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**YK@HKG** · 8 April 2013, 11:06 AM

Inside the Cabanas:

The Haven:
The breakfast menu, with catering by the Peninsula

Buffet zone

I ordered Eggs Benedict with Ham

**CarbonMan** · 8 April 2013, 11:30 AM

Thanks, YK@HK! The Cabanas looks really tastefully done but the bathroom looks a bit "cold" perhaps from a lack detail.

**YK@HKG** · 8 April 2013, 11:32 AM

My flight was supposed to be departing at 10:35am but it was delayed by 1 hr and 5 mins due to flight rotation and late arrival. In fact, I received an SMS on my phone at around 6:30am when I was already on the way to HKIA (I took MTR and then Airport Express from my home).

The aircraft is already parked at Gate 63 when I walked down there from the Wing. It's a revamped Boeing 747-400 with the Premium Economy Class.

As the aircraft configuration had changed, the gate agents were busy re-printing and sorting out boarding passes for the Economy class passengers.

The F-cabin inside Boeing 744 only has 9 seats and the load on that morning was 3/9.

I changed my seat to Suite 2K.

The plush CX F-seat with its functions:

Full bed mode:

Posing in the F-seat:

**YK@HKG** · 8 April 2013, 12:08 PM

The Main Event - Kyo Kaiseki on CX F

This was what I had been waiting for....savoring the Kaiseki meal on CX F, which I believe is only available on HKG-NRT or HKG-HND route (correct me if I am wrong).

Champagne
Amour De Deutz Blanc de Blancs 2005 (no Krug on regional F flights)

Signature Drinks
Pacific Sunrise
A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon

Japanese Meal
Cathay Pacific is pleased to offer a seasonal Japanese meal in traditional Kaiseki style, as an alternative choice.

Canapes
Fish cake with seaweed and sea urchin, braised lightning baby squid, soaked live shrimp, sea eel roll

Appetizer
Sliced salmon belly, mackarel tataki style, sillago fillet skinless served with Choya Plum Liquer

The Choya drink was heavenly and I actually ordered one more glass!

Braised Dish with Clear Soup
Braised bamboo shoot, boiled sea beam roe
Clear soup with egg curd and kinome

Main Course
Side Dish
Japanese glass shrimp, ark shell meat and boiled japanese cockle

Noodle
Cherry blooms noodle and white buckwheat noodle

Hot Dish
Steamed sea bass with sake, pan-fried scallop and broiled shrimp with salt

Rice served with assorted pickles and miso soup

Fruit
Fresh seasonal fruit

Tea and Coffee with Pralines

Overall, the Kaiseki meal on CX was indeed delicious and very filling! In fact, I will rate it as above SQ's Kaiseki which I will describe in a later post. The service was top-notch as usual for CX F and the Japanese lady purser was very attentive to every request I had. It was also better than the SQ F on HKG-SIN route which I flied on yesterday.

I will probably fly on HKG-NRT again on CX F in June to do some shopping in the NRT Duty-Free as prices are very very reasonable due to the low yen lately!

**YK@HKG** · 10 April 2013, 08:50 PM

CX flights arrived in NRT Terminal 2, which I believed is a JL (and one-World) hub (correct me if I am wrong)? So, I had to transfer to Terminal 1 and that took quite a while.

I need to first clear security and then go to Gate 60 in Terminal 2, where a connecting bus will then transport me all the way to Gate 80 (still in Terminal 2), followed by Gate 28 and Gate 59 (where the SQ plane will be parked) in Terminal 1.

I waited for 5 mins and the bright-colored bus arrived to ferry me to Terminal 1.

The journey took around 10-15 mins and it was quite an experience as the bus whizzed through the tarmac and planes that were parked in both terminals.

Upon arriving in Gate 59, I had the option of going through these tunnels to the SQ gate:

or passing the Duty Free shops on the way:

I chose the second option (obviously) and ended up buying several boxes of the exotic-flavored Kit-Kats (which are very popular among Japanese themselves) and other souveniers for my wife:

**YK@HKG** · 10 April 2013, 09:09 PM

The walk to the SQ gate was quite enjoyable as I passed by several high-end boutiques like Cartier and Burberry. The low Yen has indeed increased the attractiveness of buying some stuffs there. I will probably return to Tokyo again for our 5th anniversary gifts in the near future

During the check-in for my flight to Singapore on SQ11, I was told that there would only be 2 passengers in Suites (unless there's last minute changes) and this meant that I could have the double-bed on my first Suites experience!

After the check-in process, it's time to visit the NRT Suites Lounge just above the SQ check-in counter.

Newspapers:

Drinks:

Snacks, sushi rolls, and soup:

Signature dishes:

Dining area:

Personal work-space:

**YK@HKG** · 10 April 2013, 09:18 PM

After checking my e-mails and having a drink to quench my thirst from the long walk from Gate 59 to the Lounge, I decided to have a shower. I noticed that there was a massage area and asked the lounge agent about the availability of massage. Unfortunately, it wasn't available today and that's why the area was closed! Anybody have tried this service before in the NRT Suites Lounge?

An amenity kit by Thann was provided:

Shower area:

I felt totally refreshed! After the shower, I went back to check my emails and had some more drinks.

Soon enough, it was time to proceed to Gate 46 for SQ11.

**YK@HKG** · 10 April 2013, 09:35 PM

I was so excited as I entered the plane. It was going to be my first Suites experience! I was greeted by the Chief Steward and he offered to wheel my luggage as I made my way to Suite 3F.

The crew on that day was fantastic, especially the stewardess who was serving me! She was so friendly and offered to give me amenities (SQ bears) for my daughter later on. The overall experience was certainly one of the best (if not the best) inflight experience I ever had!

The elegantly designed leather seat:

The door when opened and closed:

The wide TV screen:

Bose noise-cancelling headset and the menu for the day:

Givenchy PJ and a new amenity kit by Sothys:

The various functions of the seat:

Posing on the SQ Suite seat:

And what better way to start off the experience in Suite than a glass of Krug Grande Cuvee:

**YK@HKG** · 10 April 2013, 09:56 PM

It's time for the meal service as I watched Zero Dark Thirty on the big screen.

CANAPES
Satay
With onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce

The chicken and lamb satay was absolutely delicious and I decided to have another round!

APPETIZERS
Chilled malossol caviar
With melba toast and condiments

Despite the stewardess offering me another serving, I decided to just have one to conserve my stomach for the rest of the meal service.

SOUPS
Pea puree soup with cold white onion custard, cress and bacon

Not really my cup of tea, so, I decided to order the other choice, which tasted better!

Cantonese style chicken soup with lotus root and red dates

I skipped the salad and ordered the Beef Sukiyaki from Book-The-Cook. It turned out to be a good choice as I enjoyed this dish more than the Kaiseki.

By then, I was already quite full but I still ordered the Kyo-kaiseki and my request was duly obliged by the stewardess. It turned out to be a mistake as I had basically lost my appetite by the time it was served and I only had a little bite of each.

Surprisingly, the Kyo Kaiseki menu on SQ11 turned out to be the same as the one from BTC that I would have on my next flight (SQ2 to HKG). So, I will describe the Kaiseki in a subsequent post. Only one serving was missing from the BTC version:

FUTAMONO
Braised Wagyu Beef fillet Yamato style, potato puree, bamboo shoot, butterbur, Japanese leek julienne, kinome leaf.

For the FINALE, I ordered:
Milk chocolate mousse with vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce and fresh raspberry

With 3.5 hrs left, I requested for my double-beds to be readied as I changed to my PJ. Soon enough, I settled myself into the bed and slept for the next 3 hrs!

**YK@HKG** · 17 April 2013, 08:17 PM

The plane arrived in SIN around 3:00am....the first time I arrived in Changi Airport so early. To avoid the 50% taxi-surcharge, I proceeded to the SKL Lounge and asked whether I could enter and have some drinks+rest for the next 3 hours or so. After some deliberation and requesting for the Boarding Pass from NRT, the lounge agent finally relented and let me in.

Still feeling tired (even though I did manage to get 3 hrs of sleep) and with a full day schedule ahead of me, I decided to just relax in the lounge and used the next 2 hrs or so to check my emails and catch up on the news. Time flied quickly and it was already 6 plus in the morning when I left the lounge to get into my aunt's place in the city.

One of the other purpose of this trip was to survey for flats as I will be relocating (back) to Singapore in July (having spent 14 years there until 2002). So, I had arranged for a few viewings with a housing agent over the weekend.

Here are some pictures of the estates that I had viewed:

The first two are actually nice...it's just that the closest MRT line will only be ready by 2015.

This one has a large shopping mall and MRT located within walking distance, but as you can see, the maintenance is very poor and we will not consider this one.

The last one I viewed is probably the most convenient as it's located next to MRT and there's a decent shopping mall (with supermarket, hawker center, and shops providing other basic amenities) located just downstair.

Obviously, I had not made up my mind by the end of the viewings, but I will come back to have another viewings next month, together with my family. Hopefully, by then we will settle on a place

**YK@HKG** · 17 April 2013, 09:13 PM

It was a productive weekend for me as I settled some administrative matters for my impending job in Singapore (which starts in July 2013). As I wrote in the previous post, I also did some surveying for my accommodation and will continue to do so as I am scheduled to fly back to SIN in early May with my wife and daughter. I also met up with a few old friends (one of whom also decided to relocate back to SIN from Swiss early this year).

Things I discovered over the weekend in SG:
1. Waiting for taxi can take forever

I was still in West Mall (in Bukit Batok area) around 1:15pm on Sunday (my flight was at 5:50pm) and the queue in front of me was quite long (at least 5-6 before me). It took me about half an hour to get the cab to Newton (my aunt's place).

2. Now, I began to share the frustration faced by Singaporeans on the issues related to public transport. I purposely took the MRT from Yew Tee (one of the estate I viewed is located just next to the MRT station) to Novena (near my aunt's place). The journey took more than 45 mins and I just felt that it was slower than my regular ride on the MTR in Hong Kong! That will be one important issue I need to consider before deciding on my future accommodation in SIN as my work place will be in Orchard area.

3. The 1-star Michellin Dim Sum eatery (Tim Ho Wa n) based in HKG has opened in Plaza Singapura! So, I will still have the chance to savor its famous Baked Bun with BBQ Pork even after I move! Their Singapore website is provided below:
http://www.timhowan.com

4. My favorite chicken-rice stall is still Boon Tong Kee (http://www.boontongkee.com.sg)

After several years of craving, I finally managed to taste it yet again! I actually ordered 4 bowls (the serving was quite small actually) of rice to accompany the chicken and not to forget the chilly sauce! The auntie was quite surprised that one customer could actually gobble up 4 bowls of rice....hehehe

Soon enough, it was time to return to HKG and I purposely booked the evening flight SQ2 (which departs SIN at 17:50) on Sunday so that I have plenty of time in the morning and afternoon to catch up with old friends. Upon reaching my aunt's place to pick up my luggage, my uncle offered to give me a ride to the Airport and obviously I wouldn't decline

The ride was relatively smooth with no traffic jam and I reached Changi Airport in less than half an hour!

I proceeded to SQ's First-Class Departure zone:

The check-in process was smooth and I was offered a cold drink while the check-in agent took down my particulars. She informed me that it would be quite a full flight (in fact the load would be 8 out of 9). While she was doing her job, I snapped a few more pics of the lounge.

After getting my boarding pass and clearing the immigration, it's time to visit the SKL Lounge and in particular, the Private Room.

**YK@HKG** · 17 April 2013, 09:26 PM

My last visit to the TPR was around 3.5 years ago (September 2009) and from my impression, it hasn't really changed a lot. It wasn't crowded too, with at most 2-3 passengers inside on a Sunday late afternoon.

Computer zone:

One thing which I found interesting is this nursery room, complete with Bear and Angry Bird soft toys for kids

It's only after you become a Dad that you will try to look for a nursery room almost anywhere you go

The most important is of course the Dining Area:

I didn't really order much food while at the TPR...I only had the Le Grande Dame and the Foie Gras Burger.

Before making my way out to the Gate, I took a few snaps of the SKL F Lounge:

**YK@HKG** · 17 April 2013, 09:52 PM

After the lounge visit, it's time to board the plane at Gate A13. One small incident happened though: I left my DLSR in the TPR! I rushed back to the lounge and luckily, it was still there...under the care of one of the lounge agent who was wondering where I had gone to! Thanks God for it! Nevertheless, one consequence of the incident was that both of my feet were very sore (still a little sore till today, 10 days after the incident) by the time I made my way to Gate A13 for the second time......as I was wearing formal shoes on that day!

Boarding commenced around 5:20pm...half an hour before the scheduled departure time and once again, I was excited as this would be the first time I try the SQ "Diamond" F-seat on the 77W. First impression of the seat was that it's just a slightly wider version of the J-seat that I had tried in December last year.

The F-seat on SQ's 77W and the in-seat controls:

The TV-screen (IMHO not much different from the J counterpart):

The dining "table" is located just beneath the TV screen:

Customary leg-room shot:

Full-bed mode:

Personally, although I find the full-bed mode quite comfortable, the Suites and CX F Seat were definitely more comfortable than the SQ "Diamond" F Seat for lounging. In fact, I would prefer the J-seat as somehow, I felt that it would recline more compared to the F-seat.

The J-Seat in full recline position:

**B727** · 17 April 2013, 10:00 PM

Originally posted by YK@HKG View Post

Nevertheless, one consequence of the incident was that both of my feet were very sore (still a little sore till today, 10 days after the incident) by the time I made my way to Gate A13 for the second time......as I was wearing formal shoes on that day!

Please request for a buggy ride to your boarding gate from TPR next time. It is a nice ride and very handy in case you discover you forgot something and need to turn back

Announcement

Weekend trip to Tokyo and Singapore, featuring Kyo Kaiseki on CX and SQ

Weekend trip to Tokyo and Singapore, featuring Kyo Kaiseki on CX and SQ

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