A silence fell over the table as the first courses were served - and not just because the waiters seemed to pause and glance at one another first, prior to placing their precious dishes before us in mastered synchronicity. I held my breath, not wanting to break the fine display of sauce remoulade around my salmon - or, ‘tian of smoked Scottish salmon', to be precise. So smooth and creamy was this moat of tempting white beneath the caviar, that one incy uttering in the wrong direction could have ruined the entire dish!

It's pretty rare you feel so much passion oozing from a plate. But then, there's something very special about the vault below Traiteur at the Park Hyatt - in which sits a round table to seat 12 and bottles of wine stacked lovingly from floor to ceiling. No music is necessary here - it might distract you from the food. And last night, surrounded by vintage reds and whites, was an offering of food so good, it almost played tunes of its own on our tastebuds.

We were there to sample a four-course set menu, painstakingly created by two-star Michelin Chef, Philippe Labbe. His reign in the restaurant's kitchen lasts just one week - until the 13th of December - and then it's back to his baby, La Chèvre d'Or at the Chateau de La Chèvre d'Or, on the French Riviera. Well, they do say that all good things must come to end.

Once the salmon had been appropriately oohed and aaahed over, in stepped a staggeringly good Tortelli, with comte cheese and Perigord truffles. Never having tried a truffle before, at first my nostrils flared with scepticism. It's a woody smell like nothing else - not unpleasant but not particularly enticing either, I didn't think. Stabbing the fork into the molten cheese, I scooped some up and went for the kill. Suffice to say, I'll be sniffing out truffles with a more appreciative nose from now on.

Next up was a breast and confit of Bresse pigeon, which perched as easily on a risotto of zucchini flowers, as its living ancestors on a Leicester Square billboard. The meat fell from the tiny bones so easily, that it disappeared almost as swiftly as it had landed before me. Having been a Londoner for just that little bit too long, I never thought I'd eat pigeon; but the way Philippe presents his food is so alluring, it's almost as if your mouth goes into autopilot, before your brain has a chance to refuse.

The final dish had everyone - not just the girls - gushing. In fact, one commented that it was the best thing she'd ever eaten in Dubai. And as I jabbed a spoon into my own Cacao caramelised William pear, the chocolate praline crunched the words "dip me in that ginger ice-cream" so loudly that even my scarily expanding stomach started cheering me on. Hand on heart - I have never eaten ice-cream that good before! The best thing I've eaten in Dubai? Well, I'm definitely struggling to recall any taste that left me as awestruck!

You've got to be quick if you plan to sample Philippe's creations, or any of the dishes he's selected for a different, and no doubt just as exceptional, a la carte menu. He's here and gone in a flash so fast, you might just think it's all a dream. But trust me, the taste of that ginger ice-cream will linger long in your memories, after you've woken up.

Two-Star Michelin Chef Philippe Labbé will be at Traiteur from 6th to 13th December from 7:00pm to 12:00 midnight.
For reservations, call 04 317 2222.