Kevin works his chemistry at Blu restaurant

As part of what we are now calling The Long Goodbye - our lengthy and protracted exit from Singapore which is being conducted at the languid pace befitting such a tropical location - we're doing the rounds of our favourite restaurants. Last night we decided to return to Blu. We've never visited mid-week before so I called first to check that Chef Kevin Cherkas himself would be cooking. After a brisk walk up the hill to the restaurant - it's just far enough to make you grateful for the air conditioning as the exotically dressed doormen whoosh open the huge doors leading to the marbled lobby - we were ready to sample a couple of martinis, purely in the interests of stimulating the appetite, of course!

Once seated Kevin soon made an appearance, as cheerful and exuberant as ever. Don't you envy people who get a kick out of their jobs? His enthusiasm for the food, the preparation, for every detail makes you appreciate the amount of thought and inspiration that goes into every morsel which emerges from his kitchen. And one of the best parts? He has the waiting staff sample all the dishes as well, so when you ask the waiter how the Foie Creme Caramel is prepared, he can tell you. It's is one of my pet peeves that the staff at some restaurants don't understand how the dishes are made and what they taste like. By contrast our waiter was full of information, even stopping himself halfway through his speech about the starters by declaring "sorry, I'm talking to much"

"No" we encouraged, "go on! Tell us more!"

My creme caramel was served in a pot-bellied shot glass. A layer of liquid caramel infused with roasted thyme leaves and lavender was topped with a foie gras mousse and capped by paper made of...something yummy (almost tricked Kevin into telling us how he did it but he caught himself at the last minute) was paired with hubby's fabulous brie served with black truffle.

We both opted for The Egg Came First entree, an egg cooked in the shell at 73 degrees for eleven minute, then cracked into a pan and fried briefly on both sides, topped with "crumbs made of all things yummy" and served in a roasted onion broth studded with onion marmalade. Sheer bliss.

Hubby chose a melt-in-the-mouth wagyu steak while I decided to break with habit and order salmon. Normally I don't because it's easy to cook delicious salmon at home so why bother in your favourite restaurant? - but I'm glad I did. The waiter presented me with a wide bowl cradling a plastic wrapped parcel which looked like a money bag. "We didn't know when your birthday was so we thought we'd just give you this now" he smiled, snipping the top off the bag with scissors to allow the most incredible puff of aroma to waft into my face. Woodsmoke, salmon, truffles...the mix was intoxicating and the dish was absolutely divine.

Dessert was lovely but the highlight was yet to come. Kevin bounced up again to tell us that he had a surprise for us, an item not on the menu but which he liked to prepare sometimes and which he'd like us to try. A large insulated pot containing liquid nitrogen was placed on the table, the heavy super-chilled condensation slowly swirling around the top. He disappeared, then returned with two little white pots just a little bigger than egg cups filled with a creamy chocolate liquid. Standing up in each one was a skewered marshmallow-type confection. Following his instructions we plunged the skewers into the nitrogen, causing it to pop and crackle loudly, and counted to ten together...then "quick pop them into your mouths!"

Well you only live once so we did! It was an amazing sensation, and fortunately not at all like having your taste buds killed by frostbite which is what I had feared. First a crackle of frozen chocolate, then a chewy marshmallowy sensation, then sheer bliss of something creamy. Hmmmmm...I don't know what it was but chemistry lessons were never like this when I was at school!

It sounds like a feast but the portions are not huge so you don't over-stuff yourself. We walked outside onto the terrace to enjoy our coffee looking at the lights of Singapore city. We are really, really going to miss this place when we leave. Surely we must be able to squeeze in another visit before we go...