SIA A380 Premium Economy from Sydney to Singapore (SQ222 SYD-SIN)

[yflyer]

Hello everyone! This trip report will cover SQ222, from Sydney to Singapore, in Premium Economy. I flew this sector earlier this week after spending almost 2 weeks in Australia, and got home just in time for the SG60 National Day celebrations.

This was a flight I was really looking forward to, as I would finally get to try SQ's revamped 2nd gen Premium Economy on the A380.

While I had flown SQ A380 PEY before, when the product was first launched, that flight was PEY in the original 1st gen A380 cabin configuration, where PEY was located behind the 1st gen Suites on the main deck. On this flight, with the current 2nd gen A380 seating plan, Suties were now on the upper deck, with the PEY cabin shifted forward to a prime location in the front of the main deck.

SQ's PEY catering was also recently upgraded from economy class meals into an enhanced meal service concept, somewhere between economy and business class catering. I was keen to see how SQ's revamped PEY catering would compare with other carriers, such as Qantas, or BA, who have long had PEY meals which were a step up from Y.

For the earlier segments on this trip, including my outbound SIN-BNE sector on SQ255 in Economy, as well as a couple of other sectors on Virgin Australia, please click on this TR.

To skip straight to SQ222 SYD-SIN click here.

[yflyer]

I spent 3 days in Sydney before my flight home on SQ.

Although this was a work trip, I had time to visit a couple of my favourite bars, go for a run, and have some very good meals, including a very memorable dinner at Neil Perry's new restaurant, Margaret, which was located at Double Bay, just a short Uber or bus ride from the Sydney CBD.

[yflyer]

The day after I arrived in Sydney, I had a craving for oysters and seafood, and so I headed to Sydney Fish Market at about 11am for an early lunch.



The place had not changed much since my last visit there.



The market was busy as ever.



The seafood here was undeniably impressive, whether live...



...or cooked.



The array of ready-to-eat options were simply mouthwatering...



I couldn't resist joining the line to buy lunch...



Many of the platters were clearly meant to be shared. Large plates heaped with noodles and topped with gigantic chunks of lobster were very popular.


I could not resist. I picked up dozen oysters, a lobster tail in lemon cream sauce, and a single abalone for good measure. Food in hand, I head outside to indulge in an impromptu seafood feast...



Verdict? A satisfying meal...delicious, fresh seafood in a simple, no-frills setting...

[yflyer]

Apart from a memorable lunch at the Sydney Fish Market, I did eat several other outstanding meals on my trip, among them lunch at Ragazzi, where I was as happy with the Italian cuisine there as I was with the food I had when I was in Italy earlier this year.



A single diner without a lunch reservation, I was warmly welcomed and shown to a seat at the end of the bar counter of the restaurant. It was lunch hour and the place was very busy, but somehow service was still warm and very attentive.

I began with the yellow fin tuna with apple, wasabi and furikake...a great appetizer!



For my main, I decided on the Tajarin pasta with Australian black truffle and hazelut...also very delicious!



I was at the far end of a bar counter, right inside the restaurant, near the kitchen. This turned out to be a great place to sit, as I was right next to the kitchen, and I could see the chefs working to prepare lipsmacking plates of pasta and other dishes.



Everything coming out of the kitchen looked so delicious...



"This is the best seat in the restaurant!", I said the staff!



Service was quick to cater to the busy CBD lunch time crowd. Now this was a place that really had its act together! I would definitely be back again...

[yflyer]

On another day, I had lunch at An An Vietnamese Eatery, who Mrs yflyer had suggested I try after she researched places for pho in Sydney.



This was a modern and upmarket style of casual Vietnamese eatery...



I went for the mixed beef pho...



This was quite excellent, with wonderful cuts of beef and a tasty clear broth...



Non-traditional extras available include an optional onsen egg on the side, which really hit the spot.

This was a very busy and popular place, where you had to go early otherwise you would need to queue at the door for a table.

My previous favourite pho place in Sydney was Pho Pasteur, a short tram ride away. An An was much more conveniently located, right smack in the CBD, just a short walk from the West Hotel and Darling Harbour.

[yflyer]

I managed to squeeze in one long run while in Sydney, along what is now my standard running route: a loop around Darling Harbour, Barangaroo, The Rocks and Circular Quay, then around the Opera House before heading back to the West Hotel through the city.



The route began with a nice long straight stretch by Darling Harbour and Barangaroo...



...then under the Harbour Bridge...



...towards Circular Quay and the Opera House.



By then the sun was starting to set...



...giving the arches of the Opera House a pleasant orange/yellow hue.



I continued past the ferries at Circular Quay...



...towards the Opera House...



...weaving through the crowds...



...right around the Opera House, then back through the city to the hotel.



Total distance covered: 8km.

A very pleasant and scenic route in perfect weather!

[yflyer]

The most memorable meal of the trip was at Margaret, Neil Perry's new restaurant at Double Bay, just a 15 minute Uber ride from the Sydney CBD.



This was a very popular restaurant. I made my reservation a week prior, and even that far in advance, the only dining slot I could get was at 8.15pm. The place was so busy that they had even set up tables along the sidewalk.



My table was inside, close to the entrance, with a great view of the restaurant and the open kitchen at the other end of the dining room.



The menu had a heavy emphasis on seafood, with many seafood-based starters. For mains, it was all about steak.



A martini to whet the appetite....



I began with the Ceviche of Ben's Goldspot Trevally, with lime, chilli and coconut milk.



Such intense, fresh flavours!



For my main, the 500g Dry-Aged CopperTree Grass-Fed Hereford Bone-in Sirloin...



This was sheer perfection.



This was the best steak I had eaten in years: Incredible wood-fired flavour, with a tender, very light texture that only dry-aged beef could have. It was absolutely satisfying from first bite to last. I polished off every last bit of it.

Somehow I had room for dessert as well...



The toffee banana and pecan souffle pudding was a satisfying end to an outstanding meal.



When in Sydney, don't miss this place!

[yflyer]

The next day, I caught the train from Wynyard Station to Sydney Airport for my flight home on SQ222.



SQ222 SYD-SIN was a 3pm departure, with scheduled arrival in Singapore at 9.20pm local time.

There were no queues when I checked in at 12.55pm.



Years ago, I had a memorable flight home on SQ232 in 2nd gen Suites. Back then, the Suites/First check-in was still along the normal check-in aisle. These days, there is a dedicated check-in area for Suites.



Security with state-of-the-art scanning equipment (No need to remove computers or liquids from bags!) and eGate-based passport checks were quick. I was through to the airside area very quickly.

[yflyer]

I spent time before my flight at the SilverKris Lounge...



Singapore's National Day was just around the corner...



The lounge was decked out in SG60 decor...



Just what a returning Singaporean needed to get into the NDP mood!



The lounge was busy that afternoon, but not completely full.



Nice views of the tarmac from large windows...



There were shower rooms in the lounge, and these were open and available for use at the time I was there.

[yflyer]

I checked out the F&B spread...



Sparkling wine from Tasmania and a choice of several white wines...



A choice of 3 red wines...



...including an Italian Barbera D'Alba...



Beef and soft beverages...



An impressive self-service liquor selection...



...the selection was a cut above what one typically found in a J Lounge...thumbs up!



I mixed myself a Bloody Mary...

[yflyer]

The hot and cold buffet selection was impressive...

Salads...



Cheese, cold cuts, and sandwiches...



Sausage rolls and noodles...



Chickpea curry and roti...

[yflyer]

There was a dish labelled as "chicken laksa"...



Given how good the laksa was at the SQ Lounges at Changi Airport, I was surprised to find that this version of "laksa" tasted very amateurish and inauthentic.

For a start, the type of noodles was not the classic thick rice noodles, but vermicelli and yellow noodles. Was it not possible to find the proper laksa noodles in Sydney?



The gravy didn't taste quite right either. It didn't have the rich coconutty and "lemak" flavour proper laksa gravy should have.



Even if the kitchen did not want to prepare the gravy from scratch, it was possible to find very good laksa gravy premix in supermarkets (For example, Prima has an excellent laksa premix). What did they use here? I was surprised that the laksa served here was so far off the mark.

The dish was edible, but it didn't taste like traditional Singapore laksa to me. Come on SQ, you can do better than that!

[yflyer]

Apart from the "laksa", I found the other dishes I tried at the buffet to be very tasty.

The Peri Peri Chicken was good...



...as was the beef and wine casserole...



...and the lemon herb fish...



As they would be serving dinner on the flight, I had just a bit of each, washed down with the Barbera D'Alba...



The dessert spread looked very tempting as well.



Overall, I thought this was a pretty good lounge, with all the facilities you would expect in an international business class lounge, and a nice F&B selection (Though I would skip the laksa!).

[yflyer]

Operating SQ222 today was Airbus A380 registration 9V-SKN, a 14 year old aircraft.



I was first down the aerobridge on the main deck, and received a very warm welcome at the aircraft door from Inflight Manager Lawrence Fam and cabin crew, who were kind enough to smile for the camera when I asked them permission to snap a photo.



The Premium Economy cabin on SQ's A380 was in the front of the main deck, with seats laid out in a spacious 2-4-2.



My seat was 31A, the first row bulkhead seat, by the window.



This row was right by the staircuase leading to the upper deck, and close to the flight deck in the nose of the plane, though the angle was such that I could not peek through flight deck door from my seat by the window.



This was a very good seat, with both a window and easy aisle access, although the caveat would be that the IFE screen was mounted on the bulkhead wall, quite a distance from the seat. I could reach the touchscreen if I leaned forward, but I enjoyed watching movies more in the PEY seat when the screen was mounted closer, on the seat in front of me.



In the seat pocket, a printed menu and noise-cancelling headphones.



Seat controls by the side of the chair: one button to recline, and one to extend the calf and footrest.



This was the seat in the fully reclined position. Good recline and comfort. As good as any PEY seat out there.



Movable reading light...



USB charging and airline headphone socket.



A/C power, as well as a bottle of water.



Overall, this was a very good PEY seat product that is on par with what other airlines currently offer.

One thing I really appreciated about SQ's A380 PEY was that the restrooms were located just behind the PEY cabin. There was no need to walk through the economy cabin to get the the bathrooms.



Also, SQ's A380 PEY seat is superior to SQ's PEY seat on the A359, which uses a different, slightly narrower seat frame. SQ's PEY on the A359 has a similar 2-4-2 layout, although the A359 cabin is narrower than the A380 cabin.

[yflyer]

A steaming hot towel before departure...wonderful...



The Sydney skyline was visible as we taxi'ed for take-off.



A 4-holder coming in to land...was that an A380 or a 747? Probably an A380 but it was too far away to tell...



Another A380 had just pushed back...it was none other than Qantas A380 registration VH-OQA, Nancy Bird Walton, an aircraft I have had fond encounters with several times over the years.



VH-OQA was operating QF1 SYD-SIN today. Their scheduled departure was 2:50pm, with scheduled arrival at 9.15pm, 5 minutes before SQ222's 9.20pm arrival. But today they pushed back slightly late. Would they get to Singapore before us? The race was on!

Take-off on Runway 16R was very smooth and quiet...



Just under 8 hours flying time to Singapore today.



Ambience in the A380 PEY cabin was wonderful.




Subjectively speaking, the ride on the A380 felt super smooth and quiet...noticeably smoother and quieter than the 777, 787 and even recent A359 flights.



Whatever the economics of the A380, from this passenger's perspective, the A380 offers the best comfort and ride in the sky, in any class of travel.