Part 2
Once in the air, and once we had changed into our PJs, we were offered another glass of bubbles and the menu were distributed. They read as follow:
Menu covers
First service
Second service
Healthy information
Onboard cellar
Wine information for the french selection. Note the spelling mistake for Pomerol
Whites. I was impressed by the choices. Very good names in here
Reds. Again, I was suprised by Thai and impressed by the choices. Saint Emilion area happens to be my favourite wine district, and a Grand Cru classéis always welcomed!
Other choices
Other beverages
Champagne and Cognac
Dinner service was confusing. I was expecting a feast, which it was, but somehow I felt the staff rushed dishes to us even though the purser kept telling us to take our time. The purser was a character. A slightly older male attendant with a strong personality. He made sure that we had everything we needed by telling other FAs what to do. He did not lift a finger himself! And at times I clearly sounded fake:
- "Take your time! Enjoy hee! And here's another dish for you. We serve it Thai way, everything in the same time, ok hee?"
That was not entirely genuine, as he clearly wanted to rush through service to get some rest (which he did later in row 4).
That said the two other FAs, the woman who was in charge of greeting passengers upon boarding and a young FA were excellent.
Sadly it was not the same for the food. Shortly summed up, the Caviar was excellent (we had two servings) and the cake as well. But in between it was average at best, despite the fact we had choosen Thai food, normally a safe bet. We had actually specially ordered Tom Yung Goong (spicy Thai soup) online before our trip. And the result was not great, as the mushrooms and the prawns were of discutable quality.
One last thing about the first service; the crew forgot to to serve us the seafood starter. I guess they got confused with our soup ordered as a main but served as a starter. Still, if confused, the FAs should have asked which they did not.
Canapés; nicely presented and tasty
Our usual table setting (dining together, which with that crew was not a problem) and a first serving of Caviar
Second caviar serving, note the heart shape made by the female FA
Fresh salad
Tom yung goong and rice
The Pork paneng curry was alright,
but the stir fried chicken was not good
Fruits
Dessert, which was actually excellent (I usually don't eat sweets)
All dishes were of course served with different wines, not pictures here. These, it must be said, were nothing short of excellent. I sampled the Chateau de Chantegrive (white), the Beaunes 1er cru (Bourgogne) and of course my favourite, the Saint Emilion Grand Cru classé (Bordeaux). I remain very impressed by teh quality of the (french) wine menu on Thai. Thumbs up for that.
In the end, we were of course pretty stuffed and ready to get some rest... Part 3 next.