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

[yflyer]

Hi yflyer, great trip report as always. I always appreciate how you take time off from your business trips to snap photos and share your experiences.

Thanks, RedEyeflight! After so many flights, it's become a habit, and it really helps me remember my past trips.

I have never been to South Korea which is maybe rare for a Singaporean. But it is always up there and certainly that kind of holiday where you get to eat your way through classy Asian eateries.

Definitely add South Korea to your to-visit list! A lot to see and do there! South Korea is one of those countries which you can visit multiple times and never run out of things to do. I was in Seoul during one of the coldest winters in recorded history (Temperature was about -10 degrees Celcius... just getting from a taxi along the street to the hotel entrance was an exercise in how to stay warm and prevent your ears from going completely numb...). Everything was covered in thick snow. When I landed at ICN, the whole airport was covered in white, like the North Pole. Too bad those were the days just before I started writing TR's so no pics.

I am quite sad that OZ will be absorbed into KE. South Korea will have only 1 full service carrier and no *A connection. The product looks very elegant. And I recall a Korean friend from a while back who swore by them.

Really impressed with the amenities in the bathroom and those that were handed out. I really wished SQ would bring back amenity kits in Y if not at least distribute dental hygiene kits instead of leaving it as a surprise in the bathroom.

I will also miss Asiana as a Star Alliance partner. As an airline, I think they are good, but not quite at the level of SQ (Except maybe for the bibimbap...). Agree the amenities were good, though!

Incidentally, Kantine is a Scandinavian cafe in San Francisco that had a Grovbirkes sandwich to die for.

Ah...good to know! The Kantin here is different -- Borneo/Sarawak themed. I am a fan of Scandinavian food, and I will look out for Kantine if I head to SF!

[RedEyeflight]

Hi yflyer, great trip report as always. I always appreciate how you take time off from your business trips to snap photos and share your experiences.

I have never been to South Korea which is maybe rare for a Singaporean. But it is always up there and certainly that kind of holiday where you get to eat your way through classy Asian eateries.

I am quite sad that OZ will be absorbed into KE. South Korea will have only 1 full service carrier and no *A connection. The product looks very elegant. And I recall a Korean friend from a while back who swore by them.

Really impressed with the amenities in the bathroom and those that were handed out. I really wished SQ would bring back amenity kits in Y if not at least distribute dental hygiene kits instead of leaving it as a surprise in the bathroom.

Incidentally, Kantine is a Scandinavian cafe in San Francisco that had a Grovbirkes sandwich to die for.

[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!

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Taxi...



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



5 hours and 50 minutes to Singapore today...

[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]

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]

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]

There were shower rooms available.

[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 was a self service bar area...



The wine selection...



Liquor selection...



Mixers and lemon...



Beer dispenser...



I sampled their premium soju...