Fliar

This is a fairly factual report on some flights I took and also some restaurants I went to in SE Asia. Let me know if this type of rather prosaic travel report is at all of interest – I’m not a great writer like some other FTers but hope that some of the information can be of use.

An early morning pickup by the (in my opinion overpriced) Airport Shuttle in Auckland New Zealand. NZ business checkin a breeze as usual thanks to it being in a separate departure area with a dedicated customs officer. Got my boarding pass (seat 3K) for Hong Kong and was in the lounge 5 minutes later. A nice glass of Kahlua for breakfast and my day had started! Unfortunately a 1:15 delay so had another shower and a glass of Martini – just a small one. Boarding through one gate as appears usual with NZ. Welcomed by a rather cold and not very friendly older male FA. I did not see the man laugh once during the entire flight which I can’t stand very well. I can deal with average food, a bad movie, but unwelcoming FAs I find most unpleasant, especially after my last flight on SIA. The woman FA was a bit more friendly but not exactly going out of her way either. I put my coat on the empty seat beside me and it was hung up after about 40 minutes. Pre-departure drinks were offered (Deutz bubbly, OJ, and water). I asked for sparkling water and got a nice bottle of Santa Vittoria. Amenity kits were handed out straight away (hadn’t seen these before – they were brown with green eyeshades/socks and the usual creams/lip balm). After about 20 minutes a pre-lunch drink was offered and I decided on the Veuve Clicquot. This was offered with a packet of cassava chips and the usual (very beautifully presented) menus. Lunch entrees were offered from a trolley (nice!) and there was a choice of lobster soup or a Caesar salad. The former was hand-garnished with ginger/greens, and the latter mixed fresh. I opted for the soup but found it rather salty. Of the 3 main courses only one had been loaded and one other alternative was offered. I had tandoori chicken and it was fine. This was served with fresh, warm bread (a selection of different kinds) on linen and proper whiteware. The bread comes with a very nice NZ olive oil. I had a nice glass of wine (can’t remember which one) of which there was a good selection. Dessert was again served from the trolley and was a choice of Kapiti apple crumble (!) ice cream and a boysenberry ice cream, followed by a fruit platter and coffees/teas. Both great. I asked for and got a second dessert which was a cheesecake but found it so-so. This came with dessert wine. Mid-way through the flight sandwiches and tea/sweets were offered. I had a chocolate cake which tasted pretty good. Dinner was served a ridiculous (?) 4 hours prior to arrival (no idea why – maybe there is a good reason for it but it just makes the last bit, i.e. 3 hours, of the flight seem very long) and consisted of big prawns on a pineapple salad which was really nice. For mains I had a fish which was above average but not exceptional. Dessert was a hazelnut mousse (good) followed by a fruit/cheese platter and coffees/teas. Halfway through the flight my IFE stopped working and I had to move to another seat. On three occasions hot towels were offered. All in all a pretty good flight except for the FA.

After arriving I went straight to my dinner appointment in the Cantonese restaurant in the Intercontinental hotel, called Yan Toh Heen. Good views over the harbour and very friendly service. The suckling pig and duck were sublime as was the fresh garoupa. We didn’t have much to eat as we had both just had meals on the plane.

A couple of days later I had a reservation for Vong, top floor of the Mandarin Oriental. I have been wanting to go there for some time now. Everything about this place is amazing. The views from the top of this hotel are incredible. The place is splendidly decorated, very luxurious almost opulent in a modern way. There are some authentic Chinese art pieces too. the service was good, especially from the senior staff. And then the food….in one word ‘woaw’. Some of the best and most creative food I have ever tasted in my life, for some dishes even the best. The foie gras with ginger-caramelised mango, the barracuda, the duck, everything was fresh, pure but tasty and in some way a new taste – one of us had chicken which I would personally avoid as I wouldn’t have thought it possibly to do something new with it but it was fantastic, infused (?) with lemon grass and chili, it was a treat. The desserts were among the best I’ve ever tasted. Coconut mousse, lychee ice cream, profiteroles full of warm chocolate, and many more. Even the handmade bonbons that came with the coffee were special. I could rave on, but you get the picture. It ain’t cheap (we spent about US$70 per person without drinks) but if you’re a foodie, this is heaven.

I took my first flight on Dragonair from HKG to Hangzhou (HGZ) and was pleasantly surprised. Checkin was done in a professional manner and all three of us were seated together. The airbus 320 was clean with IFE screens every few rows on this Airbus and the FAs were all smiling SIA style throughout the flight (and pretty too so no need to watch the IFE!). A variety of newspapers was offered as well as pre-lunch drinks on this short (2 hours) flight. Lunch was good and on the way back a few days later even very good. There were several types of beer, wine and a range of other drinks.

A few days later I had dinner in Shanghai in a restaurant called ‘M on the Bund’ on level 7 of one of the old buildings in this area. Very nice views and very hip interior design. The Mediterranean food was very good. Classics such as vitello tonnato and carpaccio and also the side dishes such as tapenade and goats cheese were all delicious. The dessert of poppy seed wafers and Turkish coffee ice cream was as outstanding as it was special. The next day dinner was had in the Hyatt hotel (I didn’t stay there). This is the tallest hotel in the world and has a Shanghainese restaurant on the 86th floor with, needless to say, breathtaking views over this amazing city. The food appears authentic, is simple as in pure, and very tasty. The service was bad but being in the company of 2 good-looking Japanese women made up for that ;-) We had dessert on the 54th floor and had pannacotta which was delicious. All in all very much recommended.

My next flight was from HKG to BKK on TG in Y. Sad to leave Thailand, this country of friendly, smiling people. I was made to feel at home so much here – people are just so generous and simply great hosts.

Being able to shower in the beautiful showers in the UA lounge and have dim sum in the TG lounge was great. They also had really good bonbons. The UA lounge was much more quiet after their 20:00 or so departure and so I went there (TG was a bit crowded) and enjoyed their good reading selection. TG’s cabin has aged since the last time I flew them but is still surprisingly comfy apart from the lack of PTV. All in all the Y service was pretty good for this 2 hour flight. Friendly and professional. A meal was served which I skipped but it looked alright. The flight was 90% full in Y but the helpful lounge staff had managed to block the seat next to me (it was a 2x5x2 config) and that was really pleasant.

I had dinner in Bangkok in a restaurant that many people seem to know called ‘Lemon Grass’ but wouldn’t really recommend it. The ambiance is okay but the food is not really special. I tried the Chinese restaurant on the 76th (or so) floor of the Bayoke hotel and the Peking Duck was good. Great views and not too expensive.

My next flight was on Bangkok Airways to Siem Reap, Cambodia. First about the airline; it has been around for some 20 years I’ve been told and seems to enjoy a good reputation. Both of my flights were good experiences – ground staff were friendly and professional, newspapers and towelettes were offered along with a boxed lunch on this short (55 mins) flight which tasted excellent. Beer was also available (free). They use a variety of aircraft on this route but both my flights were on an ATR which was in good nick. As for Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), I’m not even going to try and describe it just advise you strongly to go if it is at all within your means. Incredible. It is not cheap – flights from BKK are very expensive for this short flight (11,000 baht, or about $250 was the cheapest on the website but I managed to get it for 8,190 by booking using a corporate account) due to Bangkok Airways being the only airline to fly this route (together with what appears to be some sort of subsidiary ‘Siem Reap Airways’). Also Angkor and everything around it is not cheap - $20 visa fee, $20 per day for the temples, $25 departure tax and that’s before doing anything. On the other hand, I came completely unprepared and was ready for some serious hassle in getting hotels/transportation but none of that proved to pose any trouble. I had a ‘private chauffeur’ on a scooter for 1 full day, one afternoon/evening, and one morning for $25 and no problems finding a decent hotel, so all in all it was not just very much worth seeing the temples but also a fairly easy trip. The airport is great, by the way. Immigration was efficient (visa on arrival) and the airport itself has a very nice shop, internet, coffeeshop and even a lounge. For $10 you can use it and you get a free buffet lunch (looked good).

My return flight on TG from BKK to HKG was delayed by an hour due to passengers not showing up and luggage having to be offloaded. I would have preferred to stay in the lounges. I visited 4 of the Thai lounges and they are all fantastic especially the one by gate 31 which is one of the nicest I’ve ever visited. Beautifully decorated with fantastic granite/tile showers, fresh fruit, a huge reading selection, sleeper seats, and a very large selection of (alcoholic) drinks. If the bus lounge is like this then what must the F lounge look like?

Again, this flight was about 90% full in Y but I had the seat next to me blocked (3x3x3 config) so that was excellent. Lunch was served and for Y fodder it was really quite good. Cognac was served after lunch. Lots of legroom on this Boeing a/c and great recline. I had a 4 hour layover in HKG and dipped into the SQ lounge. Not very exciting but quiet and some dim sum and ice cream (and no hassle at all from the receptionist!). Next, off to have a shower in the UA lounge and then more dim sum in the TG lounge. What would I do without my *G card? ;-)

My return flight on Air NZ was in C thanks to a requested upgrade being successful. Very light load with only 12 pax in C. Had seat 4A and also B to myself. Again an older male FA, this one marginally more friendly. There was nothing he did wrong, it was all okay, but the service simply wasn’t exceptional. It wasn’t exceptionally friendly, or exceptionally personal, or exceptionally attentive. It was just ok. What you would expect as a minimum when flying in bus I guess. Champers and amenity kits were offered pre-departure (the ‘old’ amenity kit again, different from the one over from AKL-HKG). No drinks menus were handed out (a first for me on NZ) but I scored a glass of riesling from Fiddler’s which I really liked. I chose the lamb and it was superb imho. Also the duck entrée was good. Veges (beans) and rosti were a bit hard and not very tasty. Dessert (a pineapple cake/souffle type thingy) was excellent as were the dessert cheeses. I had a port but didn’t really like it (didn’t see the bottle so can’t tell you what it was). Had a great sleep for about 6 hours and then breakfast. Different food was loaded than appeared on the menu but the French toast with maple syrup and bacon/banana was great. Arrival into AKL one is confronted by the most unwelcoming home-coming possible. Every time (I am a permanent resident in NZ – it’s my home) I get interrogated ‘what do you do for a living? Can you prove that? Where did you go? Why? Can you show us your itinerary? What did you do there? Can anyone veryify that?) I probably look like a gangster…In contrast when I go back to my country of birth (where I still hold citizenship) I don’t get any questions, no passport needs to be stamped, just ‘welcome home’. </rant>

Anyway, for what it’s worth some information for you. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to NZ’s cabin revamp. I must say the old seats are not bad at all but the IFE is a downer. Food is usually great, but this time I was not really impressed with the service which can sometimes be such a plus on NZ. I’ve had several run-ins with telephone staff lately and a few months back with a groundstaff. Not sure if this is just me being out of luck (or too demanding!) but I hope NZ do keep up their reputation in this department. Oh…and do go to see Angkor Wat!!

Kiwi Flyer

Thanks for the report Fliar ^ ^

djjaguar64

Fliar I think you are very right, no matter what, if the crew is nice and welcoming your whole flight seems enjoyable. Good Report ^

RTW4

Fabulous report. And you are a very natural "trip report" writer to boot!!

mad_atta

In a word, yes - great report, Fliar. Though, for a 'factual' style report I was interested that you omitted to mention where you were flying to! (Though it did of course become apparent later on...)

lassen2545

Good report. I missed those places a lot.