SQ A350 Y to Copenhagen: Bicycles, The Little Mermaid, and Lunch at Noma

[yflyer]

Post-take off drink service…



Although cabin crew still wore masks onboard, there was no longer a requirement for passengers to wear masks.



Peas and crackers…



…and a G&T to get started…



Our route today would take us over Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary…



A shorter and more direct route would have taken us over Ukraine…but obviously that would be impossible (or at least very unwise) at this point in time…

On this flight, digital menus were available via wifi…



The lunch menu…



Snacks…



Breakfast…



The beverage selection…



Soon it was time for lunch…



A Singapore Sling to start…



I chose the roast chicken with German potato noodles…



This was really quite delicious…



A very generous portion of tender and flavourful chicken, along with German style noodles which I also enjoyed very much.



Post lunch cheese and crackers…



Fruit sorbet for dessert…



…not bad!



Now that was quite a satisfying Y meal…

[yflyer]

By time time lunch service ended, we were over Turkey…



I asked for a red wine top-up to tide me over the next part of the flight…



I took a stroll around the cabin…

The front section of the cabin seemed serene and quiet, with window shades all pulled down…



The 2nd Y cabin. Cabin ambience on this A350 was great, although it was a completely full flight.



At that point the sun was still up…I went to the rear door to snap a few pics…



It was quite cloudy but occasionally there was a gap in the clouds where you could see the landscape below…



At that point we were over Turkey and crossing over into Iran…



Not long after, beautiful twilight and suns views…



Once again I tried my best to take pictures out of the tiny rear door window…





City light far below, possibly of a city in Iran, as our flight path took us over Iran before entering into Pakistan airspace, just skirting Afghan airspace to the north…

[yflyer]

With 6 hours left to run, it was now 6pm Copenhagen time. I felt a little hungry, and decided to grab a snack…

I decided on a G&T and some chips. The cabin crew were nice enough to pass me a pack of Doritos as well.



I polished off the Doritos, and was still hungry…it was time for cup noodles…



Very satisfying…



But then, half an hour later, with 5 and a half hours left to run, an unexpected thing happened: the cabin lights came on, and the cabin crew began preparing for breakfast service.



What? On previously daytime flights from Europe, I recalled that breakfast was served 2.5 hours prior to arrival. I guess they realized that pax would get hungry much sooner than that, and amended the breakfast format and timing.



I opted for the Asian breakfast selection, which was noodles.



This was an Asian selection catered out of CPH, I wondered how the CPH kitchen would handle an Asian dish.



Wow…very good!



The noodles had great texture and flavour. Thumbs up!

I managed a little sleep over the next few hours, and the next thing I knew, it was the pilot announcing the top of descent, and asking the cabin crew to prepare for arrival…



Final approach just as dawn broke…



A smooth landing on Runway 20R…

[yflyer]

On the ground in Singapore…



We landed at 6:33am…just a few minutes later than schedule arrival time of 6:20am, but it was late enough to activate the ground staff to expedite tight connections for some transit pax.



I think SQ does a great job of ensuring pax make their connections in Changi. I wonder why they don’t amend the scheduled arrival time of SQ351 to something more realistic than 6:20am though, since most flights in the last few months arrived a few min later than that.

It was 6:51 am by the time I was out in the air-side area.



I took the Skytrain to arrivals.



There were dark clouds above Changi. What a wet Sunday morning this was shaping up to be.



No queues at immigration…



I had no luggage so I headed straight out…



Overall, I thought this was a good flight. Catering was superb, and as on the outbound flight, the aircraft and hard product were up to expectations as well. For a full flight, the ambience was great, and the cabin was tidy and quiet almost throughout the flight.

I thought the cabin crew on the flight were ok. There were a couple of cabin crew that stood out in their cheerfulness and ready smiles, however as a team, as far as cabin service in the back of the Y cabin was concerned, I didn’t feel the same positive vibe that I usually got on other SQ flights…the smiles, the cheerfulness, enthusiasm and eagerness to go the extra mile for pax..those were a little less apparent on this flight.

The cabin crew that day seemed just a fraction less attentive and responsive to pax, and were a little noisier in the galley as well. Perhaps the crew were having a bad day. Somehow, on this flight, I didn’t feel service was special in the way SQ cabin service often was, even in Y. It wasn't bad service, mind you, just not old school SQ...

Still, it was a comfortable flight. I departed and arrived safely and on time – something I could count on SQ to do for me.

[yflyer]

Final reflections…

What a trip. It was great to visit a new city, especially one as beautiful as Copenhagen. It was great to get there and back on SQ, my favourite airline, and it was nice to do the whole trip without ever having to put on a mask.



While I was there for work, I really enjoyed my sightseeing runs around the city, and I especially enjoyed the drinks and meals.



The high point of my trip was, of course, my meal at Noma. Noma would certainly count as one of the most unique and special dining experiences I have ever had. I hope to head there again one day, with Mrs yflyer, so that she can experience the Noma magic for herself too.



Thanks for reading!

[SQ777]

Fantastic trip report, yflyer! Your description of lunch at Noma made me feel as if I was there. Having sat through a few "Michelin-type" tasting menus, you sort of know the drill. But the food looked really inventive and quite novel. I can see why it was quite the experience. I might be tempted now to follow in your footsteps :-)

Those German potato noodles are known as Schupfnudel (the word "Schupf" is "old German" for rolling, ie a reference to how these noodles are made). I gotta say either it is your descriptions / pictures or the actual product, but long-haul SQ Y looks pretty great! And I don't get bored reading them, tho you must have posted countless of reports of the same product.

Do take Mrs yflyer to CPH, I am certain she will love it there -- the city has a great mix of food, culture, and history in a laid back sort of way. I don't know why but there is something about Copenhagen which reminds me of Amsterdam, tho I have never been too much of a fan of the latter, even after multiple visits.

Thanks again for this great write up. Looking forward to the next one.

[yflyer]

Fantastic trip report, yflyer! Your description of lunch at Noma made me feel as if I was there. Having sat through a few "Michelin-type" tasting menus, you sort of know the drill. But the food looked really inventive and quite novel. I can see why it was quite the experience. I might be tempted now to follow in your footsteps :-)

Thanks very much, SQ777! I enjoyed reliving lunch at Noma by writing it up...I think the write-up took almost as long as the lunch... :-)

I think even by rarified Michelin standards, Noma offers something quite unique and original. Yes most definitely worth a visit...in fact at least 3 visits, since they have 3 seasonal menus a year...

Those German potato noodles are known as Schupfnudel (the word "Schupf" is "old German" for rolling, ie a reference to how these noodles are made)

Thanks for enlightening me on this! I am quite a fan of all kinds of German noodles and dumplings! Very different in concept from the Asian variety. Have a trip to Frankfurt coming up in late Nov, and hope to indulge in more of these while there, while bearing in mind there are so many regional styles of noodles and dumplings as well.

I gotta say either it is your descriptions / pictures or the actual product, but long-haul SQ Y looks pretty great! And I don't get bored reading them, tho you must have posted countless of reports of the same product.

Long haul on SQ Y is actually pretty impressive. The planes are usually quite new, and catering is pretty good compared to US / European airlines (Although Japanese and Asian airlines do give them a good run for the money!). Good point re the number of SQ Y TR's I've done over the years. I have to constantly remind myself not to write the same TR 50 times :-) Although I've covered the same A350 Y product before, there was a big gap during COVID, so it has been good to revisit them, and I also realise, as I re-read my old TRs, that the cabin product has evolved over time, for example the old printed menus, which listed the Y cocktails and beverages in full, as well as Y meal trays with starter, ceramic casseroles, and (gasp) real glassware in Y!

Do take Mrs yflyer to CPH, I am certain she will love it there -- the city has a great mix of food, culture, and history in a laid back sort of way. I don't know why but there is something about Copenhagen which reminds me of Amsterdam, tho I have never been too much of a fan of the latter, even after multiple visits.

The deal I have with Mrs yflyer is that, wherever I go, and whatever I eat, if I do it alone on business, I have to plan to bring her there in future, so yes, definitely CPH, and most definitely Noma, have been added to our to-go / to-eat list.

Thanks again for this great write up. Looking forward to the next one.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting on this TR, SQ777! I really appreciate it! More TR's on the way!

[SQ218]

Great trip report yflyer. Felt Iike I am next to you on the trip

[yflyer]

Great trip report yflyer. Felt Iike I am next to you on the trip

Thanks very much, SQ218! Glad you enjoyed reading it!

[yflyer]

The first course was served, with each course introduced by a different staff member....



This was a summer salad, a light and beautiful medley of fresh and tasty vegetables and fruit, all in a cold, savoury sauce that had such depth and umami...the interplay of flavours was like nothing I had ever tasted...

When I mentioned to fellow SQTalker 9V-SIA that I was going for a meal at Noma, he mentioned that the new head chef at Noma was a Singaporean. I was really impressed to hear that.

What I didn't realise till after I returned to Singapore was that the head chef, Kenneth Foong, was the one who came over to introduce the first course of our meal! I wish I had mentioned the Singapore connection then! That's Kenneth in the pic above. What a great achievement on his part to take on this role at Noma!

And in other news, Noma announced 2 days ago (on Oct 18th) that the restaurant would be doing a residency in Kyoto from 15 March 2023 to 20 May 2023. Details have just been published on this website, with reservations opening on 7 November at 1pm CET. Exciting news indeed!

[RedEyeflight]

Hi yflyer, great TR! Enjoyed reading it. Glad you were able to go to Noma and enjoy a michelin star meal. I have not gone myself but I hope to sometime in future.

[yflyer]

Hi yflyer, great TR! Enjoyed reading it. Glad you were able to go to Noma and enjoy a michelin star meal. I have not gone myself but I hope to sometime in future.

Thanks for reading, RedEyeflight! Noma was amazing. There are many restaurants with Michelin stars, but even among the so called top restaurants, I would say Noma is quite unique. Definitely worth a visit!

Actually on the subject of Michelin stars, I think the Michelin Guide serves a useful purpose, but I am not one of those folks who picks restaurants primarily based on number of stars etc. Lots of great food out there without Michelin stars...and conversely a small minority of restaurants with stars that probably don't deserve them. The Michelin Guide is just one data point that helps in making a restaurant selection.

I find Tripadvisor very useful for doing a first cut look at the eating options in any given city, and and eater.com as well.

[SQfanatic]

Very nice TR yflyer. I really enjoyed the pictures of the SQ A350 and Copenhagen. Denmark looks like a very nice country, I would like to try to visit it once in my life.

Now a couple of notes I observed here which I do want to point out.

Funny story, as some of you probably know, my dad went to India last month. Took SQ31, then SQ528 to Chennai. His flight SQ31 landed in T3, no problem. But normally India flights will also depart from Terminal 3. He told me he had to go all the way to Terminal 2 (Gate F58), reminds me of the old SilkAir to Trivandrum days and those days when I took SQ to India (Delhi or Chennai). He was pissed because it felt rushed but thankful he made the flight. So that was a similar scenario. Hopefully for December, it'll be within the same terminal 3. Flying to/from Chennai both ways so expecting that the flight at least departs from T3. Returning, that would be good too just so it's a reasonable walk to the next flight.

As far as the Wifi, looks like they brought back time based plans. Is this true for all flights with Panasonic wifi now? Hard to believe the last time I flew with SQ was in 2016 and flew the 77WN via HKG with the time-based wifi which really helped passed the time and cured my boredom.

I'm flying SQ33 in December, returning on SQ32 (first time on the A350, but the A350's that fly to SFO nonstop will have only the 2017 Y class seats, which by telling in the pictures or videos I've seen, looks comfortable, but it's really identical to CX's 10-across seating on the 77W and even their A350). But I'll have to endure it on the 787-10 to/from Chennai, so no problem with that. Hopefully SQ8/7 (SFO via HKG) will return with the 77W, but I would not hold my breath, so will have to figure out how to survive the almost 18 hour flight.

[jammed]

Another Great TR yflyer! Once again, yr words and pics vividly transported me through yr journey. For the aviation and travel geek that is me, and having not flown A350, those detailed accounts of yr flight are useful references. I appreciate the amount of pre-planning and efforts devoted o items to cover, angle of photos, details to focus, etc, having tried to write a few TRs myself.

Your report of CPH cemented my conviction to head there one day - many of yr pics confirmed conversations with my Danish neighbour. As a side note, I’m amazed that this 60+ chap continues to draw teh equivalent of SGD2,500 from his Danish pension, though he pointed out his 30+ % taxes paid thoughout his working life back in CPH. Were you able to speak with any locals to get sense of this?

noma is lovely - all the flowers just made the food so instagramable I’m surprised not to find more younger digital natives there. Though the price-point must have been a high hurdle. I’m a small eater - these days - and dont think I’ll be pulled that way, but you have persuaded me with yr report that Noma certainly a connoisseur’s milestone.

finally yr Run Reports. That’s almost yflyer signature isn’t it; and you have outdone yrself this time with the run-map of the Kastellet. Out of curiosity (actually envy) how long did you clock for yr various runs? In my earlier yrs i was able to clock 40min for a 10k but more like 80min nowadays; you on the other hand are able to retain solid breath control to snap sharp pics amidst such distances.

I’m afraid you might have raised the bar upon yrself - i for one am expecting an even more detailed and picturesque TR next round, ha ha ha. Well done, yflyer!

[yflyer]

Very nice TR yflyer. I really enjoyed the pictures of the SQ A350 and Copenhagen. Denmark looks like a very nice country, I would like to try to visit it once in my life.

Thanks, SQfanatic! Yes a very nice country, which reminded me of Singapore in some ways, for example small and safe city, law-abiding people, great public transport infra, superb quality of life, and yet was so different in so many other ways: the lack of crowds, the fairly homogenous society (Though there is a growing immigrant population), and liberal attitude towards graffiti and some substance abuse (e.g. in Christiana)...

Funny story, as some of you probably know, my dad went to India last month. Took SQ31, then SQ528 to Chennai. His flight SQ31 landed in T3, no problem. But normally India flights will also depart from Terminal 3. He told me he had to go all the way to Terminal 2 (Gate F58)

It is quite a long way to the F gates from T3, and agree it's a pain. I guess they are running short of gates...

As far as the Wifi, looks like they brought back time based plans. Is this true for all flights with Panasonic wifi now? Hard to believe the last time I flew with SQ was in 2016 and flew the 77WN via HKG with the time-based wifi which really helped passed the time and cured my boredom

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the plans were time-based as well. Data-based plans are just ridiculous, as it is impossible to judge the amount of data your phone/tablet/computer uses these days. Hope it is not a trial, and something permanent. Not sure if this is fleet wide, but I sure hope so.

I'm flying SQ33 in December, returning on SQ32 (first time on the A350, but the A350's that fly to SFO nonstop will have only the 2017 Y class seats, which by telling in the pictures or videos I've seen, looks comfortable, but it's really identical to CX's 10-across seating on the 77W and even their A350).

Yes, the A350's that do the SIN-SFO-SIN routes have the new 2017 Y. Coincidentally I just did SIN-SFO-SIN on SQ32/31 too, and will be doing a TR on that shortly! Note that 3-3-3 on the A350 is definitely more spacious and comfortable than 3-4-3 on a 77W. There are few cabin products out there worse than 3-4-3 on the 777. I think 3-3-3 on the 787 is not great either, though SQ's 787-10 Y, in 3-3-3 is the best of the worst...

I'm flying SQ33 in December, returning on SQ32

Those are very comfortable flights. SQ33 has a perfect departure time of 10pm out of SFO. You have a good night's sleep on the plane, then maybe wake up a bit early, and you arrive in Singapore about 5.30am in the morning in Singapore and start your day. Perfect! The non-stop from SFO-SIN is now typically 15+ or at most 16 hours. In the good old days, SQ1 SFO-HKG-SIN was my favourite: You leave late at night, then sleep on the plane, and arrive in HKG in the morning. Of course after that you have a 3+ hour hop to Singapore, but at least you could stretch your legs and have a nice breakfast in the airport in HKG. Much more convenient now with the non-stop. But I also have such treasured memories of SQ2/SQ1 operated by 744's in the days of Kai Tak Airport with its amazing landing.