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Marina Bay Sands: top Singapore celebrity restaurants! Waku Ghin, David Myers Adrift, Cloud Forest gardens.

fashion blogger black goth hat

What’s it like to dine at one of the best restaurants in the world? A foodie’s dream, as you’ll find out in this post!

Singapore does both street food and high-end dining fabulously. During my time in Singapore, I got to taste the latter during an insider tour of Marina Bay Sands hotel. You know which iconic building I’m talking about…

merlion, marina bay sands singapore

.. this “surfboard on three pillars,” located across from the Merlion fountain!

Let me take you inside Marina Bay Sands’ celebrity chef restaurants, including Adrift and Waku Ghin. We’ll even get to dip our toes in the infinity edge swimming pool.

cloud mountain, gardens by the bay

If you’re visiting MBS, I recommend also spending time in the nearby Gardens by the Bay. This large complex includes dramatic outdoor gardens, and indoor conservatories with an admission fee. (Visitor info is found here.)

The Gardens are part of a government initiative to increase green spaces in cosmopolitan Singapore. When I went inside the Cloud Forest dome, I immediately saw this wall of “epiphytic” plants, adapted to grow on vertical walls.

(I’m wearing a skirt that’s actually a scarf from Naumi Hotel. My hat is this one from Lack of Color Australia.)

singapore cloud forest waterfall

The misty Cloud Forest looked like a scene from a storybook — and yet, it was all contained within a giant glass structure! This is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, and you can walk all around and through it.

gardens by the bay, indoor garden

Towering walkways twist around the Cloud Mountain. Most visitors take the elevator up, and walk downward. On the way, I saw thousands of plant species, and came across interactive displays about the environment.

singapore high walkway

This is not your typical park, since many of the elements are indoors and manmade, and feature plants from all around the world. Still, the experience feels like a dream, especially when you walk along the high paths and see the dramatic waterfall.

Visiting Gardens by the Bay opened my eyes to how it’s possible to build lush, vertical environments within a busy city, where space and resources are limited.

 

marina bay sands park

Next, we went into the Flower Dome, home to species from countries as far ranging as South Africa and Spain.

Everything here is constructed to minimize the environmental footprint, such as by re-circulating rainwater for cooling.

black wide brim hat, lack of color

Do you like my black large-brimmed hat? The exact same one is available here!

flower dome singapore, Marina Gardens

l tried my best to blend in with the background. The dome’s Flower Field changes constantly, and has special displays for various seasons and themes (such as Fairy Tales).

supertree grove, OCBC Skyway

Outdoors, the Supertree Grove looks like an alien landscape. These unique vertical gardens are 50 meters tall, and turn into a display of light in the evening.

singapore vertical gardens, super trees

We strolled along the 128 meter long OCBC Skyway, which connects two of the Supertrees. (Photos by Ken Yuen)

mbs marina bay sands building

Now, are you ready to go inside Marina Bay Sands? The eyecatching hotel officially opened in 2011, and contains… eveything. An ice skating rink, theaters, a casino, haute couture shops, and dozens of restaurants.

marina bay sands infinity pool, swimming pool

I’m sure you have heard of their famous 150 meter long infinity pool, located high above Singapore skyscrapers!  Talk about “swimming on the edge.”

famous singapore infinity pool view

Only guests of the hotel can access the infinity pool, but PR kindly let us take a look around. And while this photo looks like I’m alone at the top… in reality, there were a lot of kids and families running around!

marina bay sands suite

PR also let us look inside one of the infamous luxury suites. I couldn’t believe it… in addition to spacious bed and bathrooms, the suite had a karaoke den, hair salon, massage parlor, and gym!

singapore rooftop bar view

From the living room window, I looked out at the skyscrapers, and down at the lotus flower-shaped ArtScience museum.

Can you believe that only 5 years ago, the MBS hotel and gardens didn’t even exist? Incredible to see how much Singapore’s landscape has changed, in a short time.

interior lobby marina bay sands hotel

The Marina Bay Sands lobby communicates this sense of soaring ambition. The entire complex sits on 20 hectares, and was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects. 

Restaurants are one of the biggest draws here — and I was ready to taste what they had to offer.

marina bay sands top restaurants

We started with lunch at Adrift by David Myers, a brand new concept for modern Asian fare.

Chef Myers trained with greats such as Charlie Trotter and Daniel Boulud, and his name is often found on award lists.

adrift by david myers restaurant

Adrift’s menu is inspired by Chef Myers’ travels in Asia. This dining room decor reflects his love of South East Asian flavors, Japanese ingredients, and more.

adrift bar, cocktails

The cocktail bar is a scene straight out of Ginza, Tokyo. Bar consultant Sam Ross created drinks that perfectly fit with Adrift’s approach. He uses ingredients like sake, and makes his own version of the Singapore Sling.

I tried his much-celebrated cocktail, The Penicillin, and it’s my favorite drink of the year so far. Smoky scotch, lemon juice, ginger honey perfection.

chef david myers, appetizers

I paired my cocktail with elevated “bar snacks” — creative, Asian-flavored munchies that I could have eaten all day long.

I’m eyeing the caramel popcorn with a spike of togarashi, and the nori rice crackers with yuzy kosho aioli.

asian fusion best singapore restaurants

These mouth-watering photos say it all… fresh flavors, gorgeous presentation. Adrift encourages diners to share plates, tapas style.

We loved the signature crab melt with pimento cheese, and the basil-infused tuna with avocado on a papaya-coconut sauce.

salad with melon, lotus chips

All of Chef Myers’ dishes were perfect for sharing, and never too heavy.

paleo healthy shrimp peas salad

It doens’t get any better than this seared Hokkaido scallop with peas.

chocolate sorbet dessert bowl

His handcrafted desserts were the perfect finish. The Guanaja chocolate pot de crème with burnt marshmallow was so good that I dug into it before we could take a proper photo!

celebrity chef dining, marina bay sands

Cheers to Adrift for a remarkable East meets West dining experience, “for dreamers and explorers.”

Tamir Shanel, marina bay sands food beverage

I had tea and a chat with Tamir Shanel, the Vice President of Food & Beverage. He told me he had a vision of the hotel as a world-class dining destination from the start. Today, Marina Bay Sands is home to original restaurants by the world’s top chefs including Tetsuya Wakuda, Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck, David Thompson, Gordon Ramsay, and of course David Myers.

He’s also created a name for MBS with their annual Epicurean Market. This food and wine fair brings in the best for master classes — I wish I could have attended this August, and tried all the international food!

gordon ramsay restaurant singapore

We toured the hotel and peered into the various restaurants… if only I could dine at them all. I’m walking by Gordan Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, which will be open soon. (MBS has more than 60 international dining options, listed here.)

cut steakhouse, wolfgang puck restaurant

A peek inside Cut steakhouse by Wolfgang Puck. He sources the highest quality Kobe beef, and other top cuts from the USA, Australia and Japan.

cut bar lounge singapore

The bartender was preparing ice for the evening. Cut is particularly well known for gin cocktails with Asian flavors like lemongrass and yuzu.

wolfgang puck portrait, spago

Wolfgang Puck, won’t you cook a meal for me?

waku ghin, marina bay sands

And now, for the main event... Waku Ghin. The Japanese word for excitement (“waku waku”) describes the feeling of anticipation we had. After all, it’s the brainchild of celebrated Chef Tetsuya Wakuda — and consistently named one of the top restaurants in Asia, if not the world.

waku ghin chef tetsuya wakuda

The name ‘Waku Ghin’ actually comes from two Japanese words, meaning “arise” and “silver.” This is the chef’s favorite color, and permeates the intimate modern decor.

From the start, you know that this is a sublime dining experience. The journey begins at the bar, with a staff that seems to anticipate your every need.

5 star best japanese restaurant singapore

Then, you’ll be ushered into one of the three “cocoons,” or spaces where a chef cooks right in front of you. Waku Ghin only has two seatings a night, serving only about 50 lucky people each evening. It goes without saying that reservations are a must.

fresh seafood selection, omakase

Our chef showed us a box of the the ingredients he would be serving us. The highest quality seafood sourced from all over the world, to be savored with a pairing of wine or sake.

top rated, most expensive meal singapore

Our chef was Cory Soo Thoo, a young Singaporean who has risen quickly in the culinary world. Chef Wakuda was in the restaurant that evening, and came out twice to greet us.

Watching Cory cook felt like witnessing a solemn ritual. He took the greatest care with each step, from the preparation to the plating.

waku ghin menu, food dishes

And what a meal he delivered. One of the first courses was sea urchin and oscietra caviar with marinated botan shrimp — so decadent yet balanced.

Then (moving clockwise): pan-fried ayu with daikon and fennel, Tasmanian abalone with fregola (Sardinian pasta) and tomato, and steamed Alaska king crab.

luxury japanese Degustation menu

I typically find shellfish a bit heavy, but in the hands of Chef Cory, this wasn’t the case. He used techniques such as steaming to let the natural flavors speak for themselves.

waku ghin dessert lounge

After the 10-course degustation menu, all the diners move to this lounge for dessert. The window overlooks the Bay and Merlion, which light up with evening light shows.

Waku Ghin offered us some of the best desserts we had in Singapore: fresh strawberry sorbets and mousses, and petit fours.

singapore flower shaped building, lotus ArtScience Museum

Singapore lives up to its name as a foodie dream destination, especially at Marina Bay Sands!

Have you been to any celebrity chef restaurants, anywhere in the world? Are local food experiences important for you when you travel?

SHARE & COMMENT

30 Comments

  1. Suzy
    Posted September 1, 2015 at 2:57 pm | Permalink

    That food, those drinks, oh my Lord.

  2. Ernie
    Posted September 1, 2015 at 2:57 pm | Permalink

    Oh I want to go to Singapore with you!

  3. Jenn Ye
    Posted September 1, 2015 at 2:58 pm | Permalink

    Did you try the hawker Street food too? Singapore is famous for la.

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 7, 2015 at 10:00 pm | Permalink

      YES the laksa was fab, and we went to the Old Airport Road hawker center.

  4. Elegand
    Posted September 1, 2015 at 2:58 pm | Permalink

    I am following you on Snapchat now by the way :)

  5. twilignt
    Posted September 1, 2015 at 2:59 pm | Permalink

    I <3 but it makes me too hungry ha ha ha

  6. Lala
    Posted September 2, 2015 at 3:08 am | Permalink

    I love to eat at celebrity chefs restaurants. In New York we did a trip that make sure we went to the top Ones like Daniel.

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 7, 2015 at 10:00 pm | Permalink

      Yes that’s as great one. Perfect for special occasions.

  7. Aidan
    Posted September 2, 2015 at 3:09 am | Permalink

    Your outfit :-) :-)

  8. Drew
    Posted September 2, 2015 at 3:09 am | Permalink

    Is nice article and I saw you on Yahoo today.

  9. Kai Lee
    Posted September 2, 2015 at 5:17 am | Permalink

    Brilliant photos of the MBS and lion. Kai

  10. MelissaR
    Posted September 2, 2015 at 10:25 pm | Permalink

    Love all the green nature and photos! Looks awesome!

  11. Sarah g
    Posted September 3, 2015 at 4:09 am | Permalink

    Beautiful beautiful

  12. Baba
    Posted September 3, 2015 at 4:10 am | Permalink

    I think I saw you at Adrift? lol didn’t want you to be disturb tho too shy to say hi.

  13. Kara
    Posted September 3, 2015 at 4:33 am | Permalink

    Making me hungry now!!!!!!!

  14. Princess Wormmm
    Posted September 3, 2015 at 5:35 pm | Permalink

    This place looks so pretty <3 The food too *q* <3

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 7, 2015 at 9:59 pm | Permalink

      It was a dream come true, to be at this hotel! <3

  15. Brooke
    Posted September 4, 2015 at 2:31 am | Permalink

    Your pictures are gorgeous and I’m loving your outfit =)

  16. Lizz Lee
    Posted September 5, 2015 at 10:02 pm | Permalink

    Great styling. You look perfectly. You have a great figure. I’ll be here often to look and wait for new styling.
    I also invite my blog http://black-pearls.blogspot.com/
    I will be grateful for observation. :)

  17. Curie
    Posted September 7, 2015 at 6:26 am | Permalink

    That looks good beyond words :-)

  18. Sam
    Posted September 7, 2015 at 6:27 am | Permalink

    I love Singapore! More more money

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