HKG-SFO
SQ2 First class
Dep. 22.45
Boeing 747-400
Seat 2F

Upon boarding my BP beeped, and for abrief moment I got that tingling sensation when you think perhaps you’re getting an upgrade. But I was already in First. The gate informed me that my overhead reading light was not functioning, and they had reserved 2D for me. Not the best start, but I was very keen on the window 2F I had reserved, and said that I would see how it goes.

I boarded the F bridge, and could feel myself anticipating a great flight ahead. Warmly greeted at the door and ushered to my seat, there were already 4 people in the F cabin, all from SIN. I got my Ipod, Bose QC2, book, laptop and settled in. I was immediately offered a pre-departure drink. Informed the male FA that I would like some Champagne, and he inquired would I prefer Dom og Krug. I knew the service was going to be top-notch, despite the hard product showing its age.

A lovely Singapore girl presented my menu and welcomed me. The male FA returned with a bottle of Krug that was full, I commented that it was a fresh botted and he obliged “I just popped it, Sir”. Heaven. Orders for drinks once we got in the air was also taken, I suggested they keep the Krug coming until further notice.

All the heavies were lined up at HKG, several BA birds, JAL, LH, SQ, QF and of course CX. A smooth take-off and we were ready to start the show on-board.

Socks, shades, amenity kit from Salvatore Ferragamo and a sleeper suit from Givenchy all handed out while I was nibbling honey roasted almonds and sipping Krug. The Singapore Girl came to go over my menu choices, and confirming my Lobster Thermidor which I booked as BTC. I said everything looked good on the menu but I did not know how I would be able to eat everything, I was reassured by a beautiful Singapore smile proclaiming that this was a long flight so no worries.

Dinner service started with crab meat, followed by beef broth soup and then salad. My main was the BTC lobster, which was excellent. This was followed by cheese and then fruit. I had Krug with everything except the chesse, for that I chose the old Tawny port. This brings me up to 5 glasses of Krug, which I felt was enough for now, I’d already had Champagne on my CX flight followed by two glasses of Taittinger in the Virgin Clubhouse.

Following all the courses I had a nice cup of freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and a glass of Johnny Walker Blue to finish things off. Meanwhile I was watching Sex and the city movie, which was alright to pass the time, at least I could concentrate on the food instead of the movie.

I changed into my sleeper suit, and when I got back the bed was made and a bottle of water ready by my side. Excellent. I dozed off quickly and slept for a while, forgot to check the time when I fell asleep but I was woken 4 hours before landing by turbulence. Then I changed back into my clothes, watched the latest Batman movie and ordered my breakfast.

Delicious fresh fruit to start with along with coffee and orange juice, followed by yoghurt and some rolls. For my main breakfast course of freshly prepared scrambled eggs, tomato, mushroom and sausage I opted for Krug once again. It was after all evening in San Francisco when I landed, and the Singapore girl agreed wholeheartedly.

The crew kept topping up my glass so I was on my 3rd glass for breakfast when we started descent into SFO.

How I longed for this trip to prolong, I wouldn’t mind having many more hours left. I told the FA it was too bad it was all coming to an end, and he said I might get lucky and have a little extension due to SFO traffic.

Overall the crew was excellent, as expected. They could not be more helpful, curteous and they have that little knack of knowing what you need at every given time. That was at least the way I felt, but maybe I’m easy to read (keep topping of my Krug and you’ll see me smile

The hard product was worn and starting to look its age, the fellow in 2A had to switch seats due to faulty reading lights. Some bits were loose or starting to come off, and some paint was peeling if you looked closely. SQ is phasing out these last 747’s for the new 77W and A388 product at the moment, but I must say there is something special about sitting in the nose of a 747, the environment feels very private and exclusive, the views are good and it feels good to know that no one is seated in front of you. Not even the pilots.

When the SQ girl came around to collect the menus I asked to keep it, and she happily obliged, took the paper menu out of the leather folder and handed it to me; enquiring if it was my first time in SQ First. I replied that it was and that I was exceedingly happy with the experince. They hoped to see me again, she said and thanked me for my custom. I hoped to see them again, too.

Immigration was a breeze, no one in line as I was one of the first off the aircraft. Quickly got a shuttle to the Embassy Suites, where I got a nice room to crash for the night.


Pictures:
Krug welcome drink
Alaskan crabmeat with mango starter
Cantonese beef broth
Cheese and port
SFO arrivals
SQ F amenity kit


HKG-SFO First class menu

SUPPER
From HONG KONG TO SAN FRANCISCO

APPETISERS

Oven-baked warm bamboo clam with pesto veloute and cheese

Salad of marinated Alaskan crabmeat with mango

SOUPS

Cream of aspargus garnished with roasted pinenuts

Double-broil Cantonese beef broth with turnip and carrot

SALAD

Butter lettuce heart with baby cress and cherry tomato
Balsamic and virgin olive oil dressing
Singapore dressing infused in shallot oil sambal, lime and honey

MAIN COURSES

Seared beef fillet in barolo wine sauce with grilled vegetables and potatoes

Braised wanton noodles with dried prawn roe and oyster sauce served with conpoy dumplings in soup

Seared Chilean bass in vanilla veloute, roasted vegetables and sauteed pea shoots

Braised beancurd with vegetables and fried vegetable rice


DESSERTS
Almond tuile shell with ice cream and berries

CHEESES
Lactos blue, boursin, emmenthal and brie cheeses served with garnishes

FRUITS
Fresh fruits in season




shi quan shi mei
"a complete and perfect chinese culinary experience"

COLD XIAO CHI
Lobster with picked bamboo shoot
Chicken with szechuan cucumber salad
Pork belly with rice noodle
Beancurd with black sesame in xo sauce

SOUP
Beef with turnip and carrot soup

CUISINE FROM THE WOK
Cantonese style braised abalone
"Kwai fa" steamed chicken
Braised five spice beef short rib
Stir fried kailan with red capsicum

FROM THE PADDYFIELD
Choice of steamed rice or porridge

A SWEET NOTE
Warm sesame crepe with banana-lotus paste, sesame ice-cream and strawberry coulis


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LIGHT BITES
From HONG KONG TO SAN FRANCISCO

NOODLES
Fish ball noodle soup
Noodles in broth served with fish balls and fish cakes

SANDWICHES
Reuben sandwich

Focaccia bread with roasted vegetables and cheese

SNACKS
Cashew, almond or macadamia nuts

Chips

Cookies

Chocolate bar

Snack bar

A selection from the fruit basket




BEFORE TOUCHDOWN
From HONG KONG TO SAN FRANCISCO


TO START WITH
A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange juice

FRUITS
Fresh fruits with cottage cheese

STARTERS
Choice of cereal or yoghurt
Cornflakes with milk or granola with yoghurt-berry compote
Plain or fruit yoghurt

ENTREES
Prawn dumpling congee
Rice porridge served with prawns and prawn meatballs topped with deep fried Chinese cruellers

Braised ee-fu noodles with chicken and leafy greens

Grilled chicken in jus with sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomato and potatoes

Fresh eggs prepared on board (baked, soft boiled or scrambled)
With your choice of bacon, beef sausage, vine-ripened tomato, mushrooms and potato cake

FROM THE BAKERY
Assorted breakfast pastries and bread with butter, jam, marmalade or honey


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HKG-SFO Drinks list

champagnes & wines

CHAMPAGNES

Dom Pérignon 2000

Krug Grande Cuvée

WHITE WINES

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Marlborough New Zealand

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay 2005 Russian River California

RED WINES

Chateu Leoville-Poyferre 2001 Saint-Julien

Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Dry Creek Vally California

PORT

Dow's 20 Year Old Tawny Port Portugal

MIX OF THE MONTH

Tropical Sparkle
A refreshing-yet-fruity blend of lime cordial and 7-up with orange & tomato juice

SINGAPORE AIRLINES' UNIQUE CREATIONS

Silver Kris Sling
One of our special touches made with gin, Cointreau and orange and pineapple juice, topped with champagne

Alspritzer
A sparkling mix of vodka shaken with apple and 7-up

Solitaire Dreams
A cool concoction of rum, pineapple juice and a Sling mix with ginger ale

Sunrise Breezer
A refreshing blend of sake and bitter lemon

Sweetness in Darkness
A unique mix of red wine and a splash of coke

Vodka Flush
A tantalising drink of vodka, apple juice and bitter lemon, topped with 7-up

Apple Bliss
An appetising and refreshing blend of apple juice and bitter lemon, topped with 7-up

Awaiting the Golden Dawn
A healthy, refreshing mix of pineapple, tomato and orange juice

Tropical Fizz
An invigorating concotion of pineapple juice and bitter lemon

ALL-TIME FAVOURITES

Singaspore sling
Synonymous with the Lion City since the early 1900s, this classic cocktail is made with dry gin, DOM Benedictine, cherry brandy, Angostura bitters and grenadine, mixed with lime and pineapple juice

Screwdriver
A classic conoction of vodka and orange juice

Fruit Spritzer
A simple-yet-delightful thirst-quenching mix of juice and 7-up

Orange Cooler
A light tangy drink created from orange juice anf ginger ale with a touch of lime cordial

APPETISING APERITIFS

Campari

Dry Vermouth



spirits

Macallan 12 years old Single Malt Whisky

Cognac XO - Hennessy

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Bombay Sapphire Gin

Smirnoff Red Label Vodka

Bacardi Superior

LIQUEURS

Cointreau

Baileys Original Irish Cream

Choya Umeshu

BEER

Tiger

Budweiser



beverages

GOURMET COFFEES

Brazil Santos Bourbon

Colombian Supremo

Jamaican Blue Mountain

Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

TEA SELECTION

Pure Ceylon Tea

Earl Grey

Darjeeling

Camomile

Decaffinated tea

Fruit tea

Japanese Green Tea

Mint Tea

Indian Masala Tea

CHINESE TEA SELECTION

Jasmine

Oolong

Tie Guan Yin

Long Jin

Pi Lo Chun

SPECIALTY COFFEES

Brewed coffee

Café Royal

Espresso

Cappucino

Café Latte

Café au Lait

Decaffinated Coffee

Mocha

OTHER BEVERAGES

Chocolate

Ovaltine

Milo

Soya Bean Milk

MINERAL WATER

Sparkling

Still

FRUIT JUICES

Apple

Pineapple

Tomato

Cranberry

SOFT DRINKS

Bitter Lemon

Coke

Coke Light

Ginger Ale

7-UP

MILK

Full cream

Low fat