Asiana A359 to Seoul: Bibimbap, Cocktails at Zest, and Nest Hotel Incheon

[yflyer]

I headed into the Asiana Lounge...



The lounge was on the 2nd level of the airside area...



While there was a manned reception counter...



...guests could simply scan their boarding pass to enter the lounge.

[yflyer]

Inside, a cosy passageway...



...with comfortable seating.



The passageway led to a large open area...



...with very nice airside views.



There were workstations and loungers facing the large windows.



The seats looked very comfortable.



There were other resting cubicles facing away from the windows.

[yflyer]

There was a self service bar area...



The wine selection...



Liquor selection...



Mixers and lemon...



Beer dispenser...



I sampled their premium soju...

[yflyer]

There was a dedicated dining area with a buffet spread comprising Korean and International selections.



Salads...



Button mushroom soup...



Chihao chicken and stir-fried pork...



Grilled mushrooms and Pasta Aglio Olio...



Vegetable and tuna porridge...



Sandwiches...



4 different kinds of cup noodles...



I thought this was a pretty decent buffet spread, although it would have been nice if they had more Korean specialities on off the menu.

[yflyer]

There were shower rooms available.

[yflyer]

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good lounge Star Alliance Gold Lounge, preferable to the SATS Premier Lounge in Changi T3, and a nicer space than the SQ Krisflyer T3 lounge, although I prefer the F&B at the SQ Lounge. I would be very happy to spend time here before a flight.



I mixed myself a final G&T and gulped it down before heading to the gate for my flight OZ751 to Singapore.

[yflyer]

My flight was OZ751 ICN-SIN. Schedule departure time was 4.10pm, which would get us into Singapore at 9.30pm, with flight time usually just under 6 yours.

At the gate, I headed to the windows to ID the aircraft operating OZ75 that day. It was HL8383, a 4 year old Airbus A350-900 series aircraft.



While waiting to board, I downloaded the movie Conclave onto my iPad to watch during the flight. South Korea's mobile internet service (With my SK Telecom mSIM card) was so quick that the entire movie downloaded in HD onto my iPad in just a few minutes, while I was standing in line waiting for boarding to be called.



Boarding began at 3.45pm with Business Class and Asiana frequent flyers / Star Gold boarding first.



Like my outbound SIN-ICN, this looked to be a very full flight.



This was a 2-class aircraft, with a Business Class cabin laid out in staggered 1-2-1...



...and Economy, laid out 3-3-3...

[yflyer]

This was the same cabin config as my outbound flight...



...with pretty decent legroom in economy...



Emex row preferred seats (Extra payment required).



My seat was 41D, a middle bank aisle seat in the 3rd last row.



I don't know why, but the middle seat next to mine was marked "Do not occupy".



It was unclear whether that was because of load restrictions (unlikely) or because they wanted to leave this seat blocked for a premium pax sitting in the aisle seat (Most likely the person on the other aisle seat -- they were unlikely to do this just for Star Gold). Or was it for cabin crew rest?



In any case, I was not complaining. An empty seat next to you on a full flight felt like striking lottery.

Widescreen IFE...



Not the largest movie/TV selection, but no matter...I had already downloaded Conclave onto my iPad to watch during the flight.



Inflight internet prices were on the high side. I decided to stay disconnected on this flight.

[yflyer]

Taxi...



...and take-off on Runway 34R...



5 hours and 50 minutes to Singapore today...

[yflyer]

Inflight catering began from the rear. Yay!



Two choices of main today, a Western selection (I believe it was chicken and pasta), or Bibimbap. I would finally get to try Asiana's famous Bibim bap!



Wow...very impressive and unique for a Y meal...



...served in a real china bowl, no less!



Now this I did not expect in Y...



Instructions for how to prepare bibimbap were thoughtfully provided...



Essentially, you opened the pack of pre-cooked white rice...



....and mixed it into the bowl of ingredients...



...and then added the thick, rich and spicy bibimbap sauce to taste.



This was absolutely delicious! There was a side of kimchi, and the cabin crew even served a bowl of hot soup to go with the dish.



This was one of the most satisfying Y meals I have ever had.

I also asked for red wine to go with my meal.



Dessert was what appeared to be traditional Korean half-moon shaped rice cakes with a sweet filling.

[yflyer]

The cabin crew came round with coffee and tea.



This was served in a proper plastic coffee/tea cup, rather than paper cups. Thumbs up!

[yflyer]

Enroute to Singapore, we flew close to Taiwan...



...however there was thick cloud cover, so I wasn't able to see much out the windows...

[yflyer]

An hour or so before landing, a snack and a choice of beverage was served. On this flight the snack was a tomato and mozzarella chicken burrito.

[yflyer]

23 minutes left to run...



Final approach, with great view of the Singapore skyline out the left side windows...



We landed at 9.33pm, just 3 minutes behind scheduled arrival time of 9.30pm.



Our arrival terminal was T3...



The arrivals area was busy (By T3 standards), but the passportless entry via facial recognition was very quick, with hardly any queue time.



Overall, I had a very comfortable flight on Asiana. The highlight was, of course the Bibimbap meal, but that aside from that, I found the seat and cabin to be very comfortable. As on my outbound, I found cabin service efficient and cheerful, but not particularly warm.

[yflyer]

Final reflections...

This was my first time flying Asiana, and I was happy with the experience. The Asiana seat and cabin product on the A359 was pretty good. Negatives for me were the slightly limited IFE, and no liquor service onboard in Y (Only wine and beer), but these were relatively minor quibbles. I thought the Bibimbap meal in Y was outstanding -- enough reason for me to consider flying Asiana again in future, at least while they remain in the Star Alliance family prior to their full merger with Korean Airlines.

Tip: When flying Asiana out of Changi T3, if you are eligible to do so, skip the SATS Premier Lounge and go straight to the Krisflyer Gold Lounge or SilverKris Lounge instead.

It was great to visit Seoul again after a gap of many years. The weather in late April was very pleasant, and the food scene was as vibrant as ever. I really enjoyed my meals there, and I also enjoyed checking out the cocktail bars there too.

Special mention to Zest Bar in Cheongdam, which I would highly recommend for a visit.

As for food, I would recommend Gowooga, Hanwoori, Doseulbak as places to dine at. Tosokchon's famous samgyetang would also be a must-try dish for any foodie visiting Seoul for the first time.

Seoul is a huge city, so be prepared to spend a lot of time getting travelling from one place to another, either by Uber, or by train and subway. I got around mostly by bus and subway. With a T-Money card and a map app (Either Google Maps or Naver), getting around was quite straightforward.

I found the Aloft Gangam to be a decent place to stay. I liked the hotel's location, close to the Han River, which was great for runs, and also not far from shops at COEX mall, and a short bus ride from the dining/bar scene at Cheongdam and Apgujeong.

Finally, I would highly recommend a night in one of the Deluxe Seaside View rooms at the Nest Hotel Inchoen if a night's stay close to the airport was needed. In terms of design, this was one of the most impressive hotels I have visited in a long while.

Thanks for reading!