SQ A350 Regional J to MEL: Melbourne is Open for Business! (And Leisure!)

[yflyer]

SG gahman should run a campaign to rename these to bee hoon with gravy or something (even though the noodles are sometimes wrong) and put an end to this naming nonsense lol

The history of so called Singapore noodles is so interesting. Apparently they don't come from Singapore at all! More about that here.

Börek is a really nice filled Turkish savoury puff pastry (usually feta cheese, or spinach, or sometimes with meat). We used get these a lot in Berlin where I grew up. You might even find them freshly made at the TK lounge in IST should you happen to fly via there on one of your future trips.

You should try it with some Turkish coffee -- recommended! Not surprised Melbourne has this due to the sizeable Turkish population there. Levant cuisine generally is huge over there and one of my go-tos, amongst other cuisines, whenever I am in Melbourne.

I still haven't managed a trip to Istanbul or any other city in Turkey yet, or should I say Turkiye! Would very much love to go there! I quite like the Turkish food here, but have no idea how it compares to what you get over there. Heard so much about the TK Lounge in IST as well.

Loving your pictures btw. They are really making want to visit Melbourne later this year after an all too long hiatus. Cannot wait for your next instalment in this series!

Thanks, SQ777! The rest of the TR coming right up!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

I began the last day of our vacation with a long run. As my previous runs in Melbourne were all along the Yarra River, I decided to try something different that day: I would run from the Hilton at Little Queen Street all the way to St Kilda Beach.

Out of the hotel, I headed South towards the Yarra, first running past the W hotel, which, as it turned out, was very close to the Hilton...



Some early morning clouds...



...which soon gave way to brilliant blue skies. I crossed the Yarra...



...and continued south, as the architecture became more low-rise and small town-like...



This was a fascinating part of Melbourne I had not yet explored...



I was still very close to the CBD, but here everything was now so spread out and open...



Some very beautiful houses lined the streets...





What beautiful iron-work on the verandahs...



They certainly don't make postboxes like this anymore!



I was soon approaching the beach...



What a lovely part of Melbourne this was...

[yflyer]

The beach itself seemed to go on forever in both directions...



In the far distance, I could see the Spirit of Tasmania, a ferry that would take you from Melbourne to Tasmania in 9 to 11 hours (As opposed to 1 hr 15 min by air...).



I continued eastwards along the beach, towards St Kilda Pier...



The beach was not busy while I was there, but I could see this place being very popular in the hot summer months...



The beach had very nice restroom facilities...



...and showers too...



I paused to re-hydrate...



...before continuing on my way...



The Pier was under reconstruction...



...but it was still possible to jog to the far end...



What was building at the end of the Pier used for, I wondered? A cafe perhaps?

[yflyer]

There were some very nice views from the Pier...



...including views of the Melbourne city skyline...



I headed back down the Pier, and continued past the statue of Captain Cook...



Before taking the pedestrian bridge over Jacka Boulevard...



...towards the Esplanade Hotel.



I ended my run at Luna Park.



This was a very satisfying run in beautiful weather! Total distance that day: about 9km.



After that, I caught a tram back to the city...

[yflyer]

That evening, I had arranged a small SQTalk meet-up over dinner with fellow SQTalkers Kyo, SQ228, and SQ218, but first I headed to Arbory, a restaurant/bar by the Yarra River, for pre-dinner drinks...



Located close to Flinders Street Station, this was a really nice place to watch the comings and goings along the river, and also enjoy sunset...



There was even a floating extension on the river itself...



We stuck to the main bar along the riverbank...



This was a very pleasant place to spend the early evening...



...with the view changing by the minute as the sun set...

[yflyer]

It was then time to catch a train to Glenferrie to meet up with our MEL-based SQTalkers at Rococo...



To be continued...

[SQ218]

I thought you were going to have a long run back after looking at your photos. Then you caught the tram back LOL Ok now I know that building is the W Hotel. Have seen it many times but never bothered to check what building it is.

[yflyer]

I thought you were going to have a long run back after looking at your photos. Then you caught the tram back LOL

Nah, that would have been too much for one day -- 10km back to the Hilton would have made it almost a half marathon! I had a tight schedule that morning, as I had to make it back to the city for lunch with Mrs yflyer!

Ok now I know that building is the W Hotel. Have seen it many times but never bothered to check what building it is.

I only realised it was the W when I saw the W sculpture / signboard out front! Didn't even pop inside to take a look!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

Rococo was packed when I arrived...



There was a line at the door. Thankfully I had already reserved a table. SQ218 was already there and we introduced ourselves to each other. This was the first time we were meeting in person.

"Great to finally meet you, SQ218! Do you know why I thought to contact you about this meet-up?"

"No", he replied...

"Because way back in 2017, you mentioned in an SQTalk post that you missed a MEL meet-up!" I said. I replied to his post saying that I would PM him the next time we had a meet-up in MEL, and now here we were, 4+ years later...

Kyo and SQ228 soon arrived and we began festivities with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend from Hollick Estate in Coonawarra.



It was so nice to meet up in person, after an extended period of COVID lockdowns, which were particularly severe for folks living in Melbourne.

From left to right, in the picture below, Kyo, SQ218 and SQ228...


(Photo posted with their permission)

We all had stories about how our lives had been during lockdown...

Kyo had been busy with different gigs and had kept himself very busy throughout. SQ228 was presently involved in care and facilities for COVID patients, which necessitated him taking regular tests to ensure he was negative. No-one's lives had been untouched by the pandemic. SQ228 had a finely-tuned pre-COVID travel routine, and airline FF status retention strategy, involving trips to Europe and elsewhere, but since the pandemic, much of this travel had been curtailed. Hopefully with the lifting of restrictions, it would be possible to resume travel again. SQ218 had been living in Australia for many years, but still kept very close touch with what was going on back home, and with Singapore Airlines as well, and had been on SQTalk for many years.

For starters SQ228 recommended trying the Arancini...



These were Italian rice balls made with risotto, cheese and various fillings...they were quite delicious!



Our mains were satisfying too...



...ranging from pastas...





...to steak...



Dessert was especially satisfying (And pretty)...



There is no such thing as bad coffee in Melbourne...



Apart from the delicious Italian dishes at Rococo, we also discussed where to get the best Asian food in Melbourne. Turns out SQ218 is quite a foodie as well, and between him and Kyo I suspect they have covered all the good places in MEL to get char kway teow, laksa and other Singapore/Malaysian favourites...

[yflyer]

It was great to end the trip in Melbourne with a meal SQTalkers Kyo and SQ228, as well as with our new friend SQ218. Based on how well we got on, it certainly won't be the last time we meet again as a group, either in Australia or Singapore! Hope we have the opportunity to connect again soon!

[SQ218]

"Great to finally meet you, SQ218! Do you know why I thought to contact you about this meet-up?"

"No", he replied...

"Because way back in 2017, you mentioned in an SQTalk post that you missed a MEL meet-up!" I said. I replied to his post saying that I would PM him the next time we had a meet-up in MEL, and now here we were, 4+ years later...

Thanks for remembering and the invite. Good to put face to name of fellow MEL SQTalkers. Just by chance I logged in and saw your message as with Covid I hadn't checked into the forum for a while with no travelling.

[yflyer]

The next morning, it was an early Uber ride to MEL for our flight home...



The driveway at MEL Terminal 2 wasn't busy at 7am in the morning...


Inside the terminal, most folks had masks on...


There didn't seem to be too many early morning departures that day...



The check-in queues at the SQ counter were horrendously long, though...


With a number of different documents to check, including vaccine certs etc, it took a while to check-in each pax, especially if they had connections...


Thankfully the J queues were short...



"I am glad we are flying business class..." Mrs yflyer remarked, sounding very relieved...

[yflyer]

The security queues were short at that hour in the morning. This was the case for all classes of travel (The Fast Track was not operating at that time, for some reason).

The passport exit checks were also fully automated -- just a scan of documents and a photo, and we were through -- an amazingly efficient process! Of course, there were some pax who were just clueless about the technology and required assistance on where to scan, where to stand and where to look. Thankfully staff were on hand to guide these folks through the simple process.

We were through to the duty free shopping area very quickly.

After a quick browse, we headed to the SilverKris Lounge.



I paused to admire the A380 model sitting on the reception counter, as our boarding passes were scanned...



The lounge had not changed all that much since the last time I was here.



This was a smallish lounge, with a range of seating options...



...across several partitioned zones...



The lounge decor has not been updated to the latest SQ lounge theme, but everything looked elegant and very well maintained, if not exactly brand new.

As the lounge was not large, it was already starting to fill up at 8.30am in the morning...



The lounge had an ensuite shower room...





...and a dining area...



...with self service F&B options...

[yflyer]

There was a decent wine and liquor selection...

Red wines and bottles liquor on the counter...



A choice of two Australian white wines in the fridge...



...along with an ample supply of Mumm sparkling wine from Marlborough, NZ



They were fairly well stocked with beer and soft beverages as well.



On the beer front, there was Tiger, Heineken, Murphy, as well as 0.0% beer (Why bother?)



I indulged in a glass of breakfast bubbly...



What a lovely way to start a day of travel... something about a glass of champagne or sparkling wine at breakfast...after that the day always seems brighter and happier...

[yflyer]

There were also tubs of ice cream available...