Brûléed Chicken Breast Recipe From David Myers

David Myers was just returning from a trip when we spoke with him recently.

That was hardly remarkable as the Los Angeles-based chef also has restaurants in Las Vegas and Japan and travels frequently. But this trip was special: He spent two weeks covering ground in five southeast Asian countries, collecting inspiration for his newest project, Hinoki & the Bird, which opens in Los Angeles in early January.

He's partnering with Kuniko Yagi, who worked with him as chef de cuisine at Myers's breakout restaurant, Sona. But Myers offers an alert: "This is a complete departure from Sona."

Myers, it seems, is a disciple of kinetics, moving between cities, restaurants and cooking styles. He credits his travels for a font of new techniques and ideas that he'll undertake at Hinoki & the Bird, from grilling with Japanese charcoal to brining chicken in fish sauce. He passed along this punchy recipe using the latter technique, and it's quickly becoming our favorite way to eat the bird (see the recipe).

It won't be long before Myers is on the move again, this time to visit us and cook in the Tasting Table Test Kitchen as part of our Guest Chef Series on December 4.

It pays to be a frequent flyer.