, a merging of old and new — small plates you can toast to and a modern way of dining,” he said.

Led by executive chef Dong Choi (who was previously executive chef at Comme Ca), the menu at Adrift blends inventive snacks with raw items, and artisanal toasts with charcoal-grilled treats in a whimsical approach to this variation of East-meets-West cuisine.

Cheeky nods to American classics take the form of caramel popcorn with togarashi and a king crab melt with pimento cheese, for example. More inspirations from Myers’ travels are evident in a section titled Nomadic, which remixes cultural traditions in dishes such as the preserved green papaya soup with Maine lobster and sago, buckwheat battered chicken with karashi honey mustard sauce and foie gras banh mi. There’s even a grilled lobster mochi with ginger vinaigrette and cod with chilli crab sauce; and a Robata section serves bincho-grilled items, such as yuba and miso-cured duck breast and Wagyu beef, served with an onion jam.

“To have a chance to bring that little bit of Asian edge into the type of food that we are doing as well as the cocktails that we are crafting is very exciting for me,” Myers shared. “I certainly want to be utilising the ingredients here because I love what you have at the markets. We don’t get that in the US, and as a chef, that exploration and that newness of trying new ingredients in your food is what it’s about.

“To me, Californian cuisine already has a significant Asian influence. If you look at our make-up in LA, for example, we’ve got a huge Asian population … so that influences our cooking.”

The 4,000 sq ft restaurant also houses a collection of spaces that cater to various dining experiences, from artisanal mixology and delectable snacks at the vintage Ginza-style bar, to a convivial feast of shared plates at the main dining hall, with the option to host intimate dinners with friends or business partners at the private dining room enclosure, which houses a surrealist library with quirky objets d’art and vintage photographs. In the ethereal garden parlour, timber benches hang from the ceiling, while subtle floral accents allude to the wall of greenery outside.

Adrift is at Marina Bay Sands Hotel Lobby Tower 2. Open daily for bar and dinner services from 5.30pm until late. Lunch service will start next month.