Kiwi Flyer

SIN-AKL Raffles Menu


DINNER MENU

A Savoury Note

Mesclun with seared tandoori prawns and salad of pineapple and cucumber
Balsamic and extra virgin olive oil dressing
Yoghurt dressing

The Main Event

Panroasted Muscovy duck with black cherry-jus, broccolini and celeriac puree

Scallops in dill and saffron sauce with roasted vegetables and new potatoes

Kaeng kaew wan noeu
Thai style beef in green curry with vegetables and steamed rice

Braised lamb shank in port wine with roasted vegetables, shallots and sundried tomatoes

A Sweet Note

Ben & Jerry ice cream
Choice of Cherry Garcia or Chocolate chip cookie dough

The Cheese Board

Gourmet cheese with garnishes

Fruit

A selection of fresh fruit

A Connoisseur's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
and pralines


SNACK MENU

Fancy a snack?
Simply take your pick from our range of delectable snacks and make your selection known to our cabin crew.

Noodles

Fish ball broth with kway teow or bee hoon noodles

Vegetarian and non-vegetarian instant noodles

Sandwiches

Chicken satay in plain ciabatta

Beef pastrami with gherkins in focaccia bun

Mozzarella with roast capsicum in onion ciabatta

Snacks

Roasted mixed nuts

Toblerone

Famous Amos chocolate chip

Real McCoy potato chips "Smokey BBQ"

Kjeldsens cookies

Bananas


BEFORE TOUCH-DOWN MENU

Your Breakfast Choice

This convenient breakfast option lets you enjoy all the sleep you want, uninterrupted. Please inform our crew of your choice before lights out - if they do not receive your selection, you will be awakened in time for The Complete Breakfast.

The Complete Breakfast

Take your pick of the Main Event from our scrumptious selections.
Served earliest 2.5 hours prior to arrival

Continental Breakfast

Delight in this simple yet wholesome meal.
Served earliest 1.5 hours prior to arrival

A Fresh Start

A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange juice

Fresh fruit

A Healthy Note

Choice of cereals or yoghurt
Cornflakes with milk or Birchermuesli
Plain or fruit yoghurt

The Main Event

Braised egg noodles with shredded pork in spicy sauce and leafy vegetables

Panfried beef fillet and veal sausage with jus, roma tomato, button mushrooms and roesti potatoes

Poached eggs with macedoine of vegetables and chicken sausage

From the Bakery

Assorted breakfast rolls
Butter - Fruit preserve

A Connoisseur's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea


BEVERAGES MENU

Special cocktail

Golden Spice

Cocktails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-alcoholic cocktails

Citrus Royale
Tropical Sparkle
Orange Cooler
Fruit Spritzer
Sunrise Surprise

Spirits

Cognac XO Otard
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
Gordon's Dry Gin
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Bacardi Carta Blanca

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Tia Maria
Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beer

International Selection

Stout

Guinness Stout

Champagne

Piper Heidsieck 1999

White Wines

2004 St Clair Marlborough Sauvignon
Rheingau Riesling Kabinett 2004 Weinhas Ress

Red Wines

2003 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot
Chateau Cissac 1998 Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc

Port

Dow 2001 Late Bottled Vintage Port

Tea selection

Pure Ceylon Tea
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated Tea
Japanese Green Tea
Oolong

Gourmet Coffees

Brazil Santos Bourbon
Colombian Supremo
Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

Specialty Coffees

Brewed Coffee
Cafe Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated Coffee
Mocha

Other Beverages

Chocolate
Milo

Mineral Water

Carbonated mineral water
Non-carbonated mineral water

Fruit Juices

Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato

Soft Drinks

A range of regular or low-calorie drinks is available

Iced Drinks

Iced Tea
Iced Coffee
Iced Mocha
Iced Chocolate
Iced Milo

Kiwi Flyer

Summary days 1-2

• map
• 17,098 flown miles
• 4 flights
• 1 a/c type
  • 747-400
• 1 airline
  • SQ
• 3 countries
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • Japan
• 3 airports (number of transfers)
  • 2 SIN
  • 1 AKL, NRT

onedog

Excellent trip report! ^

Can't wait for the report on the rest of your marathon trip.

Kiwi Flyer

Next instalment isn't far away. In the meantime I hope the weather forecast is incorrect. Fog delay on the first leg of multi-day flying is not good.

Kiwi Flyer

Auckland to Sydney (AKL-SYD) Business Class on Qantas 767

The couple of days in between trips was hectic with the usual flurry of meetings and reports due. So it came as no surprise to find myself starting to pack at midnight for the flight really early next morning.

My packing took longer than usual since the recently relaxed UK baggage rules allowed a modest carry-on but no second bag or separate personal items. Fitting all my gear plus goodies into 2 small carry-ons isn't a problem for me, even on trips of 2-3 weeks. However getting it down to a single bag is that much harder.

I toyed with the idea of staying up (after all I have plenty of long flights to catch up on sleep) but decided to at least try to get a couple hours sleep). I hardly slept a wink - possibly subconsciously thinking through all the things for work and for the trip that I'd need to do in the morning. So I get up before my alarm went off and finished getting ready. One look out the window confirms last night's weather forecast is accurate - it is foggy.

In Auckland fog tends to form in the wee hours of the morning, thicken around dawn and either lift quickly or hang around for several hours. Due to the terrain it can be patchy - just because it is thick in the central city doesn't necessarily mean it is near the airport.

Barely awake I head back out to the airport like so many early mornings before. This is a transition time, with small signs of awakening for the day ahead (eg streets being cleaned) as well as some stubbornly clinging to the night like the fog wrapped around the lamp-posts, in the bars and clubs remaining open. There are few people out and little traffic as we zoom through the fog across the isthmus to the airport.

Since I have a bit of time in hand I ask to be dropped off at domestic terminal to give myself an excuse to stretch the legs in the walk over to the international terminal. An airport vehicle throws a beam into the murk like an orange lighthouse light. Normally the walk gives an opportunity to observe several aircraft and a different angle on tarmac operations - not today. A single tail fin is seen hazily.

I head inside to the Qantas premium check in facility. It is a quiet haven from the bulging queues outside. Despite the early hour this is a busy period at the airport with several long haul arrivals plus a bank of flights to Australia and the south pacific. I get the next 3 boarding passes and complete immigration formalities. Given one of my destinations today I had expected a few questions on the contents of my carry-on (re the limitations), but perhaps my bleary not yet awake look was misinterpreted by the agent as a weary heard it all before look?

Upstairs and using the pre-cleared lane to bypass another huge queue at immigration. All the WTMD stations were in operation so I easily found one without a queue and heading to the shops. Due to no liquids rule later in my trip I was not picking up duty free drink - which is a shame as there are some nice wines and spirits I would have loved to bring with me. No, I am heading for that essential supply, Berocca, since I discovered a couple hours earlier that I had run out.

Next stop the lounge. It always feels strange to me when I use the Qantas lounge in the international terminal since I use the Air NZ lounge opposite so much more often. Especially in my not really awake state I have to force myself not to turn left at the top of the escalator. I have a brief chat with the lounge bouncer who normally works the domestic lounge before entering and turning left for the OW Emerald lounge (it is really an F lounge but the only one world F service in Auckland is LAN's service Santiago-Auckland-Sydney-Auckland-Santiago.

Kiwi Flyer

Auckland to Sydney (AKL-SYD) Business Class on Qantas 767 continued

I have enough time to print out some stuff I'd run out of time for yesterday, fire off a few emails and check out a couple of things. Our gate was gate 1 which is the closest gate to the lounge, but due to the way the corridors are constructed it is a good 5 minute walk away - first down the escalator, along a corridor, turn right to head down the pier, then left then right past several shops, then up an escalator (or stairs or lift if you prefer), then right at the top then left, then past several more shops before turning 180 degrees back towards to base of the pier, down an escalator, past gate lounge 3 to finally get to the gate. What a stupid design!

Boarding started a while ago so there is no queue - straight to my seat where I settle in with a pre-departure drink (water). We push back on time. It is still foggy, but apart from some flights being a bit late seems to not be thick enough to cause disruptions.

After a short taxi we take off and moments later break through into the clear skies above. The location of the steel mill is made obvious beneath the blanket of fog by the presence of a big steam plume rising above the cloud sheet. We follow the coastline for a bit before turning west for Sydney.

Breakfast is a choice of tomato and mushroom omelette or french toast, plus fruit pieces in syrup (yuk - I much prefer plated fruit), apple or orange juice, water, tea, coffee, toast. In other words fairly blah. I try to get some sleep but only manage to doze a little.

Despite the usual headwinds we approach Sydney ahead of schedule (just how much padding is there?), with the view I can never tire of as we sweep past the sea cliffs and over the sheltered waterways of Botany Bay to land. We then sat in a holding pen on the tarmac for 15 minutes waiting for the aircraft to clear our gate. Later I checked the schedules and saw that flight had a scheduled departure only 5 minutes before our scheduled arrival so no wonder we had to wait!

When I made the booking I had intended to clear immigration and head into the city to do some shopping, since my connection was long enough to do so. However the carry on restrictions have put paid to that and so I headed for transit desk, popped my bag in the xray machine and without even breaking stride was on my way to the temporary Qantas lounge (the regular ones currently undergoing renovations). As usual I had courtesly let someone stay ahead of me to get to transfer security, in order that they would be picked for the "random" explosives test - not that I have anything to hide.

This was my first visit to Sydney on One World since the F lounge renovations started and so I was interested to check out the temporary lounge (follow the signs for gates 24-29). The bouncer was busy on the phone and uninterested in checking cards or BPs so I head downstairs. It is old and tatty looking. Even on this bright sunny day half the lounge is dank and gloomy. The food on offer is poor (some cheese & crackers and fruit only). I hope the refurbishment is completed soon.

Kiwi Flyer

Sydney to Singapore (SYD-SIN) Business Class on QF 747

I grab a shower to freshen up. It is amazing how much a simple shower can awaken the body and refresh the spirit.

Early afternoon the Veuve Clicquot promotion means free samples (reasonably generous sized compared with the earlier Krug promotion from what I've been told). Not that this is the reason for my transit!
(Okay you can stop laughing now.) The food however remains poor.

Now why do I have this longish transfer? When I planned my DONE5 itinerary I had hoped to fly through Johannesburg, in order to get a view (albeit from a distance) of Antarctica once again (see great circle route and my Antarctic flight seeing). While I could get a seat on Qantas flight SYD-JNB on the right date, I could only waitlist for the 2 onward flight choices. After a few months waiting and a price increase imminent I decided to switch routing to Singapore. Flights to Singapore leave much later than the flight to Johannesburg. From reports all over FT I see that flights between South Africa and Europe tend to be heavily sold in business and first class, so next time I will plan further ahead.

kpc

Kiwi Flyer, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying reading about your travels as the next person on FT, but is this a mileage run or are you heading to any city for any work/holiday reason?...you seem to be arriving at one city, and either turning around immediately, or heading straight for the next city

Kiwi Flyer

The RTW is holiday. I just haven't gotten to the stopover bits yet.

I may have said this before, but I tend to pack a lot in to my trips since it takes so long to get anywhere that I'd rather not waste precious leave time in lots of stopovers along the way - ie I won't be stopping over in Singapore.

Within the constraints of time and places I wanted to see, I also tried to maximise mileage and status earning. Some side trips are pure mileage runs, others aren't.

Kiwi Flyer

Sydney to Singapore (SYD-SIN) Business Class on QF 747 continued

Boarding is announced in the lounge a little late and when I reach the gate boarding has only just begun. There are people bunched up everywhere blocking the middle of the gate lounge. When several passengers (including me) entitled to use the priority boarding line (business class and elites) move through the huddled masses we get evil looks. It would be so much easier if orderly lines had formed leaving space for the priority line.

As I head to the stairs on this 2-class 747 I notice a forward economy section in between doors 1L and 2L. I make my way upstairs only to find, as with half the other passengers, that the overhead bins are too small for our carry ons.

We push back rather late and slowly taxi out into Botany Bay. While taxiing I take a moment to marvel at the carefully orchestrated mechanical ballet that takes place on the apron and taxiways of any large airport.

We take off over Sydney and the noise abatement procedures mean we seem to glide slowly at low altitude over the suburban sprawl for a long time, showing just how large Sydney is.

This aircraft is not equipped with AVOD, for which I am glad. I have yet to have a Qantas AVOD-equipped flight without major problems with the IFE - the older system while offering less options and non-AVOD is at least much more reliable. I watch a movie over dinner and then catch up on a few hours sleep. There are a number of little touches with the meal service that I notice are not quite as polished as say Air NZ or Singapore Airlines business class meal service. For example there is only 1 choice of bread roll type, no olive oil, salad consists only of rocket and lettuce (no tomatoes, cucumber, etc), cheese board has only 2 types of cheese, no wine menu.

The flight seems to pass by quickly, and I realise that has to do with being so much shorter than my usual New Zealand to Singapore flight. We descend into the night and arrive on time - we mustn't have had too many headwinds today.

I deplane and head straight for the nice Qantas first class lounge (entry thanks to status) for a shower. Much like an army eats food whenever it gets the chance, I have learnt from experience to grab a shower whenever I get the chance on multi-day flights. While I might be expecting to be able to have a shower at the next transit, or the next but one, there could be delays leaving too little time, or the shower could be out of order. So I take every chance to freshen up that I can.

Kiwi Flyer

SYD-SIN Business Menu

DINNER menu

Entree

Prosciutto, Hearts of Plam and Rocket Salad with Caper Dressing

Main Courses

Roast Beef Fillet with Ratatouille, Crushed White Beans and Lemon Zest

Red Braised Pork with Shiitake Mushrooms, Fragrant Rice and Bok Choy

Seared Kingfish with Anchovy Butter and Potato and Leek Gratin

Green Leaf Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

Dessert

Selection of Seasonal Cheese and Dried Fruit

Nice Cream Pistachio and Honey Ice Cream with Pistachio Brittle

Sliced Fresh Fruit

Chocolates

Valrhona Chocolates

Paton's Macadamia Chocolates

OR

Express Dinner

These dishes will be delivered and cleared as a service priority to allow maximum time for work or relaxation.

Celeriac and Apple Soup with Crisp Eschallots

Prosciutto, Hearts of Plam and Rocket Salad with Caper Dressing

Green Leaf Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

Refreshment

We invite you to enjoy a range of snacks and drinks from our inflight bar at any time throughout your flight. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you.

Toasted Turkey, Provolone, Roast Capsicum and Pesto Turkish Bread

Toasted Sourdough Baguette with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Artichoke and Baby Spinach

or

Create your own toasted sandwich from the following selection

Turkish Bread or Sourdough Baguette with:

Sliced Turkey
Smoked Salmon
Provolone
Cream Cheese
Roast Capsicum
Marinated Artichokes
Pesto
Baby Spinach

Fresh Whole Fruit

Mother Meg's Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Nice Cream Ice Cream Tubs

Cheese and Biscuits

Chocolate and Muesli Bars


BEVERAGES MENU

Champagne

Qantas is proud to feature Premium Non-Vintage Champagne from the most respected houses in France

Australian Wine

Winner Cellars in the Sky 2005 Best Business Class Cellar

Cellars in the Sky is awarded by Business Traveller and Wine International magazines annually and aims to recognise the quality and innovation of wine available onboard.

Australian wines are renowned around the globe for their intensity of flavour and fine fruit characters. With the first vines planted in Sydney in 1788, vineyards now thrive across our vast country. Differences in climate, topography and soil type provide us with a broad spectrum of wine styles and varietals.

For your enjoyment we have a selection of light and full bodied, premium white and red wines on board today. Your Flight Attendant will advise you on the selection.

Aperitifs

Campari

Spirits

The Glenlivet Malt Whisky
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Wyborowa Classic Vodka
Wild Turkey 86.8 Bourbon
Tanqueray London Dry Gin
Bacardi White Rum
Inner Circle (Green Dot) Dark Rum 57.2%

Beers

Victoria Bitter
Tooheys New
Hahn Premium Light (low alcohol)

Non Alcoholic

Orange Juice
Tomato Juice
Spicy Tomato Juice
Apple Juice
Mineral Water
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Ginger Ale
Lemonade
Cola
Diet Cola
Solo - Lemon Squash

Hot Beverages

Grinders Coffee

Bodum
Decaffeinated

Dilmah Tea

English Breakfast
Jasmine Green
Chamomile
Peppermint

Hot Chocolate

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Bailey's Irish Cream

Fortified

Penfolds Bluestone 10yo Tawny
Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat

Cognac

Martell VSOP

Kiwi Flyer

Singapore to London Heathrow (SIN-LHR) Business Class on BA 747

The packed lounge quickly empties as several BA and QF flights are called in quick succession. The lounge bouncers are looking and acting like staff at a bar trying to shoo the last patrons out and close for the night.

There is a bit of a queue at gate security but processed quickly and efficiently as ever at Singapore. Then straight on board, for boarding is well underway, and once again to the upper deck. This is my first time on BA's club world sleeper seat so I spend a few moments checking it out and familiarising myself with it. There's no convenient spot to put my book (or water bottle we get later) and the lack of lower leg support if not using the ottoman takes some getting used to. Otherwise it does feel comfortable, if not a bit more claustrophobic than even Air NZ's new business seat - I think it is a bit narrow but the walls aren't as tall.

Boarding completed we take off into the night. Dinner is served fairly quickly - I wish all airlines were as prompt for middle of the night meals. The food is nice enough without being stunning. Service is so so - little things just don't quite go right. For example no drink top up, completely forgetting a drink order (goes away to get it but doesn't actually deliver it), not responding to call button (after 15 minutes I gave up and went to the galley to pick up the bottle of water myself). Also a few false moves - only paper towels in the bathroom, cheap nasty single ply toilet paper that reminds me of student hostels (shudder), and no amenity kit (even though Singapore Airlines doesn't have an amenity kit in business class it at least hands out sockettes and you can get the rest of the stuff in the bathroom - I got nothing). I am sure some readers will think I am quibbling over minor things, but it is these touches that give the wrong impression on me, so that instead of being great as it so easily could be I think the product is merely good.

I manage to sleep deeply, but only for short spells at a time. Eventually I give up trying and read my book. Breakfast is served about 2 hours out from London. I notice that unlike most other airlines there is no attempt to raise the blinds for landing, so we touch down unexpectedly quickly and rather early. Since it is well before 6am the corridors are empty and I get through flight connection centre very quickly. Shoes off but belt can stay on. No one queries the size of my carry-on.

I get the boarding pass printed for the next flight but the agent is unable to check me in for the following flight (yes I still have a way to go before my next stopover!). I head to the first lounge, despite being misdirected towards business (ignoring my status benefit) and have - yup you guessed it - a nice refreshing shower.

Kiwi Flyer

SIN-LHR Business Menu

DINNER

Starters

Smoked salmon on green papaya salad

or

Asian noodle salad dressed with sesame oil dressing

Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette

Main

Stir-fried beef with e-fu noodles

Pan-fried sea perch, Provencale vegetables and saffron potatoes

Vegetable risotto topped with pesto

Main course Waldorf salad with Cajun chicken

Dessert

Chocolate and hazelnut cake with mango coulis

Cheddar and Kikorangi cheese

Raid the Larder

A well-stocked larder has long been a tradition in the British household. As our guests, we invite you to raid our own larder, located in the Club World galley. Please feel free to help yourself from the following range of items at any time after the main meal service.

Sandwiches with range of fillings

Variety of crisps and dips

Choice of sweet biscuits / cookies

Assortment of chocolate bars

Selection of whole fruit

Drinks

Complimentary bar serving alcoholic beverages and soft drinks is available throughout the flight. See last page of this menu for wine list.

Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea

Selection of herbal teas - peppermint, blackcurrant, apple or camomile and honey


BREAKFAST

Starters

Chilled orange juice

An energising fruit smoothie

Fresh seasonal fruit

or Birchermuesli

Fruit yoghurt

Bakery

A selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries

Main

Classic British breakfast of scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausage, mushrooms and grilled tomato

Mushroom frittata

Stir-fried seafood with e-fu noodles

Drinks

Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea

Selection of herbal teas - peppermint, blackcurrant, apple or camomile


WINES

Champagne cocktails

Kir Royale
Buck's Fizz

Champagne

Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut Reserve Champagne

White

Wakefield Estate Riesling 2004, Clare Valley

Pouilly-Loche 2004, Louis Max

Red

Wakefield Shiraz 2004, Clare Valley

Vasse Felix Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2003

Gigondas 2004, Domaine du Grand Montmirail, Cuvee Vielles Vignes

Kiwi Flyer

Summary days 1-5

• map
• 29,115 flown miles
• 7 flights
• 2 a/c types
  • 747-400
  • 767-300
• 3 airlines
  • SQ
  • QF
  • BA
• 5 countries
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • United Kingdom
• 5 airports (number of transfers)
  • 3 SIN
  • 2 AKL
  • 1 NRT, SYD, LHR

Kiwi Flyer

Forgot to mention that on the SIN-LHR flight we got a useless hot towel that was dry and at room temperature. Really, what is the point of that?

In my DONE5 I had a couple of intra-european legs to spare and so planned to get good use from them. For those unfamiliar with xONEx (one world explorer RTW, the first x being A for first, D for business of L for economy/coach and the last x representing the number of continents included), each continent can have up to 4 flights within the continent (except 6 for North America) subject to the overall limit of 20 flights (includes both intra-continent and inter-continent flights). For this product a rather strange geography is used, in that Europe includes Middle East and certain North Africa countries.

So I chose the furthest (naturally) Middle East destination served by BA, which happened to be just over a zone boundary for QFF status earning (whereas Dubai is just under a zone boundary).


London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi (LHR-AUH) Business Class on BA 777
(ticketed as LHR-MCT)

After the shower I hopped upstairs to the computer room, first picking up the entry code for the door. I checked my email and FT, and OLCI'ed (checked in online) for my next 2 flights. Yup I was able to OLCI for the flight that the check in agent and lounge agent were both unable to check me in for Unfortunately I couldn't print the boarding pass (it showed "collect at airport") for the return flight to London, but was able to for the following flight the next day despite being more than 24 hours away.

Boarding was called earlier than expected (and earlier than the time printed on my boarding pass), so it was no surprise to me that we had a bus gate down the other end of the terminal. I noticed the signs suggested 15 minutes walking time, which is a load of cobblers - it would only take that long if you stopped at several shops along the way.

The flight was only moderately full so just 2 busses were needed. I took my bulhead seat and settled in with a book. Having seen most of the movies and tv programs there wasn't much of interest on the screen. Had a pre-departure drink and a hot wet (but not soggy) towel, plus got an amenity kit this time. Service on this flight was much better than the night before - my only quibble being the number of times they'd reach across me to serve the passenger seated alongside instead of using the gap between rows to serve (this is possible thanks to the layout with the alternating rear-facing and forward-facing seats).

The food is good and I enjoy a short sleep. Our flight path tracks back the way I'd come during the night, across central europe and over the black sea, before turning more southerly over Turkey and flying over Iraq (it's been a long time since I've overflown Iraq - previous flights in the area having deliberately skirted Iraqi airspace) and along the Persian Gulf. We land in darkness at Abu Dhabi, punctuated by the lights of the city and main road.