So I had to make a relatively late notice trip to Jakarta. CX was HK$6.3k (ex HKG) in economy while Garuda was HK$7k in business. Why not, I said, let's give Garuda a whirl ....(CX business was HK$15k or so)

Well, with the exception of the lounge (the Skyteam lounge in HKG is not great) I would have to say Garuda outshone CX business by quite a margin. Wine was better (at least twice the retail price of what CX serves, and Billecart Rose as the champagne), real/full size wine glasses, better food, actual plates/crockery, a decent amuse bouche and excellent, attentive service ....

Seat was not as good as CX long haul but substantially better than CX REgional and perfectly fine for a 5 hour flight

Was a very eye-opening experience for this CX Diamond. Without wanting to put the boot in, CX seems to have some catching up to do ...