Just got off from CX872 in F and the result of our meal arrangements once again reinforced the flexibility FC passengers have in being able to dine whenever and whatever they want. Once we browsed through the menus shortly after they were distributed through the cabin, we got the attention of the Purser on how we would like our meals to be served and organised. Supper followed brunch was printed on the offering. But taken into consideration the late evening departure to be followed by the late evening arrival and the fact we felt the brunch items (which basically were your typical breakfast main selections: Eggs, Dim Sum, Congee) were inappropriate to call the night for an evening SFO arrival; we decided to have our meals switched around with Brunch coming first followed by Supper. In addition to letting her know what we would like for each of the respective meals off the menu choices, we also notified that we would like our Brunch to be served 4.5 hours to 5 hours after takeoff (we were nowhere close to hungry during takeoff as we had a full dinner earlier in the evening at a restaurant near our HK home before later heading out to the airport and also had a little bit from the buffet at the Cabin Lounge prior to boarding) since we would like to immediately squeeze in 4.5 consecutive hours of sleep soon at the beginning stages of the flight due to the fact that we do not want to 1) sleep too much and 2) sleep extensively during the 2nd half of the flight. Doing so we believe would cause us difficulty to sleep at our hotel during normal NA bed time upon arrival. As for the Supper, we instructed it to be served 1.5 hours prior to landing which more or less coincided with everyone else's second meal.

Our request was clearly acknowledged and put into place perfectly. When I woke up 4.5 hours into the flight, the sun outside had already risen and being in the vicinity at the time, the Purser automatically kneeled besides my seat to ask "Mr. Rejuvenated, are you ready for your ordered brunch sir?". And as usual my fruit plate along with my smoothie and juice came out followed by the cereal and then my ordered Dim Sum which BTW was at the perfect warmth of my desire and tasted perfectly. The Supper prior to arrival was also delivered to the table promptly as the sky outside warped back into darkness while the meals themselves did not suffer in terms quality as far as I noticed it. So as oppose to having a breakfast meal, I had the usual caviar, soup, cold plate, main course and desert while skipping on the cheese as my call prior to the evening touchdown. The crews we had serving the F cabin for this flight were one of the best we've had among the many F sectors we have taken with CX since 2005 in terms of warmth, organization, and being prompt. This is one flight where we will be sending off our compliments.

We had our first hand experience with the Cabin Lounge prior to boarding this flight and to be honest, the "Fresh New Facility" feeling and the buffet selection were the only two areas that stood out for me in terms of my liking for the facility. Long story short, I guess I value the open air of the Wing too much to shift the balance of personal liking to this lounge. But of course the degree of how one enjoys the lounge varies based on personal preferences. But in the future, I'll resume sticking with the Wing.

Anyhow going back to my original point, CX passengers traveling in F have the utmost flexibility in eating whenever and whatever they want. And if you don't like the timing of the manner it is set up on the printed menu, you can do something about it such as us reversing it. We have taken advantage of this meal freedom many times in F and we have never been denied. This luxury of course may be familiar and quite obvious to some people especially those who are regular CX F travelers or those who have taken CX F and have taken advantage of it. But for those have never flown the front cabin or have but were not aware of this flexibility and would like to be able to do so the next time around, all you have you have do is speak to one of the cabin crews and they'll be more happy to entertain this request. And if you see something you particularly like off the menu but decide to dine them at a later time than everyone else, make sure you tell them (the crews) in advance what exactly you want to order so not only will they have them more or less ready once your time comes to eat, but also to play safe that they don't run out (though this has never happened from my experiences). Overall just another aspect example F travelers can take into consideration to maximise their overall F experience. Of course whenever does not include near/during takeoff and/or near/during landing to jeopardize safety and whatever will also be subject to availability at the time you dine (though as I mentioned earlier I've never experienced this problem with regards to items listed on the flight menu).