BREAKING NEWS: SQ LPP will go for A380 inaugural flight in Y

[SQflyergirl]

I love pret sandwiches! BLT + a small sushi box for breakkies. Yum!

[jhm]

Or Pret for lunch, e.g. an All Day Breakfast (crispy bacon, sausage, egg, ketchup) or a More than Mozzarella (juicy mozzarella plus basil leaves and crunchy pine nuts). Mmmm!

[SQflyergirl]

Okay... stop it. I'ma gettin hungry listening to you!

[SQ LPP]

... try to gatecrash the party.

Now I just remember the past. At Changi, the party inside the gate made the BP for that particular inaugural flight was a must. Remember there is a security check at the gate.
When I did the inaugural from LAX or EWR, it was an open gate... thus anyone can join the party..
Now for LHR, I did not remember the layout of the A380 gate. But I believe it is an enclosed gate with a counter for BP checkers. Thus without the BP, you would not be able to into the gate area... but you can watch it behind the glass...

The evening of 17 March should be fine - will make a note in my diary.

How about Masala Zone (various branches) for about £10-20 each ? The thalis are good - a complete meal in itself.

Hmmm I am not so fond of those kind of meals... Any alternative suggestions?

[iangoodwin]

SQ LPP, please feel free to join the group of 17 pax flying SQ308/SQ319 18 March listed at www.SQ380.net

The majority of us are upper deck Y around Row 79 so it should be a great party!

[upright man]

SQ LPP, please feel free to join the group of 17 pax flying SQ308/SQ319 18 March listed at www.SQ380.net

The majority of us are upper deck Y around Row 79 so it should be a great party!

iangoodwin and SQ LPP - the two of you MUST hook up on the LHR-SIN flight, ok ? You are both such dedicated aviation and SQ enthusiasts - truly an inspiration to me !

[SQ LPP]

iangoodwin and SQ LPP - the two of you MUST hook up on the LHR-SIN flight, ok ? You are both such dedicated aviation and SQ enthusiasts - truly an inspiration to me !

Thank you for your kind words... but I am just a professional SQ flyer.

SQ LPP, please feel free to join the group of 17 pax flying SQ308/SQ319 18 March listed at www.SQ380.net

The majority of us are upper deck Y around Row 79 so it should be a great party!

I will only be on SQ319. And right now I am seated on 77H! So just near where most of you guys! And yes, will check your site for updates...

[jhm]

Hmmm I am not so fond of those kind of meals... Any alternative suggestions?

OK! How about one of the following ? (I've tried all of course.)

Patogh (near Edgware Road) - a tiny place serving Persian food. From Time Out:

The Iranian equivalent of a chip shop – but for deep-fried fish and chipped potatoes substitute grilled meat and rice. But this is fast food of the highest order, with immaculately fresh, leafy salads, thick own-made aubergine and yoghurt dips (with chopped cucumber or shallots), and huge wheels of flatbread, delivered too-hot-to-touch from the oven. The handful of lamb and chicken kebabs that make up the menu (supplemented, in season, by sea bream and sea bass) are prepared over a smoky charcoal grill in an open kitchen that takes up half the tiny ground-floor room. The meat, which is marinated for several hours before cooking, is sensational, particularly the lamb fillet and the boneless chicken, yellowed with saffron. No alcohol is served, but you can bring your own. Competition is fierce for Patogh’s half dozen or so cramped tables, and you may well have to resign yourself to queuing outside or settling for a takeaway.

Yauatcha (although I know you've been before but IMHO one can never dire of dim sum!)

Nyonya (Notting Hill) - from Time Out:

We can’t help comparing this tiny family-run restaurant to the culinary juggernaut Wagamama. There’s a minimalist interior; diners share communal tables; a shortish menu offers no appetisers, just ‘side dishes’; and everything leaves the kitchen at a rapid pace. The food, however, is very different. Nyonya means ‘lady’, but also refers to a unique cuisine that originated with Straits-born Peranakan families; it marries Chinese and Malaysian cooking. Traditionally the food is spicy with robust flavours, but at Nyonya we found some of the dishes had been toned down. Laksa, a speciality of the Peranakan people, had nice, firm ramen noodles but was dominated by coconut and lacked chilli heat. Crisp, deep-fried ‘blachan’ chicken needed a little more of the fearsome shrimp paste. On the plus side, a chef’s special of mixed vegetable achar (crisp cucumber, carrot, mooli and cauliflower dressed in peanut sauce) emphasised the kitchen’s commitment to fresh ingredients. The tiny multicoloured, coconut-rich steamed cakes (kueh) were also enjoyable. Fast, home-style cooking at a fair price.

Mitsukoshi (the London branch of the Japanese department store; Piccadilly Circus) - downstairs; jjpb3 has been with phaleesy and I. The set menus are best, e.g. sukiyaki (£26.50 plus service), shabu shabu etc.

Hamburger Union - various, including near Leicester Square - http://www.hamburgerunion.com/ham_menu.html - burgers for adults!

Phoenix Palace (near Baker Street) - a nice Chinese restaurant away from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown and Bayswater. From Time Out:

One of London’s most consistently excellent Chinese restaurants, located conveniently near the Chinese Embassy, Phoenix Palace is frequented by the capital’s smarter Chinese residents. It’s also popular with the British establishment, judging by the photos of visiting grandees (Tony Blair among them). The dim sum are superb – on a par with, and at times eclipsing, those served at the Royal China restaurants – and terrifically good value. On our most recent visit, crispy scallop dumplings melted in the mouth, while the pork and prawn turnip patty (aka turnip paste) was possibly the best we’ve had in London. Parcels of glutinous rice in lotus leaves were unusually interesting, with chunks of duck accompanying the usual chicken and wind-dried sausage. Steamed prawn and pea-shoot dumplings were fresh and vibrant. Minor off-notes included the cheung fun, with a dough-stick stuffing that had been over-fried and was greasy. The main menu sings too: look out, in particular, for the chef’s specials. The dining room is smart and comfortable (think upmarket Hong Kong), and service generally friendly, if a little scatty.

Mawar (Edgware Road) - Malaysian food with a picture of Dr M (who visted) on the wall! Canteen style, i.e. buy your food and then sit down. From Time Out:

An anonymous, unpromising stairway leads down to this subterranean halal cafeteria, where you'll find easy-wipe tables, plain green walls and a steamy bain-marie counter. But who needs all those designer fripperies when you can queue at the counter and get rice and vegetables with three dishes of your choice for a mere £5? For a little more refinement, there's a separate restaurant area with clothed tables, fanned serviettes and long-stemmed (fabric) roses. Here you get waiter service, an à la carte menu, and your bottle of wine expertly opened – if you brought one along with you (Mawar is unlicensed). Even in the restaurant you'd be hard pressed to spend more than £25 for two. The food is sustaining enough for the price, but it's a shame so much of it looks like indeterminate chunks in a thick brown sauce.

[SQ LPP]

Thank you for the list!
I have to check with the special guest first.
Will think about it. After all, I am still assuming I will have no problem getting the visa on time.
In the mean time, lobster's opinion would be appreciated in this one since he moved out from the UK.

[jjpb3]

Hamburger Union - various, including near Leicester Square - http://www.hamburgerunion.com/ham_menu.html - burgers for adults!

I used to think they were the best burger joints in the UK ... until I experienced Gourmet Burger Kitchen. I haven't looked back. GBK wins over HU, hands down.

Bonus is -- this didn't sway my accolade -- there's one close to me off Russell Square.

[nickbot]

Thank you for the list!
I have to check with the special guest first.

I'm playing 20 questions now,...might the "special guest" be an SQ VIP by any chance, or am I way off the mark?!

[jhm]

I used to think they were the best burger joints in the UK ... until I experienced Gourmet Burger Kitchen. I haven't looked back. GBK wins over HU, hands down.

Bonus is -- this didn't sway my accolade -- there's one close to me off Russell Square.

It sounds perfect! The best burgers in the UK followed by drinks at home ?

[SQ LPP]

I used to think they were the best burger joints in the UK ... until I experienced Gourmet Burger Kitchen. I haven't looked back. GBK wins over HU, hands down.

Bonus is -- this didn't sway my accolade -- there's one close to me off Russell Square.

Sorry, can't open the link...

[iangoodwin]

Thank you for your kind words... but I am just a professional SQ flyer.


I will only be on SQ319. And right now I am seated on 77H! So just near where most of you guys! And yes, will check your site for updates...

Thanks SQ LPP, I'll list you anonymously on our "pax list" so "Team 380" can locate you aboard.

[SQ LPP]

Thanks SQ LPP, I'll list you anonymously on our "pax list" so "Team 380" can locate you aboard.

Just went to your list. You can put me as SQ LPP seated in 77H. I see one behind me 78H, then two in 79HK, and then more in row 80. Those seats were empty when I made the booking (including 75HK and 7HK). I guess you guys made the bookings after I did.

I picked 77H, just because 77 sounds like a good number to choose. And from the perspective of the other world, the inaugural flights this time seems have more meaning. SQ 308 departures represent numbers of 3, 8, 0. And SQ 319 means arriving in March 19.