The Photos

After an overnight stay at the Westin Sydney it was time to fly again to HKG.
I packed up my bag and hopped in a taxi toward the airport. About 3 minutes into the journey I realised I left my passport and other valuables in the hotel safe. I asked the driver to take me back to the hotel where he waited whilst I retrieved my things. I think this is probably the first or maybe second time I have ever checked out of a hotel and left stuff in the safe. Not bad considering the amount of travel I do and senility setting in.

Off again to the airport with all of my belongings with me this time.

After being dropped off I eventually found the First check-in desks and approached an agent. He processed my booking whilst I filled out the departure card for immigrations. I asked him what the flight number was and he told me. He gave me my BP and fast track departures card and enquired if I knew where the lounge was. I assured him I knew and he sent me on my way.

There was no queue at either immigrations or security in the fast track channel and I was through and into the massive duty free store in a few minutes. Although at immigrations the lady said ‘Mr Moomba I believe you are QF127 not 128’. So even though the check-in agent told me the flight number I still wrote the wrong one down. I must be having a dim day today.

I made my purchase of a couple of bottles of lovely Aussie red before heading on upstairs to the First lounge.

The lounge agent said she would hang on to my BP and come and get me when they were ready to board the aircraft.

I went to the foodie section and grabbed a nice table by the window. I started with some lovely fresh squeezed orange juice. I ordered a cappuccino and the eggs Benedict. I still maintain that the Eggs B at this lounge are one of the best I have had anywhere. The hollandaise was beautifully creamy with just the right amount of zing and the eggs were runny in the centre and oozed lusciously about my plate when I stuck the knife in. I just don’t understand why Australia seems to make the best coffees in the world but it is true. The muck I get served up in London pales compared to the works of taste bud tantalising art baristas in Australia produce.

OK enough of my waxing lyrical about food and bev offering from Oz.

I walked down to the end of the lounge in search of a quiet place to sit and read whilst waiting for my flight. An hour or so later I wandered the floor only to notice how much more crowded the lounge had become. The bar guy caught my eye on the way back and convinced me another cappuccino was the go. This was delivered to my seat a short while later.

I was eventually driven from my quiet abode by some important woman with her shades on discussing some obviously serious business on her mobile phone. I picked up my stuff and gave her the evil glare as I walked on by.

I perched my self in a new seat for a while and at 11:30 my flight was announced as boarding. The lounge agent appeared moments later and handed me my BP and whished me a pleasant flight.

It was a long walk down to gate 37 where my flight was to depart from and there was a long queue of civilians waiting to have their BP swiped before boarding. I was able to walk on by the hoards and entered through a dedicated channel for First/Business and OW elites. My passport was checked and BP swiped and on down the ramp I marched.

Flight QF0127 SYD-HKG Seat 3A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 12:00

Once on board I was directed to my seat and my jacket was taken care of by the crew member. I was offered a drink and true to form asked for bubbly. This appeared a little while later along with some olives and almonds to nibble on. Oh I was in heaven again it was the delightfully delectable Comtes de Champagne 1999 from my friends at Taittinger.

The crew offered me an amenity kit and some PJs for the flight. Newspapers were offered along with a refill of my by now empty glass.

We closed up and pushed back on time at 12 noon and taxied to the northern end of the runway. We took off at 12:13 for our 8 hour and 25 minute ride to Hong Kong.

After the belt signs were switched off the two crew serving the 7 F passengers got into action. The menus were handed out and the canapés and drinks were delivered to our seats. I of course could not say no to more of the lovely bubbly.

On offer for today’s flight was:

SYDNEY TO HONG KONG

LUNCH

CANAPES
Tartlet of Crème Fraiche and Ocean Trout Roe

Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm Pate with Sourdough

SALADS AND OTHER THINGS
Pear and Mint Soup with Ricotta Toast

Grilled Beef Salad with Black Bean and Chilli Dressing

Salad of Serrano Ham and Fresh Fig with Balsamic Vinaigrette

LIGHT, VEGETARIAN AND SANDWICH
Seared Blue Eye with Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing and Green Beans

Strozzapretti Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Marinated Feta and Pine Nuts

Pork, Paprika and Lemon Pot Pie

Big Bowl of Chinese Roast Duck and Wonton Soup

Our signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

SEAFOOD
Spanner Crab Omelette with Oyster Sauce, Rice and Bok Choy

Seared Blue Eye with Anchovy Butter and Steamed Vegetables

MARINATED BAROSSA VALLEY CHICKEN
Herb Mascarpone, Baby Carrots and Sauteed Zucchini

Salsa Verde, Potatoes and Roast Carrots

ROAST KOBE CUISINE WAGYU BEEF
Anchovy Butter, New Potatoes and Green Beans

Salsa Verde, Potatoes and Sauteed Zucchini

SIDE SALAD
Salad of Baby Cos, Radicchio and Frisee with your choice of dressing

Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Palm Sugar Vinaigrette

CHEESE
Blue, soft and hard cheese, hand selected by Will Studd, Maitre Fromager, Calendar Cheese Company, served with accompaniments

DESSERT
Hazelnut Crepes with Peaches and Raspberries

Assiette of Desserts

Whole or Sliced Seasonal Fruit

Nice Cream Chocolate Coated Vanilla Ice Cream

PETITS FOURS
A selection of Cacao handmade chocolates

Manna from Heaven Pistachio Shortbread

Brasserie Bread Coconut Lime Cake

HOT BEVERAGES

GIANCARLO COFFEE
Café Latte
Cappuccino
Grinders Decaffeinated
Espresso
Flat White
Long Black
Mocha
Liqueur Coffee

T2 TEA
Experience the beautiful fragrant loose leaf tea bags from around the world, supplied by T2.
English Breakfast – A blend of finest the Sri Lankan full bodied teas produce a rich and well rounded flavour.
Peppermint – A well rounded peppermint flavour captures the sweet essence of all things ‘minty’ with a sweet, cool lingering aroma.
Chamomile – Relax and unwind with this fragrant infusion of sweet golden chamomile flowers.
Sencha – A classic green tea grown in Japan. These beautiful emerald green leaves produce a sweet, smooth grassy flavour.
Lemongrass and Ginger – Zesty and bright lemongrass contrasts the spicy flavour of ginger to create a wild taste sensation.
Other teas are available on request.

HOT CHOCOLATE

WHITE WINE

Pierro Chardonnay 2007
Margaret River, Western Australia
This wine exhibits tremendous complexity; it’s a multi-faceted chardonnay of great character that reveals more as it airs and warms in the glass. Combining exceptional winemaking and some lovely Margaret River fruit, Dr Michael Peterkin has crafted this richly textured, intensely flavoured and stylish wine. Straw-green and bright its aroma and long-palate display distinct Burgundian overtones.

Delatite ‘Deadman’s Hill’ Gewurztraminer 2006
Upper Goulburn, Victoria
Delatite is a medium sized family run winery established in 1982 by Robert and Vivienne Ritchie. Specialising in cool climate aromatics it is sited on a picturesque rise with sweeping views across Mt Buller and North-east Victoria. In 2001 Delatite embarked on a program to adopt biodynamics and now boasts benefits including better fruit structure and flavours and therefore improve wine quality.

Henschke “Littlehampton Innes” Pinot Gris 2009
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Another benchmark wine from Prue and Stephen Henschke. This outstanding wine takes its name from the family that grows the pinot gris grapes – David and Annette Innes from Littlehampton in the Adelaide Hills. The wine is burnished straw in colour. A sweet, floral, exotic fragrance of honeysuckle, nectarine and stone-fruits with a hint of marzipan and nashi pear. The intensely fruited palate is juicy and lush with complex flavours of caraway, musk and truffles around a tight mineral core, an excellent texture and long zesty finish. Fermented in tank and held in tank on lees for 6 months with regular stirring to build complexity.

RED WINE

Castagna Un Segreto Sangiovese Syrah 2005
Beechworth, Victoria
Luxury wine made with a high quality sangiovese and high quality shiraz. It’s a great addition to the Australian wine landscape. Strong, straight, and savoury. Full of character and tannin. Flavours of ground spice, hazelnuts, mint, sour and sweet berried fruit. A fascinating wine.

Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 2007
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Paringa Estate is located at Red Hill and was established by schoolteacher Lindsay McCall. Paringa is best known for its extraordinary Shiraz and high quality Pinot Noir. These are find to find wines and attract a loyal following. The Pinot Noir shows plenty of meaty complexity, fruit sweetness and silken palate. It has shown most amazing consistency, with a swag of show awards and critical acclaim.

Pentaluma Coonawarra 2006
Coonawarra, South Australia
2004, 2005 and 2006 are rapidly showing themselves to be a trifecta of excellent Coonawarra vintages. The 2006 vintage was small in Coonawarra giving wines of power and density. This wine is seamless on the palate with intense fruit characters and firm yet graceful tannins.

DESSERT WINE

Lillypilly Family Reserve Noble Blend 2002
Riverina, New South Wales
The 2002 is an outstanding sweet wine, deep golden in colour and smelling very complex: floral, honeyed aromas mingle with butterscotch, spices, apricot and mixed citrus peels.

CHAMPAGNE
“My only regret is that I did not drink more Champagne.” Lord Maynard Keynes, on his deathbed.
In celebration of the dynamic region that is Champagne, Qantas is proud to feature a range of Champagne styles in our program from some of the region’s finest and most respected Champagne houses including Charles Heidsieck, Taittinger, Dom Perignon and Krug. From the fresher, more delicate Chardonnay dominant or Chardonnay-exclusive ‘Blanc des Blancs’ styles, through to the weightier, more savoury Pinot Noir-dominant cuvees, our program showcases the diversity and quality for which this region is deservedly famed.

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1999



When it came to my order being taken 6th of 7 there was none of the Serrano ham starter left. I made some comment about not paying enough for my ticket but I think the geriatric crew member didn’t hear me or ignored it.
I instead chose the beef salad which as it turns out was quite nice but I did want to try the ham as everyone raves about it.

I played with the IFE system for a while whilst waiting for my lunch and noticed they can’t spell the surname of one Australian singer. She must be pleased!

The meal appeared with the beef salad and bread offering first and I kept with the bubbly for the time being. There were plenty of refills during the meal and I am sure the crew thought I was a lush.

The main steak came out and looked very lonely on the plate with the few vegetables served alongside. I switched over to the Coonawarra which was lovely and bold without too much tannin. The steak was nice but the bland vegetables that accompanied it could have done with some tarting up.

After I devoured the main I sat and drank my red for a while before being asked if I would like some dessert. I opted for the assiette which as it turns out consisted of a small crème brulee type thingy, a chocolate pud and some sort of ice cream tart. All were superb and I washed them down with a glass of the lilly pilly.

I couldn’t face anymore food and opted just for a double espresso and some chocolates.

I think the bubbly glass was still on the go and at one point the crew member drained the last of the bottle into my glass and said ‘when was the last time you drank two bottles of champagne?’
I said ‘probably on my last QF flight’!

I snoozed for a while after the meal and woke around 2 hours out of Hong Kong. I wasn’t hungry at all, although I would have liked another of the famous QF steak sandwiches. However I thought about my ever expanding waistline and opted for a coffee and some pistachio shortbread instead.

We touched down at 17:40 and both doors were used to disembark the passengers. I thanked the crew on the way out and made my way to immigrations. I of course picked the slow line and by the time I was through my bag was doing the loop the loop on the carousel. I retrieved it and made my way out through customs.

I walked off to one side and re-packed my suitcase with the wine I had purchased in SYD in one of these winepak

My trusty Australia Post winepak has served me well for the last couple of years in getting the precious liquid safely back to the UK.

After re-packing I headed upstairs and checked my case in for the following days London flight on Cathay Pacific.

Until that report I bid you a fond adieu.


The Photos