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

[SQ777]

Looking forward to a great report, yflyer (or is that jflyer now? ;-)). Really sorry to hear Mrs yflyer and your sister fell ill but glad to hear everyone is ok now! (was it more an epilogue than prologue? ;-)).

I was never a fan of the LT tbh. Tried it a couple of times out of different airports and that was enough for me. I always felt the rice was the best bit lol (though I am sure that some outstations like London (?) may have served with potatoes in the past?).

The Beach Road Prawn Noodle is fantastic. Flying to Europe last month the crew were kind enough to give me a second serving as a snack as they saw how much I enjoyed it.

Interested to see what you have chosen for running routes in Mel! :-)

[jammed]

So sorry to hear of mrs yflyer’s C19 infection, and glad that she’s recovered and you are alright.

I see this time round you started with a Run, even before the actual TR, though chronologically after the TR.... ha ha ha.

Looking fwd to reading closely yet another fabulously vivid TR from you once again.

[SQueeze]

Thank you for the immersive report.

I completely agree with you that the vibe and ambience of the new Silver Kris Lounge is sub par compared to some of the greatest lounges in the world. They had an opportunity to make it great but unfortunately it is not very creative or fresh.

Also agree that the catering onboard has been quite basic. In fact, I had noticed that the same menu is used on flights to Jakarta and New York. And the menu is also quite simple these days. Roast chicken, Fried noodles, etc. Reading them doesn't excite me much.

The crew has been very outstanding, friendly, and motivated. I think they are thankful flying has returned and only the best and truly passionate stay on through the hard times.

Now, looking forward to your Melbourne adventures. Good to know that Mrsflyer only had a bout of mild covid. Now she is like a superwoman - no fear of anything else

[yflyer]

Looking forward to a great report, yflyer (or is that jflyer now? ;-)). Really sorry to hear Mrs yflyer and your sister fell ill but glad to hear everyone is ok now! (was it more an epilogue than prologue? ;-)).

Thanks, SQ777!

I was never a fan of the LT tbh. Tried it a couple of times out of different airports and that was enough for me. I always felt the rice was the best bit lol (though I am sure that some outstations like London (?) may have served with potatoes in the past?)

I have had some superb Lobster Thermidor in the past...a memorable one was ex PER a couple of years ago, in 2019, a year before the pandemic hit.

The Beach Road Prawn Noodle is fantastic. Flying to Europe last month the crew were kind enough to give me a second serving as a snack as they saw how much I enjoyed it.

Wow! That was really good of the cabin crew!

Interested to see what you have chosen for running routes in Mel! :-)

Tried a couple of new routes this time round! :-)

[yflyer]

So sorry to hear of mrs yflyer’s C19 infection, and glad that she’s recovered and you are alright.

Thanks, jammed! Was very thankful it was a mild case, although some of my friends seem to have gotten it much worse (fever, fatigue, chills) etc, although they were vaccinated and boostered too. But they have also recovered well, and the worst symptoms were over in 2-3 days.

I see this time round you started with a Run, even before the actual TR, though chronologically after the TR.... ha ha ha.

Hmmm...good point! :-)

Looking fwd to reading closely yet another fabulously vivid TR from you once again.

Thanks again, more on the way!

[yflyer]

Thank you for the immersive report.

Thanks, Squeeze!

I completely agree with you that the vibe and ambience of the new Silver Kris Lounge is sub par compared to some of the greatest lounges in the world. They had an opportunity to make it great but unfortunately it is not very creative or fresh.

What I find amazing is that after so many attempts and so much feedback from customers and social media, they still misfire like this, when it comes to designing their flagship lounge...

To be clear, it is not a bad lounge, just an uninspired one. I have been far more impressed by lounges from QF, CX, Virgin, Finnair. Even my recent UA lounge experience in LHR was quite outstanding...

The crew has been very outstanding, friendly, and motivated. I think they are thankful flying has returned and only the best and truly passionate stay on through the hard times.

Agree there! SQ cabin crew remain the best out there!

Now, looking forward to your Melbourne adventures. Good to know that Mrsflyer only had a bout of mild covid. Now she is like a superwoman - no fear of anything else

Yes, Mrs flyer is back in form again...appetite as voracious as ever :-)

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

We stayed at two different hotels in Melbourne, for the 2nd half of our stay, I chose a very new property, the Hilton at Little Queen Street.

Our first hotel of our trip was the Brady at Hardware Lane, a very new serviced apartment complex which opened in late 2021.




This property comprises large, comfortable serviced apartments, with kitchenettes, in a wonderful location, at 388 Bourke Street, right in the middle of the city and shopping...



...and directly opposite Hardware Lane, a lively outdoor dining street.



We were able to book our apartment at a very reasonable rate, as we had booked several months in advance. I also pre-booked the previous night as we were arriving in MEL early in the morning and wanted to be able to check-in and rest the moment we arrived at the hotel.

Our one-bedroom apartment was still brand new, and very stylishly decorated, with small living area...



Dining table for 2...



I thought the quality of the furnishings was excellent...



There was a well equipped kitchenette...



Stove top, microwave and dishwasher, and refrigerator (Not pictured)...



A very decent selection of cutlery, plates and utensils...



Separate desk / work area...

[yflyer]

Large King sized bed...



...the bedroom and work area were separated by a wall partition...



The bathroom, with shower stall...



Large cupboards concealed other items, including iron and ironing board, and clothes drying racks...



Overall, this was a very comfortable place to spend a few days...I would highly recommend this property for a stay in Melbourne...

[yflyer]

We took a short rest in the hotel before heading out in the late morning for Sunday Brunch at Lulu's Char Koay Teow at Hardware Lane, just a stone's throw from the hotel...



This was late morning on a Sunday, and the place was already packed when we arrived...



This was a birthday celebration that one of our relatives had organised for a small group of our friends and family in MEL.

Penang Char Koay Teow would not ordinarily have been my first choice for our first breakfast in MEL, however one mouthful of this delectable dish was enough to make me a convert...



This was superb! A match for CKT we ate in Penang several years ago, and better than anything I have ever had in Singapore...

A look at the menu confirmed the credentials and authenticity of this dish...



Price-wise, this was of course far more expensive than CKT in Penang...at A$15.90, this was Malaysian Ringgit $48!




But I was happy to pay this amount for CKT of this quality, I kid you not...the noodles were perfect in texture and flavour, and had this addictive quality that distinguished the best from the rest...




The menu was not large, mainly CKT variations, and a few other noodle dishes, but this was an admirable approach: do one thing, and do it well!



I actually returned to Lulu's 2 more times during this trip...

The version with cockles and an extra duck egg....



The fried duck egg was incredible...



As far as Asian cuisine was concerned, this was just the tip of the iceberg, the range of cuisines available in Melbourne was just mind boggling...we would eat very well on this trip...

[yflyer]

That afternoon, I headed out for the first of many runs...

From the hotel, I headed down Elizabeth Street, dodging pedestrians on the sidewalk...



...towards Flinders Street Station, located along the banks of the Yarra River...



It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon...



I crossed over to Federation Square...



...headed down towards the water...



...and continued my run along the bank of the Yarra...



There were small pleasure craft going up and down the river...what a pleasant way to spend an afternoon...



I continued along the northern bank of the Yarra...



The midpoint of my run was the Morell Pedestrian Bridge. I crossed over the Yarra to the other side, and headed back towards the city...



...taking in the beautiful sunset view as I ran...

[yflyer]

Back in the city, I continued along the Yarra...



...past Southbank...



...before crossing the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge...



...and across the underpass below Flinders Street Station...



...and back up Elizabeth Street, back to the Brady, for a total distance of about 6.5km. A very satisfying run!

[yflyer]

Mrs yflyer and I were heading out for dinner that evening, to meet up with our daughter, Miss yflyer no.1, who had just completed her studies in Melbourne, but first, I rehydrated after my run by mixing a couple of G&T's in our apartment...

Australia has a number of notable gin makers. On this trip, I decided to sample gin from Archie Rose, distilled in Sydney.

I had earlier purchased a bottle of their Signature Dry Gin at a local bottle shop, and had also picked up cocktail essentials such as tonic water and limes while out shopping...



I prepared a couple of G&T's, which Mrs yflyer and I found absolutely refreshing and delicious. I had placed the Gin and the tonic water in the freezer prior to heading out for the run, so both the gin (Which I permanently left in the freezer during our stay, since Gin doesn't freeze) and the tonic water were now ice cold. A great pre-dinner beverage before we headed out again...

[yflyer]

That evening we headed to Big Esso / Mabu Mabu at Federation Square for dinner...



This is an indigenous owned restaurant that served modern cuisine using local and indigenous ingredients, and prides itself on promoting the food culture of the traditional owners of the land, while at the same time offering a modern and forward looking F&B experience...



More on the food later, but the restaurant had also conceived a very creative cocktail menu...



Purple Rain...



Smoking Gum...



The cocktails were very well done, but the standout, at least for shock-and-awe value, must surely have been the green ant-tini...



I enjoy martinis in all kinds of variations, but this was the first one I've had with this particular garnish...



"Waiter! There's an ant in my Martini!"

I did read later that that the abdomens of the green ants were a traditional food for the indigenous community, and very nutritious too. How did they taste? Hard to say really, although I made sure to chew them and run them over my tongue before swallowing...perhaps I should have asked for extra...

[yflyer]

The cuisine here was delicious too, with small and large plates ideal for family-style sharing...



We had the charred emu...



Wild boar...



We had a vegetarian in our party....the veggie selections were very tasty as well...



Cassava Terrine...



Cauliflower....



Charred Napa Cabbage...



For dessert, we shared a Banoffee pie...





Overall, this was a very impressive dinner, with superbly refined flavours and a lot of imagination. Service was warm and friendly too.

[yflyer]

There was a sound, light and water show on at Federation Square as we left...



On the way back to our apartment, we stopped for gelato at Pidapipo...



This was a very popular shop, that served authentic Italian gelato...



We walked the rest of the way back to the Brady, eating the delicious gelato as we strolled...