Thank you. Now that I've caught your attention, let me first start off by saying I don't like hanging out at hotel restaurants. And of all the evil empire death star hotel chains go, the Shang is right there up at the top of the Imperialist scum. I mean, a hotel group that still has rasa sentosa signage in 70s magnum pi font and can't be bothered to change their decor? Have I lost my mind? How can Blu be the most inventive restaurant in Singapore, better than Iggys, Les Amis, etc?

I have not had the chance to be inspired by Singaporean food for a while. Time dragged by, long weary days as I waited for the next epicurean experience. And the drought ended last week when Daniel Boulud, chef extraodinaire came down to Singapore and I met this 110% intense Frenchmen as he prepped to cook a 12 course event for 50 guest at the Fullerton, after having held his ground as the VIPs came munching around his new establishment in Beijing looking for fine food while they watched the Olympics.

So the requisite "after hours" party ensued where all the chefs trundled off to Akashi and promptly ate all the best fish available that night, and Daniel was struggling to call one of his former chefs who apparently is based in Singapore. After course no 6, fighting to demolish more of the sushi and washing down the wagyu with sake, a skinny, hyperactive and intense character turned up. Kevin Cherkas, the wet behind the ears, new chef of blu, finally had managed to extricate himself from service to join us as we waited for the next course to arrive.

I found out that Kevin had previously worked for Daniel, the 2 star michellin restaurant held by namesake Daniel Boulud (who btw was a celebrity chef when Gordon Ramsay was still a footballer) and then went to cook in spain with Ferrain Adria at El Bulli, and then was helming Lafite in KL, only to finally joining the Shang two months ago to rescue Blu, the restaurant which before he arrived, I can only say was probably staffed by the usual minions and chefs who were going thru the motions to serve food to unsuspecting out of town punters.

My view is that Blu, 6-7 years ago was a restaurant which held its own, but with the latest proliferation of new independents, has been lost in the fog of PR bullshit and hype, when local restaurants like Iggys get all the attention to making the top 100 list in restaurant magazine, Blu until two months ago might as well as be written on as a necessary cost expense to support the hotel business.

Anyway, by the 3rd bottle of sake, Daniel eating live crabs and trying to flip a bottle of sake at the robatoyaki joint next door, Kevin said to me, "come over, I'll cook for you and we'll see where we get to after that"

So last time I checked I don't have the clout to blackmail Ferran to get seats at El Bulli , so hey, Kevin cooked with him right? Lets put him through the grinder.

Have paitience, this is going to be a long read, as i go thru blow by blow what ensued.

We started off with the Cloud, a cotton candy creation which had savory notes and ended off with a taste of Chilli. Very confusing, totally frustrating and completely Spanish Ferran.

Even the bread, served on black slate plates, had paprika and Spanish influenced spices which when dipped into the herb butter, showed a level of subtlety which I hope did not fly by the crowd that was there tonight. The meticulous presentation smacked of molecular gastronomy influenced presentation.

This is when I realised this guy can cook.

Next was the lobster, morsels of the sweet flesh seared on one side to create the crunchy texture, floating in a mushroom sauce and finished off with cream foam in front of you

Foire Gras, seared, gently presented in a rectangular slate plate, classic food, elegantly presented for consumption, the sauce being a fruit based number which contrasted to the rich flavours of the liver

Lamb Mole, yet another Spanish influenced dish with popcorn, chocolate and lamb fillet pink and tender,

Finally, deconstructed key lime pie, or at least I'm calling it that, lemon merangue, on lemon sorbet, with a base of crumble with the texture of fine sand.

Now this is not molecular gastronomy, more as kevin calls it, progressive gastronomy, where new techniques are starting to take root, and providing a unique dining experience close to the edge of distaste / genius.

Think contemporary chinese art before it became trendy. Think dim sum dollies before their 4th show.

He's not going to be a hidden secret for long. my suggestion is u go over there, choose the experience menu (140 SGD) and with the alcohol and extras, you will come under 200 sgd. which is cheaper than taking a flight to barcelona and begging ferran to cook for you.

I'm a believer. once in a while, the evil hotel empires do finally do something correct.

Finally, ignore all reviews older than 2 months on this forum. was a different guy. Lets see what everyone turns in as reviews going forward.

Btw, if you tell him the CODE word "Bamboozle", he'll give you a surprise. :)