In Singapore we stayed at the Sheraton Towers on Scotts Road maybe we were spoilt by the MO, but the Sheraton is tired and worn well ready for a re-fit. When we checked out we got a taxi to Changi. The taxi fare was S$25 (<10)which is excellent value, as it was a fair run. We were dropped outside SQ check in at T3 and it is only from the outside that you realise just how big a building it is. Unsurprisingly, there were no queues at the check in and we were given the seats I had pre booked 17 H K. I was told by the agent when I booked them that they are the most popular seats in Business Class, as they are exit row.
We made our way up to the SilverKris lounge and what a lounge it is. The place is massive; it is also absolutely brand spanking new to the extent that the finishing touches are still being added to some of the fittings. We settled down in front of one of the seven massive TV screens that are showing various sports channels. The reason for our choice was that the Superbowl between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants was being shown live. The Superbowl, was a great game and though it pains me to say it, the Giants deserved their win in the end, even though it spoils the Pats 100% season and dents the Boston claim of having a sporting dynasty.
The lounge really is something else, I logged into the free wi-fi and then went to get some breakfast. I had the old faithful bowl of fruit and yoghurt and then an omelette with some sort of spicy chicken thing. Despite its size, there are only a few people in the lounge and there is an army of staff cleaning, clearing away and generally making sure everything is okay. The business centre has about 20 work stations with a selection of both PCs and Macs!! [:D]There are lots of different food areas, coffee machines and, of course, Tiger on Tap! Andy did sample the champagne purely for research purposes, and I will leave him to comment on it.
After the game had finished, I went and did a bit of duty free shopping and changed my leftover S$ into Sterling. As I went out I noticed that there is a smoking area on a patio area overlooking the apron a little dodgy given the amount of aviation fuel there must be in the air, I would have thought. The shopping area is vast, with luxury goods outlets all over the place.
It was about 1215pm by the time we made our way down to the gate for the first time in going through a large number of security checks over the last few days, I was asked to switch my laptop on. I had only been asked to take it out of my bag about 50% of the time.
We made our way on board and settled ourselves down, being greeted by name has by now almost become pass_ the exit row seats have even more room that the front ones! We were given drinks and a selection of newspapers / magazines. I got a copy of yesterdays Sunday Telegraph, as UK papers had been noticeable by their absence in the lounge. The upstairs business section is full apart from 1 or 2 seats. The captain has said the flight time would be 13 hours and 10 minutes and our routing will take us over KL and then across the Bay of Bengal to India.
Push back was at 12.50pm and we were wheels up at 1.05pm. As soon as we levelled out we were given amenity kits, headphones and a drink. The lunch service started soon after. We had Marinated Scallops with borlotto beans and orzo pasta salad to start and then the main course was a choice of:
Pan Fried cod fillet with creamy masala spice sauce, creamed potato and asparagus.
Stir fired beef with ginger and spring onions served with braised beancurd and steamed rice.
Grilled chicken breast and roasted chicken thigh with mushroom served black peppercorn sauce, roasted vegetables with balsamic
Phad Thai, which is Thai style fried noodles with scallops, prawns and beancurd, served with raw beansprout and peanut.
Andy and I both had the cod, which was apparently exclusively created for SQ by Georges Blanc. Very nice it was too.
Sweet was Movenpick tiramisu ice cream followed by cheese board and coffee, then a selection of fresh fruit I gave up after the ice cream!
I watched a mew film called Michael Clayton starring George Clooney, it was a little hard to follow, with a complicated plot and lots of characters, but I really enjoyed it in the end. I slept for a bit and watched a bit of TV, I resisted the temptation to order from the snacks menu, as did Andy, but some people couldnt resist, as the crew were bringing out bowls of noodles and cobs. The sleeping position on this seat is nowhere near as good as the suite, but it is fairly comfortable. The TV shows included some UK Premier league football, Family Guy, The Office (both UK and US) Top Gear, Scrubs and a great documentary about the new A380.
During the flight we both had a wander downstairs and were very surprised by the light load in Y, I would say it was only 25-30% full with lots of empty rows. The outbound had been packed in all classes.
About 2 and a half hours out of London, dinner was served. Once again we started with satay, then had a pate dish which was described as : Mesclun with French duck foie gras and green asparagus.
The main course was a choice of:
Stewed lamb shank in port wine with roasted vegetables and potatoes.
Indian style chicken shahi korma with spiced spinach, cabbage, peas and cumin rice.
Braised garoupa in black bean sauce with vegetables and ee-fu noodles.
Saut_ed penne with sundried tomatoes, ceps mushroom and rocket leaves.
I had the lamb and Andy had the chicken, and both were very nice.
I hadnt booked the cook, but the selection was:
Out of SINGAPORE
6 oz. U.S. rib-eye steak with creamy green peppercorn sauce, roasted vegetables, and garlic-mashed potatoes.
Oven-roasted corn fed chicken breast, tarragon jus, and creamy polenta.
Pan-seared Chilean bass with bouillabaisse sauce, capsicum confit, and kalamata olive potato.
Pappardelle with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.
Roast lamb chops with mint jus, mesclun salad, and thyme-flavoured gratin potatoes.
Roasted vegetables with avocado mesclun salad on roasted potatoes, in a truffle oil vinaigrette.
Seared salmon escalope on a warm potato and snake bean salad.
Slipper lobster Thermidor, buttered asparagus, and slow-roasted vine-ripened tomato, and saffron rice.
Wild mushroom and chorizo risotto in natural jus with arugula.
Singapore Specialities
Braised soya-flavoured duck with yam rice
Chicken curry Peranakan style with bread rolls
Nasi biryani
Nasi lemak
Singapore Chicken Rice
Japanese Cuisine
Gyu-Don
Thai Delights
Fish souffl_ and spicy minced chicken served with pineapple rice and curried vegetables.
Green curry fish balls stuffed with prawns, served with pork in a sweet and spicy sauce.
Finally, sweet was a dark chocolate cr_me brulee with fresh fruit on top.
I once again declined the cheese board and coffee, but did have an orange to cleanse my pallet. No Tiger beer with this meal, as I am driving soon, but it was washed down with vintage diet coke!
We got great views on London as we approached from the east. We were stacked for a time, but still landed about 30 minutes early. It was a fair walk from the gate, we had been given fast track passes but Andy uses the Iris scanner and there was absolutely no queue at the normal immigration channel. We walked to baggage reclaim and found that our bags were already going round on the carousel, which is quite amazing!
In conclusion, and the inevitable comparison between SQ Raffles Class and VS Upper Class; it pains me to say that SQ win hands down in most categories. The main differences in SQ favour are staff attitude and food. The attitude of all SQ staff we encountered was brilliant being addressed by name is just a little thing, but makes a difference. They wanted to help all the time, the food and drink offers were non-stop, were in no hurry to get everything packed away for landing therefore the IFE was left on until almost final approach, and the headsets were collected last thing not an hour out as they sometimes seem to be on VS.
The food was first rate, and plentiful there was also a basket of snacks left out all flight just in case the meals didnt fill you. Even the SQ Krisworld IFE beats V-Port.
Where VS score over SQ are: The Suite much better for sleeping. The Clubhouse whilst the SQ lounge at T3 Changi is brilliant the CH is still better IMHO. Believe it or not, VS also win with the amenity kit! On SQ you are given eye shades and socks that is all. There are shaving kits, combs and toothbrushes in the toilets, but no one tells you about them. There were A380 playing cards and SQ pens in the snack basket, so I suppose the difference isnt that great.
It was a great weekend though made better by the company. Roll on Boston on Friday!!
Thanks for battling though to the end.
Nick
