Singapore: the world’s hottest dining?

Along a row of heritage-listed fin-de-siecle shophouses in Chinatown, the newly opened Ki-Su is Singapore’s first shoujin, or vegetarian, omakase. The menu includes an extraordinary nigiri capped with thin slivers of flamed peppers to create the illusion of seared tuna and hand-rolls stuffed with crisp, breaded king-oyster mushrooms and a single oyster leaf that miraculously evokes the briny taste of oysters.

Another historical pile – this time, a lovely 1910 black-and-white bungalow in the Botanic Gardens – is now home to Roia. Here, the Indian-born Priyam Chatterjee sends out stunning edible works of art inspired by classic French training, local flavours and the flora and herbs harvested from the kitchen garden. There are nights when I still dream of his crystalline toast crowned with pata negra and feathery Vadouvan curry.

I ended the evening with a nightcap at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore. Designed by the legendary architect John Portman, the hotel recently emerged from a tip-to-toe refurbishment, its vast public spaces and rooms with a view now afresh with sunny colours and plush textures. Happily for always-hungry Singaporeans like me, its collection of first-rate restaurants – including the Cherry Garden’s exquisite Cantonese menu and the poolside haven of Dolce Vita’s Italian restaurant – still rule the roost.