My £3,200 dinner in Dubai

Would I be willing to come to Dubai for a week to dine in some of the city's finest restaurants, to stay in a five-star hotel, to attend the Michelin star awards ceremony and to be one of 20 guests at a £3,200+ per head dinner?

The One & Only Za'abeeel: The Link is the horizontal bar between the towers; breakfast; my room.

It wasn't a difficult decision to accept, and it felt even better as I cruised in a BMW limo through a jungle of skyscrapers to the One & Only Za'abeel, where my 41st floor room was the size of a London apartment, but with better fittings and a spectacular view.

Christophe Devoille working on The World's Best Afternoon Tea.

It's the first time I have been on one of these long-distance media freebies. I wasn't allowed to accept hospitality when I used to work for Bloomberg, and these days, my enjoyment of afternoon naps and early nights hobbles my attempt to be an influencer.

I found myself in a group of seven of eight people (I wasn't counting) from China, Colombia, India, Oman, South Africa and Spain. I liked pretty much everyone, though that is my default position when dealing with people only casually and not having to take the trouble to get to know them.

Botan shrimp with sea urchin and Oscietra caviar at Sagetsu.

The meals on the trip were suitably impressive, with some of the world's leading chefs fronting up the lunches and dinners, if not necessarily cooking them. They included Anne-Sophie Pic in the kitchen at La Dame de Pic; Tetsuya Wakuda at Sagetsu; Dabiz Muñoz at StreetXO; and Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones at DuangDy. I'm not sure I've ever been stuffed with more caviar and truffles. You see: My life isn't easy.

And the eating certainly didn't stop there. I haven't mentioned the refined Iranian cooking at Ariana's Persian Kitchen ("a world of perfumed Persian delights"); or the winner of The Best Afternoon Tea in the World next door at The Royal Tea Room by Christophe Devoille, both at Atlantis the Royal; refined Indonesian cuisine at Andaliman; and Italian-Japanese mash-up at Funkcoolio.

Canapes are served at La Dame de Pic.

Then there was modern Chinese cooking from Kelvin Cheung at Jun's; and a modern take on Middle Eastern cooking by Turkish chef Mehmet Gürs at Arrazuna, which fortunately was only 16 floors below my hotel room, so I could sneak back and lie down without appearing rude.

Some of the food was spectacular (including Oscietra caviar, sea urchin, king crab and wagyu beef from Tetsuya alone) one of my most enjoyable meals was a relatively simple brunch at a very casual standalone restaurant called Maisan 15. Lebanese-born Rita Soueidan serves an eclectic Middle Eastern-inspired menu of dishes such as eggs Benedict with baghrir (Moroccan pancake), ras el hanout-spiced spinach, harissa hollandaise, poached eggs, crispy shallots, garlic mushrooms. There's also a range of teas and juices, including my favourite of orange + lemon +ginger + pineapple + strawberry, a snip at 25 dirhams (£5.30).

Street XO combines dramatic designs with creative cooking.

I haven't gone into much details about the dishes we were served during the week, but I'm sure you can guess the kind of thing: Brittany pigeon perfumed with black garlic and smoked vanilla, wild cherries and celery from Anne-Sophie, for example. No one wants to read more than a few hundred words about people's meals. That's one reason why Instagram pictures can work so well. Though sometimes you do have to put down your phone and pick up your knife and fork: No one should confuse a meal with a photoshoot.

I'm not going to say too much about the Michelin event, (I lasted five minutes at the after-party as the French restaurant guide was serving Prosecco, rather than Champagne.) I was thrilled that chef Jason Atherton was awarded two stars at Row on 45.

In front of one of the hotel's pools; with fellow guest Margarita Bernal for the dinner.

And so, last but obviously not least, to the headline "Infinity Dinner".

Served in the hotel's The Link restaurant arcade, "the world’s longest cantilevered building," according to Gault Millau. It was advertised as an epic, "multi-chef culinary extravaganza meant only for plutocrats and royalty." (Not sure where I fit into this description, though my mother may have thought me a prince among men.)

It brought together chefs Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones of DuangDy (Khao Drang Naa Tang: Rice cracker with organic chicken, lobster and traditional peanut sauce); Paco Morales of Qabu (Mandarin gelee with escabeche, cherry tomato and cured sea bass); Anne-Sophie Pic (Les Berlingots ASP: Pasta parcels filled with 24-months aged Comté, green peas, wild rocket); and Mehmet Gurs (pistachio baklava). On the night, Dabiz Muñoz was there in spirit, represented by dishes such as Pekinese Dumpling: Crispy duck skin, strawberry hoisin, green onion, gherkins and yuzu aioli.

There were beautiful canapes and more dishes beside. I lost count, which does sometimes happen when I'm persuaded to try fabulous wines.

The venue is spectacular, with a glass floor 100 meters above the ground. The place was heaving with flowers, the lighting was dramatic, there was a DJ, a classical Asian musician (I never did work out whether the music was Thai or Japanese: The whole thing was a bit of a sensory overload.) The Dom Perignon 2012 Champagne from the magnum set the tone for the wines, and there was a waiter for each guest, so lots of choreographed raising of cloches, like synchronized swimming, only without the water.

The Infinity Dinner, served in The Link, 100 meters above Dubai, with glass floors.

Phew. There wasn't a dud. But, frankly, when anywhere is charging that kind of price for a meal, it is about marketing as much as gastronomy. It was like the world's greatest wedding banquet. I was happy and proud to be there, and the evening was a lot of fun.

If the food is a bit of a blur, I blame the Kokuryu Ishidaya Junmai Daiginjo sake; the Beechworth Estate Chardonnay 2015, Giaconda; Domaine Jean-Louis Chave 2018 Hermitage Blanc etc. You probably get the general idea. Thank you to sommelier Chris Oliver for bringing together wines that were as fabulous as the food.

The service, food and wines were (fortunately) spot-on at The Infinity Dinnner.

I haven't said much about the hotel, which I absolutely loved. Every staffer you met smiled and greeted you. Everything you asked for was immediately delivered, but you didn't have to ask for much as most of your needs and wants were either anticipated or remembered. The breakfast was epic. One & Only Za'abeel is among best hotels I've visited in my long life, and current room rates (at the height of the raging Dubai summer) are surprisingly modest at about £300. Not that I paid, you understand.

The trip was well planned, so I certainly want to thank Ms Nadia Werner for the invitation and all her ceaseless work, and for everyone else who made it so great. But I can't help noticing that my fellow travellers have been a lot more active on social media than I, and possibly more effusive in their appreciation.

I went to the world's most luxurious dinner and reserved special praise for a simple brunch. I'm not sure that's the best way to get invited back. But I'm good for eggs Benedict with baghrir.

Rita Soueidan at Maisan 15.