KLIA Ekspres Train to the airport was a piece of cake, and since we'd checked in online we headed straight for security and immigration before taking the inter-terminal train out to the satellite where our flight would depart from.
The Malaysia Airlines Lounges had recently been renovated, and this would be at least the third renovation since the first time I flew with Malaysia back in 2005 - back when they still had recliner seats in first class between LA and KL via Taipei!
Back then, the first lounge was still rather glamourous with free-flowing champagne, but these days in the business lounge you have to contend with $7 per bottle sparkling wine.
I will say the lounge was nice and open and felt spacious, but overall it still felt a little low-end. There was nothing "nice" or luxury about it, but it was definitely a solid and quiet place to spend time before the flight. Plus, it had reasonably tasty sweets:
We got to the gate about five minutes before the boarding time listed on our boarding passes, but they were nowhere near ready. Security is at the gate at KUL, and they weren't even ready to start security screening passengers to get into the gate area.
I always wonder about airports that have security at the gate It's one of the things I find the most puzzling about Singapore. It's an amazingly-advanced passenger-friendly airport in so many ways, but why is security at the gate?
Anyways, enough wondering. We eventually were allowed into the gate and boarded right on time!
Malaysia Airlines flight 782
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK)
Depart 14:50, Arrive: 16:05, flight time: 2:15
Airbus A330-300, Registration 9M-MTF, Manufactured 2012, Seat 01K
Miles Flown Year-to-Date: 185,352
Lifetime Miles Flown: 2,877,654
I hadn't experienced an A330 on Malaysia before, but based on the configuration I expected seats very similar to SWISS or Brussels. I had managed to reserve a "throne" seat in advance, and got exactly what I expected!
Unfortunately, on flights under three hours Malaysia Airlines is still completely dry, so PDB choices were juice or water. I was still feeling pretty run down and sketchy this morning, so opted for water...the PDB of champions...
Beverages may have been lacking, but there were completely proper printed menus for the relatively short flight.
I went with the "Nasi Hujan Panas" which was described as basmati rice cooked in aromatic herbs and spices served with chicken rendang traditional achar rampai. Only half those words were familiar to me, but the chicken rendang was absolutely delicious. Definitely one of the best short-haul business class mains I've ever had. I seriously wanted seconds!!
Arrival in Bangkok was right on time, and it was the first time in ages I wasn't arriving in Thai First so instead of a buggy I had to walk to immigration. Fortunately, I was feeling quite a bit better at this point, so it wasn't a big deal.
Queue for passport control was about 20 minutes (which seems on the short side these days in Bangkok) and soon we were through. I've always used the airport taxi service before, but having enjoyed Grab in both Jakarta and KL this trip we decided to use it in Bangkok. Super easy to find the car, and about half the price of the airport service, so it was definitely a good call.
Rush hour traffic was pretty bad but not terrible, and soon we were at my usual choice of Bangkok hotels the W and checked in. It was already getting rather late and we had dinner reservations, so we headed off to
Meatlicious.
So, a bit of history. The whole point of this stop in Bangkok was to eat at Gaggan, since it would be closing in just a few months. Then, despite the fact we had a reservation, they ended up closing down with zero notice.
We decided not to bail on Bangkok, and at least try one of Gaggan's affiliated restaurants and look for something higher-end Thai for the next night.
Reviews for Meatlicious online were decidedly mixed, but my reading sad that this was people with unrealistic expectations, so we decided to go with it. First impression? It was much smaller and more intimate than I expected, and we sat at the "bar" which was more of a chef's table since it faced the open kitchen.
We ordered the tenderloin tacos as a starter, and they were absolutely delicious:
The good thing about the bar/chef's table was being able to chat with the chef's and some regular patrons, which led to us being offered some raclette as well. I swear Switzerland is stalking me this year...
We decided we had to go big or go home, and ordered the smallest of their tomahawk steaks to share. At around 1400 grams it was definitely not small, but we were confident in our abilities. Was awesome how they showed it to you before throwing it on the grill:
MMmmm, sizzle sizzle, we were even invited into the kitchen as it cooked:
Carved table-side...that's what I call a steak!
A perfect rare to medium-rare. Absolutely delicious...and don't worry, we finished every last gram of its beefy deliciousness.
Absolutely stuffed, it was still hard to say no to dessert. How can you go wrong with a meringue and passionfruit combo:
Loved the cow-themed artwork around the restaurant.
With that, our day in transit and awesome dinner was in the books. Next up: one full day in Bangkok and figuring out how to relax! We had amazing dinner plans coming up the next day as well, and no daytime plans, so after one night in Bangkok, we'd say what kind of adventure awaits!