Two servings of Japanese hospitality - OZ C, NH F, LH C
Jun 13, 2009, 8:38 pm
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
Like a child on Christmas morning...
Now... where was I? Oh yes, I had just walked past the boarding pass machine at Gate 45 and - for a brief moment - basked in the great view of the NH 747. If I have started to sound all very over-the-top and borderline fetishistic about the 747-400, that's because it is the aircraft that has more or less defined my travels for the last 14 years. Shuttling back and forth between London and Seoul sometimes 5 times in a year, I have already spent more hours onboard at 26 years old than the majority of the public will in their lifetime. And in almost every single instance, the aircraft in question was a 747-400 (although I had a few years of flying NH's 747-200 where C seats on the smaller Upper Deck were assigned to Y tickets, on the KIX-LHR route - that was very enjoyable as you could imagine!). Given that I spent more hours than I could count on the 747-400, it's only natural that I have a real fondness for the aircraft which doesn't yet seem to carry over to the newer generation of the 777s and A380s, etc. Yes, they are all very nice, and the product is often better too, but they don't give me the same feeling of familiarity and longing that I feel when I see the graceful lines and the proportions that are just right - the 747-400 with its famous wingtips. Having read back to myself what I just wrote, I wonder whether I should see someone about this condition
You're all probably thinking "Get onto the main event already!" but please, allow me to indulge in my nostalgic wanderings for a little while longer. ANA is one of my very favourite airlines for a number of reasons, and for that brief moment stood in front of the window at Gate 45, the reason I liked ANA so much is their timelessly stylish livery. In fact, it's not just their aircraft livery that has stood the test of time with such panache - it's also their corporate identity, the staff uniform, the cabin design, the whole works. Whereas (purely in my own opinion) JAL always imparts a feeling of being stuffy and old-fashioned even with their latest paint job, ANA's designs and colour schemes always looks fresh yet classy. The fact that the aircraft livery - now 24 years since first unveiled - can look so good after such a long time with only a minor refresh a few years ago is testament to the impeccable sense of design that went into the first version back in 1985. Gosh, the paint job is almost as old as me!
Of course, there are many other reasons to love ANA. The flight attendants are the perfect ambassadors to Japanese hospitality, the clockwork-like manner with which the airline is run gives confidence in them, and the near-obsession with the food and beverage service in First Class has been well documented several times by various posters. You will never find an ANA aircraft in anything less than immaculate condition upon boarding, since anything else would simply not be their way. Most of the staff you meet along the journey - be they ground agents or flight attendants - will genuinely try their best in serving your needs, even though sometimes one might wish for some more flexibility in their strict application of rules (you will see later on, however, that occasionally the answer "no" is replaced with a knowing wink
). But one also has to remember that - at the end of the day - ANA is a Japanese airline. So it is natural for them to be a stickler for rules in the same way that the Shinkansen trains are always on time to a matter of seconds, and the sushi in Tsukiji market is always beyond reproach. It's just the way things are.
I had no idea at this point that I will be seeing this exact view again later!
Anyway, back to my flight. I walked down the jetway onto door 1L, where the Chief Purser greeted me and a flight attendant showed me to my seat. Once I had put my bags down, the normal ritual of flying NH F began. Well, it did after a brief moment of awkwardness when I tried to take some photos of the cabin, and the flight attendant - while looking most apologetic - informed me that use of the camera is prohibited while we are still on the ground. Oh well, there will be plenty of time for photos later (indeed, a lot more time, as I later found out). So, back to the rituals of flying NH F... Firstly, the coat is taken after your seat number is carefully noted down so as to prevent any confusion later. Secondly, you are asked whether you would like to change into the pyjamas. The pyjama top looked a little too strange for me, so I decided to just change into the pyjama trousers - naturally the FA follows you all the way to the bathroom, opens the door for you, hands you the pyjama bottoms and waits patiently outside. Once you come out, there she is - waiting with a coat hanger to carefully hang the clothes that you won't see for the foreseeable future.
The sequence continues when you return to your seat and the FA comes to your table with the amenity basket. I have heard many criticisms of the NH F amenity kit where invariably, comparisons are drawn to other airlines such as SQ. Okay, the SQ amenity kit is undoubtedly very nice with the Salvatore Ferragamo products and a small proper bottle of EDT in the nicely made pouch. I would be lying if I said that the NH amenity kit was better than SQ's, but when the rest of the product is so fantastic, small things such as amenity kits and pyjamas simply do not worry me. If you're paying full fare for NH F (as most patrons of NH F usually do), you did not choose it because they give you a 30ml bottle of EDT inside the amenity kit. You did not choose it because they give you a pair of PJs that you stuff in the back of the wardrobe at home once you return. You choose NH because you know that the service, seat, food and beverage will all be top notch, and that - going back to ANA's Japanese roots - you do not need to hope for a good flight. You know it will be a good flight.
But (yet again) I digress. The amenity basket contains the usual goodies that one might use in flight, such as moisturisers, face masks, leg wraps (I had wanted to try this out of curiosity but eventually forgot), and so on. They give you a neat black pouch that is always useful for a variety of purposes, and you put the things you want to use into the pouch. This seems eminently sensible to me, not just to prevent wastage but also so that if you want more than one of something, you can take as many as you (reasonably) need.
Two more passengers are joining me today - despite all the other seats being free, the two of them - who do not know each other - have chosen 1A and 1K respectively. I had the opportunity to choose 1K too, but decided against it in case the Row 1 pair of seats are rather too close together for two people who are not travelling together, since 1A was already assigned. This turned out to be the case, and the Chief Purser asked Mr 1A whether he would like to take advantage of the rather sparsely occupied cabin by moving to 3A - he agreed and moved his things there. It's not that 1A and 1K are right next to each other, but the distance does take away a lot of the privacy and feeling of space, which is important in First Class. (It's important in any cabin, but obviously it's hard to talk about privacy and space when squashed between two people in a middle seat back in Economy!) After moving Mr 1A to 3A, the Chief Purser came to my seat and introduced herself, told me to let her know if there is anything that she can do, and wished me a pleasant flight.
Doors closed at 11:35 while I was sat in my seat, looking around and enjoying the similar - yet different - atmosphere of the ANA 747 nose section compared to the same place on SQ's 747. Whereas SQ uses a straight-line arrangement of seats along the two window-side walls, NH's First Class seats face different directions depending on which row you are sitting on. Rows 1 and 3 faces the front, whereas rows 2 and 5 face slightly outwards, presumably in order to make the best use of the space. It does result in the cabin looking slightly cluttered overall, but these small things can be forgiven when the seat is one of the best designed seats of the previous generation. Released around 2002, the "New Style" First Class seats are simply wonderful - more on the seats as we go on, but I will just mention that despite being 7 years old, I believe it is still very competitive with many of the latest First Class seats as well.
Now... where was I? Oh yes, I had just walked past the boarding pass machine at Gate 45 and - for a brief moment - basked in the great view of the NH 747. If I have started to sound all very over-the-top and borderline fetishistic about the 747-400, that's because it is the aircraft that has more or less defined my travels for the last 14 years. Shuttling back and forth between London and Seoul sometimes 5 times in a year, I have already spent more hours onboard at 26 years old than the majority of the public will in their lifetime. And in almost every single instance, the aircraft in question was a 747-400 (although I had a few years of flying NH's 747-200 where C seats on the smaller Upper Deck were assigned to Y tickets, on the KIX-LHR route - that was very enjoyable as you could imagine!). Given that I spent more hours than I could count on the 747-400, it's only natural that I have a real fondness for the aircraft which doesn't yet seem to carry over to the newer generation of the 777s and A380s, etc. Yes, they are all very nice, and the product is often better too, but they don't give me the same feeling of familiarity and longing that I feel when I see the graceful lines and the proportions that are just right - the 747-400 with its famous wingtips. Having read back to myself what I just wrote, I wonder whether I should see someone about this condition
You're all probably thinking "Get onto the main event already!" but please, allow me to indulge in my nostalgic wanderings for a little while longer. ANA is one of my very favourite airlines for a number of reasons, and for that brief moment stood in front of the window at Gate 45, the reason I liked ANA so much is their timelessly stylish livery. In fact, it's not just their aircraft livery that has stood the test of time with such panache - it's also their corporate identity, the staff uniform, the cabin design, the whole works. Whereas (purely in my own opinion) JAL always imparts a feeling of being stuffy and old-fashioned even with their latest paint job, ANA's designs and colour schemes always looks fresh yet classy. The fact that the aircraft livery - now 24 years since first unveiled - can look so good after such a long time with only a minor refresh a few years ago is testament to the impeccable sense of design that went into the first version back in 1985. Gosh, the paint job is almost as old as me!
Of course, there are many other reasons to love ANA. The flight attendants are the perfect ambassadors to Japanese hospitality, the clockwork-like manner with which the airline is run gives confidence in them, and the near-obsession with the food and beverage service in First Class has been well documented several times by various posters. You will never find an ANA aircraft in anything less than immaculate condition upon boarding, since anything else would simply not be their way. Most of the staff you meet along the journey - be they ground agents or flight attendants - will genuinely try their best in serving your needs, even though sometimes one might wish for some more flexibility in their strict application of rules (you will see later on, however, that occasionally the answer "no" is replaced with a knowing wink
). But one also has to remember that - at the end of the day - ANA is a Japanese airline. So it is natural for them to be a stickler for rules in the same way that the Shinkansen trains are always on time to a matter of seconds, and the sushi in Tsukiji market is always beyond reproach. It's just the way things are.I had no idea at this point that I will be seeing this exact view again later!
Anyway, back to my flight. I walked down the jetway onto door 1L, where the Chief Purser greeted me and a flight attendant showed me to my seat. Once I had put my bags down, the normal ritual of flying NH F began. Well, it did after a brief moment of awkwardness when I tried to take some photos of the cabin, and the flight attendant - while looking most apologetic - informed me that use of the camera is prohibited while we are still on the ground. Oh well, there will be plenty of time for photos later (indeed, a lot more time, as I later found out). So, back to the rituals of flying NH F... Firstly, the coat is taken after your seat number is carefully noted down so as to prevent any confusion later. Secondly, you are asked whether you would like to change into the pyjamas. The pyjama top looked a little too strange for me, so I decided to just change into the pyjama trousers - naturally the FA follows you all the way to the bathroom, opens the door for you, hands you the pyjama bottoms and waits patiently outside. Once you come out, there she is - waiting with a coat hanger to carefully hang the clothes that you won't see for the foreseeable future.
The sequence continues when you return to your seat and the FA comes to your table with the amenity basket. I have heard many criticisms of the NH F amenity kit where invariably, comparisons are drawn to other airlines such as SQ. Okay, the SQ amenity kit is undoubtedly very nice with the Salvatore Ferragamo products and a small proper bottle of EDT in the nicely made pouch. I would be lying if I said that the NH amenity kit was better than SQ's, but when the rest of the product is so fantastic, small things such as amenity kits and pyjamas simply do not worry me. If you're paying full fare for NH F (as most patrons of NH F usually do), you did not choose it because they give you a 30ml bottle of EDT inside the amenity kit. You did not choose it because they give you a pair of PJs that you stuff in the back of the wardrobe at home once you return. You choose NH because you know that the service, seat, food and beverage will all be top notch, and that - going back to ANA's Japanese roots - you do not need to hope for a good flight. You know it will be a good flight.
But (yet again) I digress. The amenity basket contains the usual goodies that one might use in flight, such as moisturisers, face masks, leg wraps (I had wanted to try this out of curiosity but eventually forgot), and so on. They give you a neat black pouch that is always useful for a variety of purposes, and you put the things you want to use into the pouch. This seems eminently sensible to me, not just to prevent wastage but also so that if you want more than one of something, you can take as many as you (reasonably) need.
Two more passengers are joining me today - despite all the other seats being free, the two of them - who do not know each other - have chosen 1A and 1K respectively. I had the opportunity to choose 1K too, but decided against it in case the Row 1 pair of seats are rather too close together for two people who are not travelling together, since 1A was already assigned. This turned out to be the case, and the Chief Purser asked Mr 1A whether he would like to take advantage of the rather sparsely occupied cabin by moving to 3A - he agreed and moved his things there. It's not that 1A and 1K are right next to each other, but the distance does take away a lot of the privacy and feeling of space, which is important in First Class. (It's important in any cabin, but obviously it's hard to talk about privacy and space when squashed between two people in a middle seat back in Economy!) After moving Mr 1A to 3A, the Chief Purser came to my seat and introduced herself, told me to let her know if there is anything that she can do, and wished me a pleasant flight.
Doors closed at 11:35 while I was sat in my seat, looking around and enjoying the similar - yet different - atmosphere of the ANA 747 nose section compared to the same place on SQ's 747. Whereas SQ uses a straight-line arrangement of seats along the two window-side walls, NH's First Class seats face different directions depending on which row you are sitting on. Rows 1 and 3 faces the front, whereas rows 2 and 5 face slightly outwards, presumably in order to make the best use of the space. It does result in the cabin looking slightly cluttered overall, but these small things can be forgiven when the seat is one of the best designed seats of the previous generation. Released around 2002, the "New Style" First Class seats are simply wonderful - more on the seats as we go on, but I will just mention that despite being 7 years old, I believe it is still very competitive with many of the latest First Class seats as well.
Jun 13, 2009, 8:39 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
The gentle push of the aircraft being pushed back takes place at 11:40 and we are on our way to the take-off runway. Along the way, I see another NH 747-400 making a beeline for the runway too - it's the CDG-bound NH205 which was scheduled to depart 5 minutes earlier than this flight, at 11:25. NH205 was boarding in Satellite 5 which was at the other end of Terminal 1, so it approached to join the queue from a different direction. I wondered whether anyone sitting onboard the other 747 realised - or indeed cared - about the fact that these two NH 747-400s are probably gone for good in a matter of months and that, unless they are a regular traveller, they may never see NH 747s again. No, I didn't think so either.
One of NH's few remaining 747-400s headed to CDG, registration JA8962
Video of take-off here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqkAfn21T_I
After a bit of queuing behind numerous aircraft, many of them bound for Europe, we took off at 12:00 and seatbelt sign was switched off at 12:20. The Chief Purser came around with the noise-cancelling headphones, which were the Sony Digital NC pair. The equivalent model on the ground is MDR-NC500D and retails for quite a hefty chunk of money, although the ANA version lacked the battery compartment and used a second prong on the headphone socket for power instead. Certainly an interesting alternative to the Bose QuietComforts that are almost de rigueur in most airlines that feature noise-cancelling headphones. Although I tried them on for a brief period, I ultimately ended up using my own Shure earphones since they were much more convenient and comfortable. After the headphones, the menu box was handed out too. Those of you who have seen my previous NH F trip report from last year will have seen the menu box - I do like it a lot, as a more modern alternative to the tried-and-tested leather binders.
A view towards the back of the cabin during climb
One of the distinguishing features about ANA - a clock that shows the two local times of origin and destination, as well as flight time remaining. Although less useful now thanks to IFE systems, still a nice feature!
A view into the nose section - notice the alternating direction of the window seats
View from the 1A-1K gap
The Sony noise-cancelling headphones...
... and the menu box
The L'Oasis designed menu - some very colourful photos!
As I have seen before on the NH website, the Spring menus were specially designed by the 2-Michelin starred restaurant near Cannes, L'Oasis. NH have always been at the top of their game when it comes to food and beverage in F in any case, so I was very interested to see what the specially designed menu would bring to the table (if you would pardon the pun). It wasn't immediately obviously what had changed just by looking at the menu, but later I found the L'Oasis influence on some of the dishes as I was eating. Aside from the specially designed menu, it was business as usual - which on NH F means, enough food of the utmost quality to feed a small restaurant. Several times over.
Menu - Lunch
Western Menu
Signature Amuse
-
Caviar on king crab royale garnished with smoked salmon-Mimolette panini
-
Cherrylike jellied-duck foie gras with spring leaves
Warm clafouti pie of white asparagus and morel mushrooms
Fresh mesclun and artichoke salad
Lobster and botargo salad Nicoise
-
Grilled wagyu beef tenderloin with pissaladiere garnish, panisse bread and red wine sauce
Fine seafood bouillebaisse a L'Oasis
Herb-crusted roast lamb and vegetable confit with a hint of Oriental
Gratineed petits vegetables Provencale with fennel salad
-
Whole wheat baguette, chick pea bread, fougasse or sunflower seed bread
with a choice of premium Echire butter or extra-virgin olive oil
-
Truffled Mascarpone sandwiched between farmhouse Camembert AOC
-
Premium rhubarb sorbet and vanilla ice cream duo
Combava and chocolate bavarois exotic with yuzu citron jelly garnish
Warm orange-flavoured pine nut crumble tart accompanied with thyme-lemon balm ice cream
Selection of fresh seasonal fruit with berries compotes
-
Premium chocolate a L'Oasis
Kaiseki Course
Zensai
Salt-boiled prawn, salt-cured king crab insides and herb miso-grilled baby abalone
Swirly grilled cuttlefish, simmered freshwater fish, jellied foie gras and sweet egg terrine
Nimonowan
Poached icefish and spring vegetables in rich clear soup
Otsukuri
Sea bream and tuna sashimi
Kobachi
Simmered spring vegetables with savoury beef broth
Takiawase
Simmered sea bream roe, firefly squid and seasonal vegetables in light soy sauce
Shusai
Grilled salmon trout with Japanese herb
Steamed rice, miso soup and assorted pickles
Dessert
Your choice of one of the following:
Premium rhubarb sorbet and vanilla ice cream duo
Combava and chocolate bavarois exotic with yuzu citron jelly garnish
Warm orange-flavoured pine nut crumble tart accompanied with thyme-lemon balm ice cream
Selection of fresh seasonal fruit with berries compotes
Wagashi
Toraya "Shin midori" yokan (white adzuki bean and green tea jelly)
Delights (Snack menu)
Sake accompaniment
Caramelised sand eel and walnuts
Cured mackerel in salt and rice bran
Steamed sea urchin eggs on rich soybean milk pudding with amber seafood broth
Oden (hot pot with fishcakes and vegetables)
Assorted Japanese pickles
Light Dishes
Bowl of hot Japanese udon noodles with braised duck breast and Welsh onion
Cantonese-style noodles in shark's fin soup
Various seafood with soy sauce and wasabi, served over vinegared rice
Japanese tea poured over rice, garnished with sea bream sashimi
Cantonese-style congee
Chef's special free-range chicken and mushroom curry with steamed rice
Chinese crabmeat omelette with sweet and sour sauce
Super cheeseburger
Classic pizza
Minestrone soup
Sweet treats
Strawberry shortcake
Post-nap comfort
Fresh garden salad
Cornflakes with milk
Selection of fresh seasonal fruit
Petite Japanese course
Spring rape blossoms marinated in light mustard-soy sauce
Salt-grilled Japanese butterfish
Steamed rice or creamy rice porridge
Natto (fermented soybeans) and seaweed
Miso soup and assorted pickles
Petite International course
Pan-fried Dublin Bay prawn in creamy fava bean potage
Bread roll
Fresh seasonal fruit
Wine and Beverage
Champagne
Krug Grande Cuvee
Duval-Leroy Rose de Saignee
White Wines
Solaris Shinshu Chardonnay Maceration Limitee 2007 - Komoro, Nagano
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese Wiegler 2007 - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons William Fevre 2006 - Chablis, Bourgogne
Meursault Premier Cru Bouches Cheres Chateau Laboure-Roi 2006 - Cote de Beaune, Bourgogne
Red Wines
Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Aux Perdrix Domaine des Perdrix 2004 - Cote de Nuits, Bourgogne
Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 2006 - South Australia, Australia
Chateau Bergat 2005 - Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
Chateau Lascombe 2004 - Margaux, Bordeaux
Prestige Sake
Denshi - Denshin 2008 Junmai Daiginjo (Fuku)
Miyakobijin - Mugendai (Hyogo)
Nishinoseki - Tokubetsu Honjozoshu (Oita)
Murao Shuzo - Murao (Kagoshima)
Tempai Hakata Dontaku - Shochu made from barley, aged three years (Fukuoka)
Satasouji-Shouten - Kakutama Plum Wine (Kagoshima)
One of NH's few remaining 747-400s headed to CDG, registration JA8962
Video of take-off here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqkAfn21T_I
After a bit of queuing behind numerous aircraft, many of them bound for Europe, we took off at 12:00 and seatbelt sign was switched off at 12:20. The Chief Purser came around with the noise-cancelling headphones, which were the Sony Digital NC pair. The equivalent model on the ground is MDR-NC500D and retails for quite a hefty chunk of money, although the ANA version lacked the battery compartment and used a second prong on the headphone socket for power instead. Certainly an interesting alternative to the Bose QuietComforts that are almost de rigueur in most airlines that feature noise-cancelling headphones. Although I tried them on for a brief period, I ultimately ended up using my own Shure earphones since they were much more convenient and comfortable. After the headphones, the menu box was handed out too. Those of you who have seen my previous NH F trip report from last year will have seen the menu box - I do like it a lot, as a more modern alternative to the tried-and-tested leather binders.
A view towards the back of the cabin during climb
One of the distinguishing features about ANA - a clock that shows the two local times of origin and destination, as well as flight time remaining. Although less useful now thanks to IFE systems, still a nice feature!
A view into the nose section - notice the alternating direction of the window seats
View from the 1A-1K gap
The Sony noise-cancelling headphones...
... and the menu box
The L'Oasis designed menu - some very colourful photos!
As I have seen before on the NH website, the Spring menus were specially designed by the 2-Michelin starred restaurant near Cannes, L'Oasis. NH have always been at the top of their game when it comes to food and beverage in F in any case, so I was very interested to see what the specially designed menu would bring to the table (if you would pardon the pun
). It wasn't immediately obviously what had changed just by looking at the menu, but later I found the L'Oasis influence on some of the dishes as I was eating. Aside from the specially designed menu, it was business as usual - which on NH F means, enough food of the utmost quality to feed a small restaurant. Several times over.Menu - Lunch
Western Menu
Signature Amuse
-
Caviar on king crab royale garnished with smoked salmon-Mimolette panini
-
Cherrylike jellied-duck foie gras with spring leaves
Warm clafouti pie of white asparagus and morel mushrooms
Fresh mesclun and artichoke salad
Lobster and botargo salad Nicoise
-
Grilled wagyu beef tenderloin with pissaladiere garnish, panisse bread and red wine sauce
Fine seafood bouillebaisse a L'Oasis
Herb-crusted roast lamb and vegetable confit with a hint of Oriental
Gratineed petits vegetables Provencale with fennel salad
-
Whole wheat baguette, chick pea bread, fougasse or sunflower seed bread
with a choice of premium Echire butter or extra-virgin olive oil
-
Truffled Mascarpone sandwiched between farmhouse Camembert AOC
-
Premium rhubarb sorbet and vanilla ice cream duo
Combava and chocolate bavarois exotic with yuzu citron jelly garnish
Warm orange-flavoured pine nut crumble tart accompanied with thyme-lemon balm ice cream
Selection of fresh seasonal fruit with berries compotes
-
Premium chocolate a L'Oasis
Kaiseki Course
Zensai
Salt-boiled prawn, salt-cured king crab insides and herb miso-grilled baby abalone
Swirly grilled cuttlefish, simmered freshwater fish, jellied foie gras and sweet egg terrine
Nimonowan
Poached icefish and spring vegetables in rich clear soup
Otsukuri
Sea bream and tuna sashimi
Kobachi
Simmered spring vegetables with savoury beef broth
Takiawase
Simmered sea bream roe, firefly squid and seasonal vegetables in light soy sauce
Shusai
Grilled salmon trout with Japanese herb
Steamed rice, miso soup and assorted pickles
Dessert
Your choice of one of the following:
Premium rhubarb sorbet and vanilla ice cream duo
Combava and chocolate bavarois exotic with yuzu citron jelly garnish
Warm orange-flavoured pine nut crumble tart accompanied with thyme-lemon balm ice cream
Selection of fresh seasonal fruit with berries compotes
Wagashi
Toraya "Shin midori" yokan (white adzuki bean and green tea jelly)
Delights (Snack menu)
Sake accompaniment
Caramelised sand eel and walnuts
Cured mackerel in salt and rice bran
Steamed sea urchin eggs on rich soybean milk pudding with amber seafood broth
Oden (hot pot with fishcakes and vegetables)
Assorted Japanese pickles
Light Dishes
Bowl of hot Japanese udon noodles with braised duck breast and Welsh onion
Cantonese-style noodles in shark's fin soup
Various seafood with soy sauce and wasabi, served over vinegared rice
Japanese tea poured over rice, garnished with sea bream sashimi
Cantonese-style congee
Chef's special free-range chicken and mushroom curry with steamed rice
Chinese crabmeat omelette with sweet and sour sauce
Super cheeseburger
Classic pizza
Minestrone soup
Sweet treats
Strawberry shortcake
Post-nap comfort
Fresh garden salad
Cornflakes with milk
Selection of fresh seasonal fruit
Petite Japanese course
Spring rape blossoms marinated in light mustard-soy sauce
Salt-grilled Japanese butterfish
Steamed rice or creamy rice porridge
Natto (fermented soybeans) and seaweed
Miso soup and assorted pickles
Petite International course
Pan-fried Dublin Bay prawn in creamy fava bean potage
Bread roll
Fresh seasonal fruit
Wine and Beverage
Champagne
Krug Grande Cuvee
Duval-Leroy Rose de Saignee
White Wines
Solaris Shinshu Chardonnay Maceration Limitee 2007 - Komoro, Nagano
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese Wiegler 2007 - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons William Fevre 2006 - Chablis, Bourgogne
Meursault Premier Cru Bouches Cheres Chateau Laboure-Roi 2006 - Cote de Beaune, Bourgogne
Red Wines
Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Aux Perdrix Domaine des Perdrix 2004 - Cote de Nuits, Bourgogne
Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 2006 - South Australia, Australia
Chateau Bergat 2005 - Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
Chateau Lascombe 2004 - Margaux, Bordeaux
Prestige Sake
Denshi - Denshin 2008 Junmai Daiginjo (Fuku)
Miyakobijin - Mugendai (Hyogo)
Nishinoseki - Tokubetsu Honjozoshu (Oita)
Murao Shuzo - Murao (Kagoshima)
Tempai Hakata Dontaku - Shochu made from barley, aged three years (Fukuoka)
Satasouji-Shouten - Kakutama Plum Wine (Kagoshima)
Jun 13, 2009, 8:39 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
An absolute feast, 39,000ft in the air
I told you - enough food to feed a small restaurant several times over. Both menus, but the Western menu in particular, were so extensive and elaborate as to make you wonder whether you would live to tell the tale after eating all that food. But what a way to go! And don't let the ridiculously extensive snack menu fool you into thinking even for a moment that they have gone for variety over quality - rest assured, every item is as close as possible at 39,000ft to a decent equivalent on terra firma. Each time that I have tried these snack menu items on my previous flights, they had excellent taste and were perfectly sized (think half of a normal portion, small enough to try several) - even dishes such as una-don (eel over rice) which you wouldn't expect to be particularly nice in-flight were a very pleasant surprise. What wasn't much of a surprise however was the contents of the menu itself since, like any keen NH flyer, I had already checked out the menu on their website from over a month ago. Still nice to have it on paper, of course.
Anyway, I digress. The Chief Purser asked for my drink preference as she was handing out the menu box, and I looked at my watch - it was after midday, so it was clearly Krug o'clock.
With the satisfying pop heard from the galley in the back, my enjoyment of the flight went up a gear. (Not that the previous 4 hours were a hardship by any stretch of the imagination) The FA brought the bottle of Krug with a flute, showed me the bottle and poured it expertly. I don't know what it is about the Krug bottle - perhaps it's the unusual shape of the bottle with its low tapering point, perhaps it's the gold-coloured label - either way, it always looks so decadent that it almost makes me feel guilty drinking it. I said almost
What more can a man want? Hmm, a 7-course meal next, perhaps?
The "Signature Amuse"
If you're wondering why I was being served strawberry shortbread and macaroons as amuse bouche, you're not alone - I wondered the same thing. I forgot to take a note of what the other two items were, but they were definitely savoury so they didn't surprise me in the same way that strawberry shortbread and macaroons did. They tasted quite sweet - like dessert, and made me think "I still have 6 courses to go!" Not unpleasant by any means, and nice to try something new - though I wonder whether a more conventional choice (think smoked salmon, meat-based items, etc) would have sat more comfortably with the rest of the meal.
As the glass of Krug was nearing its end, the Chief Purser wanted to know whether I would like a refill. Normally I wouldn't hesitate but I wanted to try the Meursault with the first course, so I asked her for that instead. Once a nice glass of the Meursault was poured, I let her know my menu choices - I was going to try the caviar (interested to see how it turns out compared to the "traditional" presentation style with the garnishes), the lobster salad nicoise, and the Wagyu tenderloin which is practically obligatory on NH F. If I was feeling more brave, I would have also tried the seafood bouillebaisse which sounded heavenly, but I decided to control myself for once and try not to feel heavily pregnant at the end of the meal.
The table setting
The Meursault was very good - it also had a relatively strong note of minerals which I don't remember encountering before. While I was enjoying the new taste, the caviar course was presented on the table - the small ramekin/bowl had egg custard with crab pieces inside, with a topping of caviar (and some gold leaf on top). There have been mixed reviews of this dish over at the NH forum since this replaced the "traditional presentation" style of caviar and the garnishes, but personally I liked it. I have always enjoyed egg custard and the crab pieces went nicely together. Overall, the taste was quite subtle and nicely balanced - the fishiness of the egg complementing the smoothness of the egg custard very well. The "smoked salmon panini" was quite nice as well, but due to a faint taste of processed cheese it wasn't quite as nice as the caviar dish. (Though I'm quite sure they didn't use Velveeta for their starter in F!)
The caviar dish with the smoked salmon panini
Another view of the caviar dish, showing the egg custard below
As the Chief Purser came to collect my caviar plate, I asked whether she had one more that I could have, but unfortunately she didn't have an extra after the other passengers were served. I couldn't remember what Mr 3A was having, but Ms 1K was having the western meal as well - perhaps the L'Oasis special menu piqued her interest in the same way it did for me. No matter, because I knew I still had a lot of food still to come.
Next up was the lobster salad Nicoise. As you could see from the picture, it was presented absolutely beautifully - the clear plate added to the effect of making the whole dish look very refreshing and summery. The dressing carried this effect further, being a tangy vinaigrette. There were nicely sized chunks of lobster all around, which had a good flavour and had a nice bounce in texture without being chewy. The vegetables were also extremely fresh - sometimes I've encountered salads even in F or C that looked to be at various stages of being past its prime, but not today. Quail's eggs were also a nice touch. Overall, I loved it.
Exquisite presentation of the salad course
The plate was cleared and I switched over to the Margaux. Despite the invitingly complex flowery scent you would expect from a wine of this quality that made me want to start right away, it needed time to open up before it was suitable for drinking. Just as well, since I was also waiting for the Wagyu tenderloin that was supposed to complement the Margaux. The steak arrived, smelling absolutely divine and - as with the salad before - presented to the standard of a good restaurant on the ground. Food that tastes good does not always look good as well (curry, for example, rarely looks flattering), but they clearly weren't having that problem with this menu today.
With great anticipation, I cut the first piece from the steak and I could already tell it was a quality piece of beef that was excellently cooked - it came away easily, dispelling any fears of the shoe sole nightmare that is often encountered inflight. Of course, being well cooked is only half of the story because the flavour also has to be there, and it did not disappoint in this regard either - suffice to say, it was one of the best pieces of steaks I remember having lately. "This is what all the fuss is about the Wagyu on NH F!", I thought to myself. The garnish on top went very nicely with the steak, and the red wine sauce only made it all better. Truly surprising what is achievable at 39,000ft.
The glorious piece of Wagyu
Perfectly cooked pink
With the plate looking complete clean after every last drop of the red wine sauce was mopped up with the beef, I sat for a while taking a break from the food. Having made the mistake of eating too much too quickly on several previous flights, I was adamant that I was going to avoid the near-comatose state it invariably brings.
No food on the table? Surely not!
I told you - enough food to feed a small restaurant several times over. Both menus, but the Western menu in particular, were so extensive and elaborate as to make you wonder whether you would live to tell the tale after eating all that food. But what a way to go! And don't let the ridiculously extensive snack menu fool you into thinking even for a moment that they have gone for variety over quality - rest assured, every item is as close as possible at 39,000ft to a decent equivalent on terra firma. Each time that I have tried these snack menu items on my previous flights, they had excellent taste and were perfectly sized (think half of a normal portion, small enough to try several) - even dishes such as una-don (eel over rice) which you wouldn't expect to be particularly nice in-flight were a very pleasant surprise. What wasn't much of a surprise however was the contents of the menu itself since, like any keen NH flyer, I had already checked out the menu on their website from over a month ago. Still nice to have it on paper, of course.
Anyway, I digress. The Chief Purser asked for my drink preference as she was handing out the menu box, and I looked at my watch - it was after midday, so it was clearly Krug o'clock.
With the satisfying pop heard from the galley in the back, my enjoyment of the flight went up a gear. (Not that the previous 4 hours were a hardship by any stretch of the imagination) The FA brought the bottle of Krug with a flute, showed me the bottle and poured it expertly. I don't know what it is about the Krug bottle - perhaps it's the unusual shape of the bottle with its low tapering point, perhaps it's the gold-coloured label - either way, it always looks so decadent that it almost makes me feel guilty drinking it. I said almost What more can a man want? Hmm, a 7-course meal next, perhaps?
The "Signature Amuse"
If you're wondering why I was being served strawberry shortbread and macaroons as amuse bouche, you're not alone - I wondered the same thing. I forgot to take a note of what the other two items were, but they were definitely savoury so they didn't surprise me in the same way that strawberry shortbread and macaroons did. They tasted quite sweet - like dessert, and made me think "I still have 6 courses to go!"
Not unpleasant by any means, and nice to try something new - though I wonder whether a more conventional choice (think smoked salmon, meat-based items, etc) would have sat more comfortably with the rest of the meal.As the glass of Krug was nearing its end, the Chief Purser wanted to know whether I would like a refill. Normally I wouldn't hesitate but I wanted to try the Meursault with the first course, so I asked her for that instead. Once a nice glass of the Meursault was poured, I let her know my menu choices - I was going to try the caviar (interested to see how it turns out compared to the "traditional" presentation style with the garnishes), the lobster salad nicoise, and the Wagyu tenderloin which is practically obligatory on NH F. If I was feeling more brave, I would have also tried the seafood bouillebaisse which sounded heavenly, but I decided to control myself for once and try not to feel heavily pregnant at the end of the meal.
The table setting
The Meursault was very good - it also had a relatively strong note of minerals which I don't remember encountering before. While I was enjoying the new taste, the caviar course was presented on the table - the small ramekin/bowl had egg custard with crab pieces inside, with a topping of caviar (and some gold leaf on top). There have been mixed reviews of this dish over at the NH forum since this replaced the "traditional presentation" style of caviar and the garnishes, but personally I liked it. I have always enjoyed egg custard and the crab pieces went nicely together. Overall, the taste was quite subtle and nicely balanced - the fishiness of the egg complementing the smoothness of the egg custard very well. The "smoked salmon panini" was quite nice as well, but due to a faint taste of processed cheese it wasn't quite as nice as the caviar dish. (Though I'm quite sure they didn't use Velveeta for their starter in F!)
The caviar dish with the smoked salmon panini
Another view of the caviar dish, showing the egg custard below
As the Chief Purser came to collect my caviar plate, I asked whether she had one more that I could have, but unfortunately she didn't have an extra after the other passengers were served. I couldn't remember what Mr 3A was having, but Ms 1K was having the western meal as well - perhaps the L'Oasis special menu piqued her interest in the same way it did for me. No matter, because I knew I still had a lot of food still to come.
Next up was the lobster salad Nicoise. As you could see from the picture, it was presented absolutely beautifully - the clear plate added to the effect of making the whole dish look very refreshing and summery. The dressing carried this effect further, being a tangy vinaigrette. There were nicely sized chunks of lobster all around, which had a good flavour and had a nice bounce in texture without being chewy. The vegetables were also extremely fresh - sometimes I've encountered salads even in F or C that looked to be at various stages of being past its prime, but not today. Quail's eggs were also a nice touch. Overall, I loved it.
Exquisite presentation of the salad course
The plate was cleared and I switched over to the Margaux. Despite the invitingly complex flowery scent you would expect from a wine of this quality that made me want to start right away, it needed time to open up before it was suitable for drinking. Just as well, since I was also waiting for the Wagyu tenderloin that was supposed to complement the Margaux. The steak arrived, smelling absolutely divine and - as with the salad before - presented to the standard of a good restaurant on the ground. Food that tastes good does not always look good as well (curry, for example, rarely looks flattering), but they clearly weren't having that problem with this menu today.
With great anticipation, I cut the first piece from the steak and I could already tell it was a quality piece of beef that was excellently cooked - it came away easily, dispelling any fears of the shoe sole nightmare that is often encountered inflight. Of course, being well cooked is only half of the story because the flavour also has to be there, and it did not disappoint in this regard either - suffice to say, it was one of the best pieces of steaks I remember having lately. "This is what all the fuss is about the Wagyu on NH F!", I thought to myself. The garnish on top went very nicely with the steak, and the red wine sauce only made it all better. Truly surprising what is achievable at 39,000ft.
The glorious piece of Wagyu
Perfectly cooked pink
With the plate looking complete clean after every last drop of the red wine sauce was mopped up with the beef, I sat for a while taking a break from the food. Having made the mistake of eating too much too quickly on several previous flights, I was adamant that I was going to avoid the near-comatose state it invariably brings.
No food on the table? Surely not!
Jun 13, 2009, 8:40 pm
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
But one can only be allowed so long a break before the wonderful FA comes round to tempt you with yet more enticing food options, and this time the allurement in question was the "truffled mascarpone sandwiched between Camembert". The description on the menu already sounded like a most pleasurable way of increasing the risk of a heart attack, and when I tasted it with the raisin/walnut bread that accompanied the cheese, I was delighted that the flavour was indeed as sinfully good as the description.
If I die after eating this, tell them I passed away a very happy man...
Then, as I was grinning while pondering how cow's milk can be turned into such wonderful flavours, my dessert arrived. It was the pine nut crumble tart with ice cream and - there's a trend beginning to develop here - looked simply wonderful. And no prizes for guessing what I'm about to say next: it tasted as good as it looked. The tart was quite sweet but together with the ice cream, it was a delightful creamy combination with the coldness of the ice cream set off perfectly against the warmth of the tart.
Simply wonderful!
Now that I was well and truly stuffed, I sat back and congratulated myself on not ordering the seafood bouillebaisse in addition to the steak - even though I was *really* tempted at the time. All I had space for now was a cup of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - not even a piece of the L'Oasis chocolate pralines that were offered from the tray. When I asked the FA for the coffee, she also told me - with a somewhat grave expression on her face - that there is a chance we might have to divert due to an ill passenger, but not 100% certain yet. She didn't offer much else in the way of details as I don't think even she knew much more at that point, but I hoped that whoever was ill would be okay.
About 10 minutes later, at 2:15, my cup of Blue Mountain arrived, smelling wonderfully rich and smooth. I'm not a big fan of the more acidic tasting coffee so Blue Mountain is perfect in that regard. After sipping the great coffee at a leisurely pace, I decided to walk around the rest of the aircraft and take some more pictures.
The forward Club ANA cabin - nice combination of colours
Flying over Siberia - frozen all over, as you'd expect
Excellent feeling of privacy when sitting in one of the F suites
Sunny weather outside makes for tricky exposure settings...
Seat 1A and 2A - I don't think 1A is that good due to the wall in front
Perhaps you can see what I meant about 1A and 1K being too close together...
More frozen Siberian scenes
A view you can only get from flying the 747!
If I die after eating this, tell them I passed away a very happy man...
Then, as I was grinning while pondering how cow's milk can be turned into such wonderful flavours, my dessert arrived. It was the pine nut crumble tart with ice cream and - there's a trend beginning to develop here - looked simply wonderful. And no prizes for guessing what I'm about to say next: it tasted as good as it looked. The tart was quite sweet but together with the ice cream, it was a delightful creamy combination with the coldness of the ice cream set off perfectly against the warmth of the tart.
Simply wonderful!
Now that I was well and truly stuffed, I sat back and congratulated myself on not ordering the seafood bouillebaisse in addition to the steak - even though I was *really* tempted at the time. All I had space for now was a cup of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - not even a piece of the L'Oasis chocolate pralines that were offered from the tray. When I asked the FA for the coffee, she also told me - with a somewhat grave expression on her face - that there is a chance we might have to divert due to an ill passenger, but not 100% certain yet. She didn't offer much else in the way of details as I don't think even she knew much more at that point, but I hoped that whoever was ill would be okay.
About 10 minutes later, at 2:15, my cup of Blue Mountain arrived, smelling wonderfully rich and smooth. I'm not a big fan of the more acidic tasting coffee so Blue Mountain is perfect in that regard. After sipping the great coffee at a leisurely pace, I decided to walk around the rest of the aircraft and take some more pictures.
The forward Club ANA cabin - nice combination of colours
Flying over Siberia - frozen all over, as you'd expect
Excellent feeling of privacy when sitting in one of the F suites
Sunny weather outside makes for tricky exposure settings...
Seat 1A and 2A - I don't think 1A is that good due to the wall in front
Perhaps you can see what I meant about 1A and 1K being too close together...
More frozen Siberian scenes
A view you can only get from flying the 747!
Jun 13, 2009, 8:41 pm
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
My first ever medical diversion, confirmed
Once I sat down in my seat again, the diversion was formally announced over the PA system. We were told we would return to NRT so that the ill passenger could receive medical attention, but no further information regarding the arrangement in place to get the other passengers to FRA - we wouldn't find out whether we would be departing again today, or an overnight in a hotel then leaving tomorrow, or so on, until we land and the ground staff advise us. The Chief Purser then came around to profusely apologise to each F passenger regarding the delay and chat about any questions we had, while apologising for the inconvenience again at every opportunity - she was genuinely so concerned and apologetic that I almost felt bad in return! On most airlines, the FAs might be somewhat apologetic (if at all) but I'd guess that they wouldn't go out of their way to offer so much heartfelt apologies over something that they had no control over. In this case, I felt well taken care of already, despite having no idea what will happen after landing and so on - very good service indeed. The captain also announced over the PA that we would be returning to Narita and would arrive at around 5pm, which made me wonder whether we would take off again today given that the arrival time into FRA would be extremely late.
Advice of diversion and IFE map screens after announcement
The crew were very busy at the galley writing up the incident and preparing themselves for the unexpected return to NRT. While emphasising that I didn't want to unnecessarily add to their work at this busy time, I carefully enquired to the FA what might happen to my connecting flight from FRA. When she asked for my connecting flight details, I said "You're very busy now, I can give you the details later" but she wouldn't have any of it - she insisted that I gave her the details now so that she can speak to the ground crew after arrival at NRT, and added: "I will try my best to minimise your inconvenience". Again, I almost felt bad about the lengths to which the FA went to extend all possible courtesies and was once more very impressed at the favourable impression left after each interaction with the crew post-announcement.
When I peeked through the curtain, I could see that the ill passenger was lying on the floor in front of the bulkhead Club ANA seat - he seemed very old and had the oxygen mask over his face. He was being attended by a Japanese doctor who was speaking to him and trying to comfort him (I'm guessing). It was the first time I have seen something like this on a flight and it shook me up a little - of course, there is a higher risk of a very old passenger suffering some sort of medical emergency compared to someone closer to my age, but this whole scenario was simply something I had never really thought about before. And it really made me think about the importance of one's health.
The ill passenger appeared to be relatively stable by this point and the crew wisely decided to move him to seat 5A after turning it into a bed. His wife, also appearing quite old, sat in 5D and I really felt sorry for her. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like when your husband falls so ill on a flight that it is returned to NRT - also, knowing a little bit about the Japanese culture, I knew she must have been worried about causing so much inconvenience to so many people almost as much as worrying about her husband's health. She appeared to be apologising to the flight attendants as profusely much as they were apologising to the 3 passengers in F - I really don't know what I would have done if I was placed in a similar situation but it's truly something I'd rather not find out. The doctor who attended to the ill passenger sat in seat 5K and the FA gave him the menus for him to choose whatever he wanted to eat or drink - a very thoughtful touch indeed.
My seat in bed mode
I was too distracted to watch anything on the IFE and didn't feel settled enough to sit there listening to music, so I decided to try to get some sleep in the meantime. After turning the seat into bed mode, I put the eye shades on then lied down and tried to sleep - after managing some 45 minutes of very fitful sleep, I then woke up, realising that it was a pretty futile attempt. My mind was still racing around due to the ongoing situation so I still wasn't in the mood for any IFE or reading, let alone any desire to eat. Once again, I elected to walk around the cabin again instead.
Bulkhead seat where the ill passenger was sitting
Upper deck - a nice calm atmosphere as usual.
After visiting the Upper Deck and heading towards the back of the aircraft, I looked at the wing and - for the first time in my life - saw the fuel being dumped out of the wing. It was cool to watch, but also mildly disconcerting in terms of the sheer waste of so much fuel as well as the potential environmental effects. Either way, today's flight was turning out to be really quite an eventful flight.
Fuel dumping - I wonder whether their insurance would cover the cost?
When I came back to my seat, the FA came round with my jeans so that I can get changed in preparation for the landing. She guided me to the bathroom and I changed back into my jeans, putting the PJs and the coat hanger on one of the seats. By the next time I looked, the PJs were already gone. They are not normally a take home item since they are washed and re-used, but I liked it so much that I nevertheless wanted to ask whether it would be okay to keep it. (The slightly coarse cotton was excellent for allowing good airflow and therefore perfect for summer) So, I caught the attention of the Chief Purser the next time she walked by and asked her whether she might be able to let me keep the pair of PJ trousers that I wore, half expecting her to say no. Instead, she asked what size I was wearing earlier, and I could swear she did a wink before walking off to find me a fresh set still wrapped in plastic. What a pleasant surprise!
The seatbelt sign was turned on at 4:40pm and I reflected on the last couple of hours. The ill passenger, announcement of returning to NRT, fuel dumping, profuse apologies from the Chief Purser and the FA - it was indeed a very eventful time and made me wonder what was still to come once we arrived at NRT. I started thinking about what I would ask them to do, if they decided that we were not leaving until tomorrow - should I ask to be flown on the LHR nonstop? Should I ask to be rerouted on CX so that I could arrive in the morning? Well, it was no use agonising about the situation since nothing else was going to happen until we arrived at NRT where the ground agent will tell us the next course of action.
Almost back in NRT...
Once I sat down in my seat again, the diversion was formally announced over the PA system. We were told we would return to NRT so that the ill passenger could receive medical attention, but no further information regarding the arrangement in place to get the other passengers to FRA - we wouldn't find out whether we would be departing again today, or an overnight in a hotel then leaving tomorrow, or so on, until we land and the ground staff advise us. The Chief Purser then came around to profusely apologise to each F passenger regarding the delay and chat about any questions we had, while apologising for the inconvenience again at every opportunity - she was genuinely so concerned and apologetic that I almost felt bad in return! On most airlines, the FAs might be somewhat apologetic (if at all) but I'd guess that they wouldn't go out of their way to offer so much heartfelt apologies over something that they had no control over. In this case, I felt well taken care of already, despite having no idea what will happen after landing and so on - very good service indeed. The captain also announced over the PA that we would be returning to Narita and would arrive at around 5pm, which made me wonder whether we would take off again today given that the arrival time into FRA would be extremely late.
Advice of diversion and IFE map screens after announcement
The crew were very busy at the galley writing up the incident and preparing themselves for the unexpected return to NRT. While emphasising that I didn't want to unnecessarily add to their work at this busy time, I carefully enquired to the FA what might happen to my connecting flight from FRA. When she asked for my connecting flight details, I said "You're very busy now, I can give you the details later" but she wouldn't have any of it - she insisted that I gave her the details now so that she can speak to the ground crew after arrival at NRT, and added: "I will try my best to minimise your inconvenience". Again, I almost felt bad about the lengths to which the FA went to extend all possible courtesies and was once more very impressed at the favourable impression left after each interaction with the crew post-announcement.
When I peeked through the curtain, I could see that the ill passenger was lying on the floor in front of the bulkhead Club ANA seat - he seemed very old and had the oxygen mask over his face. He was being attended by a Japanese doctor who was speaking to him and trying to comfort him (I'm guessing). It was the first time I have seen something like this on a flight and it shook me up a little - of course, there is a higher risk of a very old passenger suffering some sort of medical emergency compared to someone closer to my age, but this whole scenario was simply something I had never really thought about before. And it really made me think about the importance of one's health.
The ill passenger appeared to be relatively stable by this point and the crew wisely decided to move him to seat 5A after turning it into a bed. His wife, also appearing quite old, sat in 5D and I really felt sorry for her. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like when your husband falls so ill on a flight that it is returned to NRT - also, knowing a little bit about the Japanese culture, I knew she must have been worried about causing so much inconvenience to so many people almost as much as worrying about her husband's health. She appeared to be apologising to the flight attendants as profusely much as they were apologising to the 3 passengers in F - I really don't know what I would have done if I was placed in a similar situation but it's truly something I'd rather not find out. The doctor who attended to the ill passenger sat in seat 5K and the FA gave him the menus for him to choose whatever he wanted to eat or drink - a very thoughtful touch indeed.
My seat in bed mode
I was too distracted to watch anything on the IFE and didn't feel settled enough to sit there listening to music, so I decided to try to get some sleep in the meantime. After turning the seat into bed mode, I put the eye shades on then lied down and tried to sleep - after managing some 45 minutes of very fitful sleep, I then woke up, realising that it was a pretty futile attempt. My mind was still racing around due to the ongoing situation so I still wasn't in the mood for any IFE or reading, let alone any desire to eat. Once again, I elected to walk around the cabin again instead.
Bulkhead seat where the ill passenger was sitting
Upper deck - a nice calm atmosphere as usual.
After visiting the Upper Deck and heading towards the back of the aircraft, I looked at the wing and - for the first time in my life - saw the fuel being dumped out of the wing. It was cool to watch, but also mildly disconcerting in terms of the sheer waste of so much fuel as well as the potential environmental effects. Either way, today's flight was turning out to be really quite an eventful flight.
Fuel dumping - I wonder whether their insurance would cover the cost?
When I came back to my seat, the FA came round with my jeans so that I can get changed in preparation for the landing. She guided me to the bathroom and I changed back into my jeans, putting the PJs and the coat hanger on one of the seats. By the next time I looked, the PJs were already gone. They are not normally a take home item since they are washed and re-used, but I liked it so much that I nevertheless wanted to ask whether it would be okay to keep it. (The slightly coarse cotton was excellent for allowing good airflow and therefore perfect for summer) So, I caught the attention of the Chief Purser the next time she walked by and asked her whether she might be able to let me keep the pair of PJ trousers that I wore, half expecting her to say no. Instead, she asked what size I was wearing earlier, and I could swear she did a wink before walking off to find me a fresh set still wrapped in plastic. What a pleasant surprise!
The seatbelt sign was turned on at 4:40pm and I reflected on the last couple of hours. The ill passenger, announcement of returning to NRT, fuel dumping, profuse apologies from the Chief Purser and the FA - it was indeed a very eventful time and made me wonder what was still to come once we arrived at NRT. I started thinking about what I would ask them to do, if they decided that we were not leaving until tomorrow - should I ask to be flown on the LHR nonstop? Should I ask to be rerouted on CX so that I could arrive in the morning? Well, it was no use agonising about the situation since nothing else was going to happen until we arrived at NRT where the ground agent will tell us the next course of action.
Almost back in NRT...
Jun 13, 2009, 8:42 pm
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
We landed as planned at 5pm and taxied the long way to our gate, this time in Satellite 5. We reached the gate at 5:15pm where the ambulance was next to the parking spot, waiting to escort the ill passenger away. Both door 1L and 1R were opened at the same time, 1L to let the ground agents board and 1R to wheelchair the passenger into a specialised lifting vehicle and down to the waiting ambulance. Thankfully, the ill passenger looked markedly better by the time he was off on his wheelchair and it was really good to see that he was seemingly okay. More apologies were exchanged between the crew and the wife before she accompanied her husband to the ambulance.
The ambulance and lifting vehicle waiting by the side
Meanwhile, the ground agent had boarded and made some announcements. Firstly, the aircraft will be leaving again at 8pm, so we were to report to the gate by 7pm. Secondly, we would be entitled to use our boarding pass as a meal coupon in the terminal, with the maximum value depending on the cabin class - JPY5,000 for First Class, JPY3,000 for Club ANA and JPY2,000 for Economy Class. JPY5,000 on food within the terminal? That was more than USD50! More on that later. We were also advised to carry all our belongings off the aircraft since it was going to be cleaned and readied for the continuing flight. I said goodbye to the Chief Purser and the FA as I left the aircraft, and they replied "We hope that we can serve you for the entire flight next time!"
The unexpected return to NRT
I walked into the NRT Terminal 1 for the second time that day. It was now getting a bit dark, but otherwise it was exactly the same as 5 hours earlier. Well, I suppose there were less flights departing now than earlier in the day now that all the European flights were long gone and only a handful of flights to the US and Asia remained. Also, due to the slightly darker light and less people, it felt a little more relaxed than earlier in the day. But the fact is, I was not expecting to see this terminal again for at least a few months, so it felt overwhelmingly strange to be walking around in it again on the same day.
We were given a list of the restaurants where we were able to use the meal coupon - airside restaurants only, but at least it included every one of the airside establishments. I didn't remember seeing anywhere that looked particularly nice while walking around earlier in the day so I ventured towards the central section of the terminal to check out what options were there. As I almost reached the central section, I realised that I had left my laptop bag in the aircraft - bugger. This meant I had to trek all the way to the gate again, which was among the last ones in Satellite 5. Arriving rather flustered and sweaty, I told the gate agent that I left my bag in the overhead locker - it was quickly retrieved and given to me.
The next stop was the ANA Lounge at Satellite 5 in order to get rid of my bags during the unexpected 2-hour layover. I certainly didn't want to be carrying around the heavy laptop bag and a large shopping bag around for 2 hours! After that was done, I then went to the reception desk to ask whether it was possible to receive some other form of credit instead of the meal coupon. Not only was JPY5,000 a ridiculous amount for one person to eat dinner within the terminal, but I had also just eaten that huge 7-course meal a matter of hours before and knew that there would be a ridiculous amount of food when I got back onboard anyway. Sadly, the lounge receptionist told me that it was not possible to receive any other form of credit, so I resigned myself to eating another meal within the rather short space of time.
Now free of my bags, I went back towards the food court area to see just how much food one can buy with JPY5,000. Having eaten way too much sushi on the previous night, I was not in the mood for more sushi tonight - this eliminated the only option that I guessed would finish the JPY5,000 in one dinner. Otherwise, by far the most expensive dish I could find in the normal food court area was the una-juu (rice topped with eel) for JPY2,500 - but remember that I wasn't even hungry! At the same time, I felt I should use as much of the credit as possible anyway, just because it was there. If only my stomach had an expandable mode!
The BP and the list of restaurants
While queueing to buy the una-juu, I saw a lady standing in front of me who was ordering something for herself and a relative - she wanted the una-juu as well, but she was travelling in Y so the restaurant staff told her she would have to pay extra. Realising that it was the perfect chance to use more of my stupidly large amount of meal credit, I offered - in my broken German - to pay together so that she wouldn't have to pay for the excess, but she refused. Instead she went for something cheaper. I wasn't sure why she refused - after all, I had no chance in hell of finishing JPY5,000's worth of food! I suppose she must have her own reasons. Anyhow, I ordered the una-juu and also four pieces of prawn tempura which came to JPY3,500 alongside a soft drink. Not quite JPY5,000, but not too bad going I suppose!
Yummy!!
It was quite a wait for the food since there were a lot of people also from the same flight who had arrived before me. Once I received the tray with - quelle surprise! - too much food, I went to my table and started eating. The prawn tempura was great - light batter, big prawns, very flavoursome. The una-juu was also great, but I knew there was no way I could finish all the rice as well, so I left most of the rice behind. The eel is one of my favourite food, though, so there were none left in the box at the end.
Feeling rather pregnant for the second time today, I handed my tray back and had just come out of the food court when I had a "slap my own forehead" moment. You see, Starbucks was one of the restaurants that you could spend the meal coupon, and I forgot that they always had lots of souvenir mugs and cups. If I had spent the JPY5,000 on Tokyo mugs and cups instead of nearly force-feeding myself then I would have some nice souvenirs to bring to friends instead of putting on more weight! Alas, it was too late and I could only scold myself for failing to notice that earlier.
All that running around the terminal earlier made me feel rather sweaty so when I arrived back at the lounge at around 6:45pm, I headed straight for the shower. After receiving another one of the L'Occitane shower kits, I went ahead and took another shower which felt great. Once out of the shower, it was 7pm which was the time we were supposed to be back at the gate, but the lounge staff made an announcement and said the aircraft is not yet ready for boarding so please wait in the lounge.
Scheduled departure: 11:30, New time: 20:00
After 20 minutes of using one of the computers for some internet surfing, the flight was called for boarding again and I headed back to the gate. There was a huge line for the economy queue but thankfully they were using two lines so I walked straight through the priority line. Once onboard the aircraft, I saw the new Chief Purser and FA who would be looking after me on this flight (hopefully to FRA this time)
Gate 58, boarding for the second time!
The ambulance and lifting vehicle waiting by the side
Meanwhile, the ground agent had boarded and made some announcements. Firstly, the aircraft will be leaving again at 8pm, so we were to report to the gate by 7pm. Secondly, we would be entitled to use our boarding pass as a meal coupon in the terminal, with the maximum value depending on the cabin class - JPY5,000 for First Class, JPY3,000 for Club ANA and JPY2,000 for Economy Class. JPY5,000 on food within the terminal? That was more than USD50! More on that later. We were also advised to carry all our belongings off the aircraft since it was going to be cleaned and readied for the continuing flight. I said goodbye to the Chief Purser and the FA as I left the aircraft, and they replied "We hope that we can serve you for the entire flight next time!"
The unexpected return to NRT
I walked into the NRT Terminal 1 for the second time that day. It was now getting a bit dark, but otherwise it was exactly the same as 5 hours earlier. Well, I suppose there were less flights departing now than earlier in the day now that all the European flights were long gone and only a handful of flights to the US and Asia remained. Also, due to the slightly darker light and less people, it felt a little more relaxed than earlier in the day. But the fact is, I was not expecting to see this terminal again for at least a few months, so it felt overwhelmingly strange to be walking around in it again on the same day.
We were given a list of the restaurants where we were able to use the meal coupon - airside restaurants only, but at least it included every one of the airside establishments. I didn't remember seeing anywhere that looked particularly nice while walking around earlier in the day so I ventured towards the central section of the terminal to check out what options were there. As I almost reached the central section, I realised that I had left my laptop bag in the aircraft - bugger. This meant I had to trek all the way to the gate again, which was among the last ones in Satellite 5. Arriving rather flustered and sweaty, I told the gate agent that I left my bag in the overhead locker - it was quickly retrieved and given to me.
The next stop was the ANA Lounge at Satellite 5 in order to get rid of my bags during the unexpected 2-hour layover. I certainly didn't want to be carrying around the heavy laptop bag and a large shopping bag around for 2 hours! After that was done, I then went to the reception desk to ask whether it was possible to receive some other form of credit instead of the meal coupon. Not only was JPY5,000 a ridiculous amount for one person to eat dinner within the terminal, but I had also just eaten that huge 7-course meal a matter of hours before and knew that there would be a ridiculous amount of food when I got back onboard anyway. Sadly, the lounge receptionist told me that it was not possible to receive any other form of credit, so I resigned myself to eating another meal within the rather short space of time.
Now free of my bags, I went back towards the food court area to see just how much food one can buy with JPY5,000. Having eaten way too much sushi on the previous night, I was not in the mood for more sushi tonight - this eliminated the only option that I guessed would finish the JPY5,000 in one dinner. Otherwise, by far the most expensive dish I could find in the normal food court area was the una-juu (rice topped with eel) for JPY2,500 - but remember that I wasn't even hungry! At the same time, I felt I should use as much of the credit as possible anyway, just because it was there. If only my stomach had an expandable mode!
The BP and the list of restaurants
While queueing to buy the una-juu, I saw a lady standing in front of me who was ordering something for herself and a relative - she wanted the una-juu as well, but she was travelling in Y so the restaurant staff told her she would have to pay extra. Realising that it was the perfect chance to use more of my stupidly large amount of meal credit, I offered - in my broken German - to pay together so that she wouldn't have to pay for the excess, but she refused. Instead she went for something cheaper. I wasn't sure why she refused - after all, I had no chance in hell of finishing JPY5,000's worth of food! I suppose she must have her own reasons. Anyhow, I ordered the una-juu and also four pieces of prawn tempura which came to JPY3,500 alongside a soft drink. Not quite JPY5,000, but not too bad going I suppose!
Yummy!!
It was quite a wait for the food since there were a lot of people also from the same flight who had arrived before me. Once I received the tray with - quelle surprise! - too much food, I went to my table and started eating. The prawn tempura was great - light batter, big prawns, very flavoursome. The una-juu was also great, but I knew there was no way I could finish all the rice as well, so I left most of the rice behind. The eel is one of my favourite food, though, so there were none left in the box at the end.
Feeling rather pregnant for the second time today, I handed my tray back and had just come out of the food court when I had a "slap my own forehead" moment. You see, Starbucks was one of the restaurants that you could spend the meal coupon, and I forgot that they always had lots of souvenir mugs and cups. If I had spent the JPY5,000 on Tokyo mugs and cups instead of nearly force-feeding myself then I would have some nice souvenirs to bring to friends instead of putting on more weight!
Alas, it was too late and I could only scold myself for failing to notice that earlier.All that running around the terminal earlier made me feel rather sweaty so when I arrived back at the lounge at around 6:45pm, I headed straight for the shower. After receiving another one of the L'Occitane shower kits, I went ahead and took another shower which felt great. Once out of the shower, it was 7pm which was the time we were supposed to be back at the gate, but the lounge staff made an announcement and said the aircraft is not yet ready for boarding so please wait in the lounge.
Scheduled departure: 11:30, New time: 20:00
After 20 minutes of using one of the computers for some internet surfing, the flight was called for boarding again and I headed back to the gate. There was a huge line for the economy queue but thankfully they were using two lines so I walked straight through the priority line. Once onboard the aircraft, I saw the new Chief Purser and FA who would be looking after me on this flight (hopefully to FRA this time)
Gate 58, boarding for the second time!
Jun 13, 2009, 8:43 pm
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
A distinct feeling of déjà vu
Once again, I was warmly welcomed on board by the Chief Purser (with more sincere apologies offered for the inconvenience of the diversion). Once again, I was offered a selection from the amenity basket with the neat black pouch. Once again, my jacket was taken, and once again I was asked whether I would like to change - I followed the FA to the toilet where I changed out of my jeans into the provided PJ trousers and again found the FA waiting outside with a coat hanger ready to take my jeans. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea by now - it was a most peculiar feeling where you are departing from the same airport, flying to the same destination, and everything onboard was done in the same way again - all within the space of around 8 hours. It confused the hell out of me!
While waiting for the boarding sequence to completed, I was chatting to the Chief Puser and the FA - the Chief Purser was on standby when she was called to the airport and she had to get a cab to the airport costing JPY25,000 (~USD270) in order to arrive on time. I don't know how often the crew on standby are called to fly a flight, but hopefully they are not caught off guard too often that requires a cab ride approaching USD300!
Narita to Europe has always been a morning/afternoon departure for me so it was very strange to be leaving NRT for Europe at 8pm, when it was completely dark outside. This was only possible due to the diversion of course - all scheduled flights to Europe do leave in the morning or early afternoon. The doors closed at 7:50pm and the feeling of déjà vu continued. The safety video - same as last time, of course - was shown again on our way to the runway. We took off at 8:10pm and reached cruising altitude within half an hour or so.
After the seatbelt sign was turned off at around 8:45pm, firstly the noise-cancelling headphones were handed out again. Then the menu box too, but after the una-juu and the prawn tempura less than two hours ago, I couldn't possibly eat a full meal again! Thankfully the Chief Purser also knew that we had eaten in the terminal, so she said I could have the main meal later in the flight if I wanted - excellent idea! I therefore decided to only have the amuse and a fruit plate before sleeping, and then would try the Kaiseki meal when I woke up towards the end of the flight.
I felt like a change so I asked for the Rosé with the Signature Amuse instead of the Krug. Somewhat more sweet than the Krug, and very nice in a different way. It goes without saying that the amuse bouche was same as earlier, so I won't comment on the taste again - other than to say, it seemed to make more sense now that I was just going to have fruit plate rather than a full meal. Then the fruit plate arrived and I thoroughly enjoyed the ready-prepared plate of very sweet and fresh fruit. No sense eating any more before trying to sleep, really - that would have only prevented me sleeping soundly.
Menu box, take two
Signature amuse, with the rosé champagne
Fruit plate
After the fruit place was cleared away, it was time to sleep - it was only 9:30pm but I was really tired, not the least because I didn't sleep very well the previous night. So I asked the FA to make the bed at seat 2A while I went to brush my teeth. The prepared bed looked really rather nice when I came back and just what the doctor ordered.
Looks inviting...!
After putting on my eyeshades, I drifted off to the wonderful land of sleep and slept soundly for almost 8 hours. It was 10:10pm Frankfurt time when I woke up, feeling completely refreshed, and the cabin was completely dark. I drank the bottle of water that the FA had put in the storage pocket after I had fallen asleep, and before I even got out of the bed, the FA came by to offer me a hot towel and asked what I would like to drink. Feeling that Krug may be inappropriate at this point, I opted for Rooibos tea which I let her know that I will take in my original seat.
Rooibos tea - it's now my favourite tea
The tea was brought to my seat shortly and the FA also asked me what I would like to eat. As I had planned earlier, I wanted to also try the Japanese meal to see how it compares, so I asked for it. Unfortunately, the FA then had to come back to let me know that the Shusai (main dish) had run out, and asked whether I mind substituting it with the grilled fish from the Delights menu. Apart from making me wonder which of the other two passengers in F took my Shusai
I had no problems with it, and she went away to start preparing the food.
The Zensai course arrived soon enough, and I couldn't believe that my stomach was ready for yet more food by then. All the items on the plate was very nice, except perhaps the salt-cured king crab insides which was a little too salty for my tastes, and the foie gras jelly which tasted a little strange. I loved the egg, though - always loved it whenever I go to a sushi restaurant as well.
Zensai
After the plate was cleared, my soup (Nimonowan) arrived. The soup stock tasted very refined and clearly very well made. There was a tofu wrapped in a green coloured casing as well as the icefish - both were delicious as well. Then the otsukuri (sashimi) arrived - perhaps it was because it was now 9+ hours into the flight, but the tuna was ever so slightly past optimal freshness - although, it must be said that I'm being very particular, and in reality it was no worse than many restaurants on the ground. The sea bream, however, was still excellent.
Nimonowan
Otsukuri
Then it was time for a few of the remaining items to be served at once. Kobachi (vegetables in beef broth) was somewhat different to how I had imagined - the vegetables were very fresh and tasty, but the "beef broth" turned out to be a cold paste-like minced beef in a gravy. Somehow, I was expecting something resembling a soup. Nevermind - it was still enjoyable. I think the FA actually forgot to bring the Takiawase (simmered sea bream roe and squid in soy sauce) but since it was not my priority to stuff myself silly, I didn't bring it up. And the substituted fish (grilled butterfish) arrived alongside a bowl of freshly prepared rice - the butterfish was actually very good, but perhaps a little tricky to seperate from the bones. I'm used to eating fish still on the bone with chopsticks, but I would imagine that it could have thrown some people. It was still relatively moist, had a nice flavour and was a perfect breakfast dish. I did wonder whether the original shusai, grilled salmon, would have been even nicer.
The butterfish and the bowl of rice
Kobachi a little bigger
11:00pm and now flying near Stockholm
Once again, I was warmly welcomed on board by the Chief Purser (with more sincere apologies offered for the inconvenience of the diversion). Once again, I was offered a selection from the amenity basket with the neat black pouch. Once again, my jacket was taken, and once again I was asked whether I would like to change - I followed the FA to the toilet where I changed out of my jeans into the provided PJ trousers and again found the FA waiting outside with a coat hanger ready to take my jeans. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea by now - it was a most peculiar feeling where you are departing from the same airport, flying to the same destination, and everything onboard was done in the same way again - all within the space of around 8 hours. It confused the hell out of me!
While waiting for the boarding sequence to completed, I was chatting to the Chief Puser and the FA - the Chief Purser was on standby when she was called to the airport and she had to get a cab to the airport costing JPY25,000 (~USD270)
in order to arrive on time. I don't know how often the crew on standby are called to fly a flight, but hopefully they are not caught off guard too often that requires a cab ride approaching USD300!Narita to Europe has always been a morning/afternoon departure for me so it was very strange to be leaving NRT for Europe at 8pm, when it was completely dark outside. This was only possible due to the diversion of course - all scheduled flights to Europe do leave in the morning or early afternoon. The doors closed at 7:50pm and the feeling of déjà vu continued. The safety video - same as last time, of course - was shown again on our way to the runway. We took off at 8:10pm and reached cruising altitude within half an hour or so.
After the seatbelt sign was turned off at around 8:45pm, firstly the noise-cancelling headphones were handed out again. Then the menu box too, but after the una-juu and the prawn tempura less than two hours ago, I couldn't possibly eat a full meal again! Thankfully the Chief Purser also knew that we had eaten in the terminal, so she said I could have the main meal later in the flight if I wanted - excellent idea! I therefore decided to only have the amuse and a fruit plate before sleeping, and then would try the Kaiseki meal when I woke up towards the end of the flight.
I felt like a change so I asked for the Rosé with the Signature Amuse instead of the Krug. Somewhat more sweet than the Krug, and very nice in a different way. It goes without saying that the amuse bouche was same as earlier, so I won't comment on the taste again
- other than to say, it seemed to make more sense now that I was just going to have fruit plate rather than a full meal. Then the fruit plate arrived and I thoroughly enjoyed the ready-prepared plate of very sweet and fresh fruit. No sense eating any more before trying to sleep, really - that would have only prevented me sleeping soundly.Menu box, take two
Signature amuse, with the rosé champagne
Fruit plate
After the fruit place was cleared away, it was time to sleep - it was only 9:30pm but I was really tired, not the least because I didn't sleep very well the previous night. So I asked the FA to make the bed at seat 2A while I went to brush my teeth. The prepared bed looked really rather nice when I came back and just what the doctor ordered.
Looks inviting...!
After putting on my eyeshades, I drifted off to the wonderful land of sleep and slept soundly for almost 8 hours. It was 10:10pm Frankfurt time when I woke up, feeling completely refreshed, and the cabin was completely dark. I drank the bottle of water that the FA had put in the storage pocket after I had fallen asleep, and before I even got out of the bed, the FA came by to offer me a hot towel and asked what I would like to drink. Feeling that Krug may be inappropriate at this point, I opted for Rooibos tea which I let her know that I will take in my original seat.
Rooibos tea - it's now my favourite tea
The tea was brought to my seat shortly and the FA also asked me what I would like to eat. As I had planned earlier, I wanted to also try the Japanese meal to see how it compares, so I asked for it. Unfortunately, the FA then had to come back to let me know that the Shusai (main dish) had run out, and asked whether I mind substituting it with the grilled fish from the Delights menu. Apart from making me wonder which of the other two passengers in F took my Shusai
I had no problems with it, and she went away to start preparing the food.The Zensai course arrived soon enough, and I couldn't believe that my stomach was ready for yet more food by then. All the items on the plate was very nice, except perhaps the salt-cured king crab insides which was a little too salty for my tastes, and the foie gras jelly which tasted a little strange. I loved the egg, though - always loved it whenever I go to a sushi restaurant as well.
Zensai
After the plate was cleared, my soup (Nimonowan) arrived. The soup stock tasted very refined and clearly very well made. There was a tofu wrapped in a green coloured casing as well as the icefish - both were delicious as well. Then the otsukuri (sashimi) arrived - perhaps it was because it was now 9+ hours into the flight, but the tuna was ever so slightly past optimal freshness - although, it must be said that I'm being very particular, and in reality it was no worse than many restaurants on the ground. The sea bream, however, was still excellent.
Nimonowan
Otsukuri
Then it was time for a few of the remaining items to be served at once. Kobachi (vegetables in beef broth) was somewhat different to how I had imagined - the vegetables were very fresh and tasty, but the "beef broth" turned out to be a cold paste-like minced beef in a gravy. Somehow, I was expecting something resembling a soup. Nevermind - it was still enjoyable. I think the FA actually forgot to bring the Takiawase (simmered sea bream roe and squid in soy sauce) but since it was not my priority to stuff myself silly, I didn't bring it up. And the substituted fish (grilled butterfish) arrived alongside a bowl of freshly prepared rice - the butterfish was actually very good, but perhaps a little tricky to seperate from the bones. I'm used to eating fish still on the bone with chopsticks, but I would imagine that it could have thrown some people. It was still relatively moist, had a nice flavour and was a perfect breakfast dish. I did wonder whether the original shusai, grilled salmon, would have been even nicer.
The butterfish and the bowl of rice
Kobachi a little bigger
11:00pm and now flying near Stockholm
Jun 13, 2009, 8:44 pm
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
I had now finished all the savoury courses in the Japanese meal. You may be wondering why everything was just "good" and "nice", rather than was "fantastic", "wonderful" and "best I've eaten recently" - although the Japanese meal was a solid effort (especially considering the difficulties of the in-flight environment) and a good meal by most accounts, it was not as spectacular and memorable as the L'Oasis western meal.
8 years ago on NRT-LHR also in F, I remember that the Japanese meal was absolutely blindingly spectacular whereas the western meal was something of a step down on the return flight CDG-NRT in F. This time, the western meal was by far the star of the show, whereas the Japanese meal did not surprise me with the quality in the same way. Made me wonder whether it was an issue of a particular month/menu, or whether perhaps they started spending more money on the western meal than the Japanese meal - it would be interesting to see whether other months improve the Japanese meal to the lofty standards previously experienced.
Still, I had not yet tried one last "must eat" - the Super Cheeseburger! There were many reports praising the taste of the burger and some even suggested that it went very well with the Krug - I had been wanting to try out this most peculiar combination when I read about it, and this was my chance - amazingly there was still some room left for that. When I asked her to prepare a Super Cheeseburger for me, the FA's expression for a fleeting moment was priceless - a mixture of confusion, dismay and amusement. She must have thought I was a complete Neanderthal, "polluting" the delicate tastes of the Japanese meal just eaten with a burger afterwards! Of course, it was only for the briefest of moments and she recovered quickly to the smiling face, even when she heard my seemingly bizarre request for a glass of Krug to go with the burger.
I'm sad to report that the burger was not quite up to the high expectations, partly because I prefer a more coarse-ground beef patty, and partly because it was not heated completely evenly. Rather than trouble the FA further, I decided to save some space for a dessert and only eat half of the burger. Not bad by any means, but perhaps my expectations were set too high. What must be said, however, is that people who said it goes well with Krug was completely right! The burger somehow allowed the rich bouquet and taste of the Krug to come out fully... Don't ask me how or why!
Super Cheeseburger with Krug
To finish this orgy of food on a sweet note, I asked for the "Combava and chocolate bavarois" which arrived, looking very rich and borderline intimidating - you took one look at it and knew that it was not a "light and fluffy" dessert to be taken lightly. It was actually in different layers - first, the rich dark chocolate cover. Then, a lighter chocolate mousse. In the middle, there was a fruit mousse. All this was perched on top of an almond chocolate base. The whole thing was breathtaking. Absolutely fantastic.
The various layers of the fabulous dessert
Soon after, as the flight was drawing to a close, once again (!) the FA asked whether I would like to go and change back into my clothes - which I did. Once I came back, the Chief Purser came round to once more apologise for the inconvenience - by now I was certain that I had never been apologised to so many times in a given period of time. I tried my best to convey to her that it was not a problem at all - to be frank, I can't imagine complaining about a delay that gives me 5 extra hours on NH F and the opportunity to try both main meals!
Before long, there were the double-pings in the cabin and seatbelt signs were switched on at around 11:50pm. Normally this is where I would say a thing or two about not wanting the flight to end, but on this occasion I was ready to finish the long journey and find some rest in a proper room. The wonderful 747-400 made its final approach at 11:55pm and we touched down 10 minutes later.
When we docked at the gate soon afterwards, the door was opened and a waft of chilly air surrounded the cabin. The ground agent that boarded made the announcement that those of us with missed connections would be accommodated at the Steinburger Airport Hotel, and should contact a ground agent upon disembarkation. After gathering my things, I took a couple more photos just for memory's sake, knowing that I am not going to have an opportunity to fly on the NH 747 again before it is retired.
Thanking the 2nd set of First Class crew today for a wonderful flight as I left the aircraft, I quickly made my way to the gate area to make sure that I don't end up in a huge queue of people all waiting to be accommodated. The gate area was a complete zoo thanks to seemingly all of the passengers on the return flight waiting to board. When I approached the desk, the ANA agent somehow correctly guessed who I was, and told me that they rebooked me on the 7:30am flight to London Heathrow.
Hang on, it was now past midnight and they wanted me to come back to the airport at 6:30am to check in for the flight to LHR? No way! I told her I really needed to sleep a little longer, but she was unable to help me change the flight as the links were apparently down on her computer. I gave up for the time being and decided to seek help elsewhere, possibly from a Lufthansa desk.
Gate area - complete zoo as described
NH210 departing at 2:30am instead of 8:45pm
Of course, with all the connecting passengers having definitely misconnected, all the bags from the flight were spewed out onto the conveyor belt. But there was a snag - there were no luggage carts to be found anywhere. 10 minutes of running around hunting for a cart later, including an entirely unhelpful Fraport employee who did now know where to find them, I eventually found one from a different belt nearby that wasn't immediately obvious earlier. This being by far the most frustrating part of the past 24 hours of travelling, it is really saying something about how well I was taken care of until now.
Finding a lone Lufthansa baggage agent in the baggage desks, I approached her hoping to see whether I can do something about the ungodly morning departure to LHR. I was in luck, as she said "I'm only a baggage agent but I used to work in check-in before so I can probably help you". After managing to rearrange my flight to a much more civilised time of 10:30am, I exited the customs and went to the bus stop for the shuttle bus.
Despite the good sleep earlier in the flight, the tiredness from the long journey suddenly hit me as I was waiting in the long queue and it was also very unwieldy to move my luggage around which I had not intended to see until I arrived at London. By the time I arrived at the Steinburger hotel, took a much needed shower and lay down to relax, I was ready for some shuteye once more and reflected on this most eventful 24 hours of travelling as I tried to send myself to sleep.
2:30am. More than 24 hours after leaving the Holiday Inn Narita... and what a journey!
8 years ago on NRT-LHR also in F, I remember that the Japanese meal was absolutely blindingly spectacular whereas the western meal was something of a step down on the return flight CDG-NRT in F. This time, the western meal was by far the star of the show, whereas the Japanese meal did not surprise me with the quality in the same way. Made me wonder whether it was an issue of a particular month/menu, or whether perhaps they started spending more money on the western meal than the Japanese meal - it would be interesting to see whether other months improve the Japanese meal to the lofty standards previously experienced.
Still, I had not yet tried one last "must eat" - the Super Cheeseburger!
There were many reports praising the taste of the burger and some even suggested that it went very well with the Krug - I had been wanting to try out this most peculiar combination when I read about it, and this was my chance - amazingly there was still some room left for that. When I asked her to prepare a Super Cheeseburger for me, the FA's expression for a fleeting moment was priceless - a mixture of confusion, dismay and amusement. She must have thought I was a complete Neanderthal, "polluting" the delicate tastes of the Japanese meal just eaten with a burger afterwards! Of course, it was only for the briefest of moments and she recovered quickly to the smiling face, even when she heard my seemingly bizarre request for a glass of Krug to go with the burger.I'm sad to report that the burger was not quite up to the high expectations, partly because I prefer a more coarse-ground beef patty, and partly because it was not heated completely evenly. Rather than trouble the FA further, I decided to save some space for a dessert and only eat half of the burger. Not bad by any means, but perhaps my expectations were set too high. What must be said, however, is that people who said it goes well with Krug was completely right! The burger somehow allowed the rich bouquet and taste of the Krug to come out fully... Don't ask me how or why!
Super Cheeseburger with Krug
To finish this orgy of food on a sweet note, I asked for the "Combava and chocolate bavarois" which arrived, looking very rich and borderline intimidating - you took one look at it and knew that it was not a "light and fluffy" dessert to be taken lightly. It was actually in different layers - first, the rich dark chocolate cover. Then, a lighter chocolate mousse. In the middle, there was a fruit mousse. All this was perched on top of an almond chocolate base. The whole thing was breathtaking. Absolutely fantastic.
The various layers of the fabulous dessert
Soon after, as the flight was drawing to a close, once again (!) the FA asked whether I would like to go and change back into my clothes - which I did. Once I came back, the Chief Purser came round to once more apologise for the inconvenience - by now I was certain that I had never been apologised to so many times in a given period of time. I tried my best to convey to her that it was not a problem at all - to be frank, I can't imagine complaining about a delay that gives me 5 extra hours on NH F and the opportunity to try both main meals!
Before long, there were the double-pings in the cabin and seatbelt signs were switched on at around 11:50pm. Normally this is where I would say a thing or two about not wanting the flight to end, but on this occasion I was ready to finish the long journey and find some rest in a proper room. The wonderful 747-400 made its final approach at 11:55pm and we touched down 10 minutes later.
When we docked at the gate soon afterwards, the door was opened and a waft of chilly air surrounded the cabin. The ground agent that boarded made the announcement that those of us with missed connections would be accommodated at the Steinburger Airport Hotel, and should contact a ground agent upon disembarkation. After gathering my things, I took a couple more photos just for memory's sake, knowing that I am not going to have an opportunity to fly on the NH 747 again before it is retired.
Thanking the 2nd set of First Class crew today for a wonderful flight as I left the aircraft, I quickly made my way to the gate area to make sure that I don't end up in a huge queue of people all waiting to be accommodated. The gate area was a complete zoo thanks to seemingly all of the passengers on the return flight waiting to board. When I approached the desk, the ANA agent somehow correctly guessed who I was, and told me that they rebooked me on the 7:30am flight to London Heathrow.
Hang on, it was now past midnight and they wanted me to come back to the airport at 6:30am to check in for the flight to LHR? No way! I told her I really needed to sleep a little longer, but she was unable to help me change the flight as the links were apparently down on her computer. I gave up for the time being and decided to seek help elsewhere, possibly from a Lufthansa desk.
Gate area - complete zoo as described
NH210 departing at 2:30am instead of 8:45pm
Of course, with all the connecting passengers having definitely misconnected, all the bags from the flight were spewed out onto the conveyor belt. But there was a snag - there were no luggage carts to be found anywhere. 10 minutes of running around hunting for a cart later, including an entirely unhelpful Fraport employee who did now know where to find them, I eventually found one from a different belt nearby that wasn't immediately obvious earlier. This being by far the most frustrating part of the past 24 hours of travelling, it is really saying something about how well I was taken care of until now.
Finding a lone Lufthansa baggage agent in the baggage desks, I approached her hoping to see whether I can do something about the ungodly morning departure to LHR. I was in luck, as she said "I'm only a baggage agent but I used to work in check-in before so I can probably help you". After managing to rearrange my flight to a much more civilised time of 10:30am, I exited the customs and went to the bus stop for the shuttle bus.
Despite the good sleep earlier in the flight, the tiredness from the long journey suddenly hit me as I was waiting in the long queue and it was also very unwieldy to move my luggage around which I had not intended to see until I arrived at London. By the time I arrived at the Steinburger hotel, took a much needed shower and lay down to relax, I was ready for some shuteye once more and reflected on this most eventful 24 hours of travelling as I tried to send myself to sleep.
2:30am. More than 24 hours after leaving the Holiday Inn Narita... and what a journey!
Jun 14, 2009, 12:23 am
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,279
Wow, what a journey !
That is something not many people can have the experience. I do hope that you got well compensated other than meal voucher in NRT and hotel in FRA despite the delay is not due to mechanical. I am kind of think that when you ask to keep the PJ, they really have no choice but to offer you one as they basically have to offer you whatever you ask for since you are in F.
Btw, since I see that you take advantage went back to the NH F lounge shower for the 2nd Loccitane kit, did you ask the second time for the PJ as well ?
Although this is somewhat inconvenient to many people, and not wish for someone getting sick on board, I still wish one of my flights in F would have something happen like that.
That is something not many people can have the experience. I do hope that you got well compensated other than meal voucher in NRT and hotel in FRA despite the delay is not due to mechanical. I am kind of think that when you ask to keep the PJ, they really have no choice but to offer you one as they basically have to offer you whatever you ask for since you are in F.
Btw, since I see that you take advantage went back to the NH F lounge shower for the 2nd Loccitane kit, did you ask the second time for the PJ as well ?
Although this is somewhat inconvenient to many people, and not wish for someone getting sick on board, I still wish one of my flights in F would have something happen like that.
Last edited by ORDnHKG; Jun 14, 2009 at 12:30 am
Jun 15, 2009, 5:46 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Agoura Hills, CA USA
Posts: 2,662
This is one of the best trip reports I have read in recent memory.. I just got off of NH 10 in first to JFK and the food was, again, amazing.. Your comment about the service ( and the SUPER CHEESEBURGER ) is right on... Also the consistency of the first class product is amazing.. Thanks so much...
Jun 24, 2009, 10:26 pm
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
So, was it worth the wait? Wow, what a journey !
That is something not many people can have the experience. I do hope that you got well compensated other than meal voucher in NRT and hotel in FRA despite the delay is not due to mechanical. I am kind of think that when you ask to keep the PJ, they really have no choice but to offer you one as they basically have to offer you whatever you ask for since you are in F.
Btw, since I see that you take advantage went back to the NH F lounge shower for the 2nd Loccitane kit, did you ask the second time for the PJ as well ?
Although this is somewhat inconvenient to many people, and not wish for someone getting sick on board, I still wish one of my flights in F would have something happen like that.
That is something not many people can have the experience. I do hope that you got well compensated other than meal voucher in NRT and hotel in FRA despite the delay is not due to mechanical. I am kind of think that when you ask to keep the PJ, they really have no choice but to offer you one as they basically have to offer you whatever you ask for since you are in F.
Btw, since I see that you take advantage went back to the NH F lounge shower for the 2nd Loccitane kit, did you ask the second time for the PJ as well ?
Although this is somewhat inconvenient to many people, and not wish for someone getting sick on board, I still wish one of my flights in F would have something happen like that.
And no, I didn't ask for a 2nd set of PJs - already had far too much stuff in my carryons!
This is one of the best trip reports I have read in recent memory.. I just got off of NH 10 in first to JFK and the food was, again, amazing.. Your comment about the service ( and the SUPER CHEESEBURGER ) is right on... Also the consistency of the first class product is amazing.. Thanks so much...
==========
Looking back, it's interesting how NH and SQ - two of the "top league" airlines in F - have a completely different feel in terms of the cabin, service, food, etc. Overall, I would say that NH F seems to be a more refined and exclusive experience and if given the opportunity to choose, I'm more likely to go for NH over SQ. In any case, so long as SQ decides to keep up their abominable reward space policy, I won't be flying very much SQ F in the foreseeable future anyway!
Writing up the final segment at the moment - the re-scheduled Lufthansa flight back to Heathrow. Should be a shorter report since it was a very bog-standard European flight... and hoping to upload in the near future.
Jun 25, 2009, 1:21 am
#44
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 812
I really enjoyed your trip report!
I find it funny how you say you felt obligated to use up the full 5000 yen voucher for food, despite not being hungry and knowing you'll have another huge meal on the plane. I can identify with that--there are parts of my upbringing that I'm still not able to change despite knowing better!
I also flew on NH F a few months ago (only one meal though, since no medical diversion). I chose the western meal (had very similar items) and also thought it fabulous, equivalent to a meal in a 2* restaurant on the ground. I debated getting the Japanese meal, but the FA assumed I would go for the Western meal and I was glad I did so (especially after reading your description). I skipped the cheese course b/c I was too full, but looking at your picture and description, I now regret that. Well, I really was very full, so it probably was the right choice!
Overall, I thought the NH F experience was excellent (and better than SQ F). Your trip report captured the feel of the NH F experience very well I think.
I find it funny how you say you felt obligated to use up the full 5000 yen voucher for food, despite not being hungry and knowing you'll have another huge meal on the plane
. I can identify with that--there are parts of my upbringing that I'm still not able to change despite knowing better!I also flew on NH F a few months ago (only one meal though, since no medical diversion). I chose the western meal (had very similar items) and also thought it fabulous, equivalent to a meal in a 2* restaurant on the ground. I debated getting the Japanese meal, but the FA assumed I would go for the Western meal and I was glad I did so (especially after reading your description). I skipped the cheese course b/c I was too full, but looking at your picture and description, I now regret that. Well, I really was very full, so it probably was the right choice!
Overall, I thought the NH F experience was excellent (and better than SQ F). Your trip report captured the feel of the NH F experience very well I think.
Jun 25, 2009, 7:29 am
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
I really enjoyed your trip report!
I find it funny how you say you felt obligated to use up the full 5000 yen voucher for food, despite not being hungry and knowing you'll have another huge meal on the plane. I can identify with that--there are parts of my upbringing that I'm still not able to change despite knowing better!
I also flew on NH F a few months ago (only one meal though, since no medical diversion). I chose the western meal (had very similar items) and also thought it fabulous, equivalent to a meal in a 2* restaurant on the ground. I debated getting the Japanese meal, but the FA assumed I would go for the Western meal and I was glad I did so (especially after reading your description). I skipped the cheese course b/c I was too full, but looking at your picture and description, I now regret that. Well, I really was very full, so it probably was the right choice!
Overall, I thought the NH F experience was excellent (and better than SQ F). Your trip report captured the feel of the NH F experience very well I think.
I find it funny how you say you felt obligated to use up the full 5000 yen voucher for food, despite not being hungry and knowing you'll have another huge meal on the plane
. I can identify with that--there are parts of my upbringing that I'm still not able to change despite knowing better!I also flew on NH F a few months ago (only one meal though, since no medical diversion). I chose the western meal (had very similar items) and also thought it fabulous, equivalent to a meal in a 2* restaurant on the ground. I debated getting the Japanese meal, but the FA assumed I would go for the Western meal and I was glad I did so (especially after reading your description). I skipped the cheese course b/c I was too full, but looking at your picture and description, I now regret that. Well, I really was very full, so it probably was the right choice!
Overall, I thought the NH F experience was excellent (and better than SQ F). Your trip report captured the feel of the NH F experience very well I think.
The 5,000 yen coupon - yup, in a weird and convoluted logic, I would have preferred to eat in the airport with the coupon rather than more food back on the plane.
If you haven't guessed already, I'm also the type that could not bear to leave a scrap of food on the plate if I could possibly help it.I mean, I just couldn't waste the coupon - though now, of course, I really wish I had the insight to use it on Starbucks mugs
Then I could have had more food back on the plane - so many of the Delights snack items I could have tried. Hmm.... hungry again!