The World Gourmet Summit, which ended last night, was noticeably less starchy this year.

There were still a couple of gala events during the 10-day culinary affair, such as a charity dinner last Thursday at The Fullerton Hotel and a Grand Chapitre for Singapore Sable d'Or members at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia on Tuesday. But these targeted specific audiences, namely moneyed philanthropists and those with a penchant for pomp and pageantry.

Instead, the events for the general public were more intimate affairs, mostly catering for 60 to 80 people in a restaurant setting rather than the ballroom banquets for 300 people that were primed as highlights of previous festivals.

As a result, quality was much improved even if not always perfect.

The opening reception inside the newly opened S.E.A. Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa last Tuesday was an unusual venue that contributed to the sense of fun. You dined on canapes while watching colourful fish swim placidly in the water tanks.

But it was also cramped and there were ugly incidents of queue jumping, including a well-dressed woman who nodded nonchalantly and continued standing where she was when I told her to go to the end of the queue.

The restaurant meals, thankfully, were very civilised.

One of the best I had over the two weeks of the gourmet event was a wine-tasting dinner on Monday by Spanish chef David Munoz, featuring CVNE wines from Spain.

The chef, who owns a restaurant in Madrid called DiverXO, had been here for the same festival in 2009, when he cooked up a storm at the Tower Club. This time, he was at Forest in Resorts World Sentosa and his menu continued his journey of cultural crossovers in the kitchen.

I was hoping he would reprise his concept of Spanish dim sum that he introduced the last time he was here and he did not disappoint.

One of the highlights of Monday's dinner was a dish of asparagus and yuzu topped by a little steamed bun filled with creamed black trumpet mushrooms and truffles. The flour for the bun contained less gluten than that used for Chinese bao and had a lovely light texture. And the filling was ambrosia - flavourful, with the aroma of truffles staying discreetly in the background.

And there was a dish of fresh peas with slices of smoked eel and black truffle that was served on the side with what looked like a siew mai dumpling in a dim sum basket. But instead of pork or shrimp, the dumpling was filled with yellow potato mash and topped with a wobbly piece of bone marrow. It was totally sinful and absolutely delicious.

Another wine dinner featuring Portuguese chef Joachim Koerper last Thursday at The St. Regis' Brasserie Les Saveurs was good too. But complete success eluded it because of a red mullet with cilantro emulsion that was served at room temperature. One wondered if it had been deliberate or if the dish had been left on the kitchen counter too long, but I felt the dish would have been much better if eaten warm.

Otherwise, the meal boasted an excellent starter of crayfish carpaccio, speckled with bits of foie gras and salt that brought out the flavours well. That was followed by a dish called false gazpacho with crab that consisted of two tomatoes, one stuffed with crab meat, sitting on a bit of tomato sauce. It might sound simple but the tomatoes were sweet and wonderful.

The wines from Herdade da Malhadinha Nova in Portugal were decent, especially the 2011 Monte da Peceguina Branco, which was unimpressive on its own but showed much character when matched with the carpaccio.

Meanwhile, a host of visiting chefs were also cooking at host restaurants for a stretch of three days. None of those I attended were bad, but neither were there many wow moments.

The memorable dishes included a bouillon with mushrooms by chef Jean Francois Piege at Stellar restaurant. The hot broth was poured over a cepe-dusted foie gras disc that melted and blended into the liquid - a delight both on the eyes and the palate.

And over at The Prime Society, Australian chef Matt Moran from Aria restaurant in Sydney and Brisbane delighted with an Alaskan crab scotch egg with celeriac and lemon salad. The crabmeat made for a lighter version of the dish, which traditionally had the hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and deep-fried. The salad also lightened up the dish somewhat.

Modern Chinese restaurant My Humble House had the unusual honour of hosting French chef William Ledeuil from the one-Michelin-starred Chef Ze Kitchen in Paris. But eating his food, you understand the cultural mix-up.

Ledeuil has a fondness for Asian seasonings. In fact, his roast turbot with bouillabaisse condiment, ginger and Thai pesto tasted almost like a Thai tom kha soup. And the pomelo sacs on the fish were an obvious Thai touch.

He also served a beetroot gazpacho with steamed shrimps that was spiced with ginger and an aromatic called kombawa oil. On the plate, too, was an oyster leaf, a normal-looking green leaf that tasted mildly of oysters.

Meanwhile, an event that started last year was turning out to be a hit. Called jam sessions, they consisted of informal sessions by both local and visiting chefs, and mixologists, who take the stage to conduct cooking demonstrations, cocktail mixing or just share their experiences. Held under a marquee at Alkaff Mansion last Friday and Saturday, these were whole-day events with refreshments and lunch breaks, and the turnout was great.

I popped into the session by chefs Piege and Christopher Millar last Saturday, when Piege was demonstrating a dish of squid carbonara.

It was entertaining and informative. And I was quite inspired to try a version of the dish back home, with ribbons of squid used in place of pasta.

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