There are some flights that make flying feel like a long ordeal you just Have to take.
And then then there are flights that are so welcoming and comfortable, you feel like you’re already home even if you’re only halfway there.
This was definitely the case when I took my last leg of my London – Sydney trip via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific.
This is a continuation of the post on my flight from London to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific.
I only had less than 2 hours’ transit in Hong Kong and I took the time to wait at Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge lounge.
On first glance, one cannot be blamed for thinking he has landed on a space-age lounge. The Bridge features the luminous reception wall, made of Venetian glass tiles by Fabbian of Italy.
But inside the lounge itself is very warm and inviting. Giving you the feeling of being home when you’re only halfway there.
Shortly after, my flight started to board.
Given the last 3 flights I took for this trip (Sydney to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Rome, and London to Hong Kong) I knew there’s more to look forward to in this last leg.
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong to Sydney CX 111
Business Class
Aircraft: Airbus A330-A33G
Flight departure: 20:00
Flight Time: 8 Hours, 7 Minutes
Seat Number: 15G
Check-in was relatively quiet and very organised. Cabin crew greeted me by my surname (Ms. Lim), and immediately offered to store my coat for me.
Seated on 15G, one of the “middle-aisle” seats, I will now get to see what it’s like to sit next to a stranger and feel either how comfortable (or awkward) this will be.
Seat controls, electric plugs and ports and remote control are on the side of the seat. I love that the remote control is not nestled next to your hip, as this can get cumbersome when taking out and stowing.
Lots of leg room and extra panels for storing reading material, and even shoes.
I soon found out that sitting next to a stranger will not be awkward in this seating arrangement.
There is a storage compartment on the side, and if you keep the storage door open, it provides extra shield from the person next to you. (I got this idea when the man next to me opened his storage door below)
There are 3 main magazines found on the seat. One for duty-free shopping, one dedicated for Studio CX (entertainment on board) and one main in-flight magazine, Discovery.
Each passenger is given a full-sized Evian mineral water bottle and an amenity kit by designer Agnes B. Inside the kit are products from Jurlique (hand lotion, lip balm and day cream), eye mask, socks, ear plugs, toothpaste and toothbrush.
Meals
Aperitif is first served. Bowls of cashew nuts were served with drinks.
As this flight departed at 20:00 (8PM), the meals served were Dinner and Breakfast.
DINNER – Starter
For starter, I had a Hot Smoked Creole Salmon with Roasted Potatoes and Creme Fraiche plus mixed salad with balsamic vinegar and bread slices.
Though the salmon was abit too salty for me to eat on it’s own, it was great to pair it with the salad.
Dinner was served in the very special Cathay Pacific way of presenting all meal choices “live” in a trolley. Again, this is a really great meal presentation as it really helps to see your meal choices instead of just choosing meals based on the menu.
The Menu for the Dinner Mains were:
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Sauteed Prawns with Kung Po Sauce. Served with Steamed Rice and Choy Sum
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Braised Garlic and Thyme Lamb Shoulder with Parsnip Mash and Ratatouille
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Pork with Yuzu Miso Sauce, Japanese Rice and Vegetables
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Garganelli Tossed with Parmesan Paste, Basil and Sundried Tomato (Vegetarian Option)
As I’ve had seafood meal choices in the last 3 flights, I thought I’d choose something unusual (for me).
This time, I chose the Pork with Yuzu Muso Sauce and Japanese Rice & Vegetables. The Yuzu Miso Sauce was so good (a mixture of sweet and salty) , and the pork was charred perfectly. It went really well with the very tender and fluffy Japanese rice.
Another unusual step for me was to skip dessert (this was rather late in the night and I was getting full).
But the dessert choices were:
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Shropshire Blue, Camembert, Le Pere Crackers, Apple and Rosemary paste
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Fresh Seasonal Fruit
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Lemon Merengue Pie
I soon settled comfortably in my seat and watched a really good movie from the Studio CX selection
Chef (2014) movie
The November selection of movies had a lot of new titles, and I’m really pleased with my selection. I randomly chose the movie “Chef” and was so glad I nailed a good movie.
In a nutshell, the movie is about a chef (well, duh) who has recently been introduced to the world of social media (Twitter) by his son. He soon learns the harsh realities of social media as he loses his job after engaging in a nasty Twitter and real-life ‘word war’ with a very popular food blogger.
It’s a comedy-drama with a good ending. If you are a blogger, someone who works in marketing or with social media ‘influencers’, I highly recommend this movie!
Breakfast
I had a nice nap and was soon woken up by the aroma of fresh bread. Breakfast time!
Choice of breakfast drink: Orange/ Apple Juice, Mango & Passionfruit smoothie and Coffee/ Tea
Each tray had bread and Greek Yogurt with Apricot Compote and Granola.
Choices for Breakfast:
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Omelette with Pan-Fried Pork Sausage-Back Bacon, Roasted Potatoes and Braised Beans
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Dim Sum with Chili Sauce, Pork Siu Mai with Scallop Shrimp Fun Gor, Chive and Pork Dumpling, Beancurd Roll & Vegetables
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Dace Fish Julienne with Pak Choy Congee, Served with Pan-fried Turnip Cake with Preserved Meats
I chose the Dim Sum option:
Skipping the muffin and yogurt, I ate the entire dim sum plate. It was the perfect wake-me-up breakfast. Light, tasty and definitely not heavy. The tofu skin was so good, just the right texture with a bit of crunch.
Overall
This is definitely one of the most pleasant flights I’ve had. Bump-free, no issues. As this was a red-eye flight, it was also quiet. Most passengers slept immediately after dinner. I would like to stress the fact that travelling with Cathay Pacific from Europe back to Australia really made a big difference. The flight times were more equally distributed. (London to Hong Kong about 11 Hours, Hong Kong to Sydney 8 Hours). Last time I flew Europe back to Australia with a Middle-Eastern carrier, the Middle East to Australia leg was almost 14 hours.
Food is definitely the highlight of the flight, as is the seamless and efficient service (my coat was handed back to me without me needing to remind the flight attendant)
So freakin jelly, your flight looked positively luxurious next to the horrendous flight I took home from Singapore last week. My butt was on fire by the time I stood up to get off the plane in Brisbane, I wanted to cry when I sat down on the plane to the Berra, talk about cramming people in. Ouch! Your food looks yummy too, I couldn’t eat mine, a lot of that was because I couldn’t actually get to it easily – No dang arm room. Haha… Listen to me. Wah wah wah!
Hmmm… Favourite inflight movie – The Hundred Foot Journey. Sooooo good, and relevant to what my team has set out to achieve this year. 🙂
A very thorough review, I love Jurlique toiletries. Best in flight movie would be Mud with Matthew McConaughey – great film!
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
Thanks Suze!!! I haven’t seen Mud yet , I’ll look it up thanks for the recommendation ! The last Matthew McConaughey movie I watched on a plane was Dallas Buyers Club – such a brilliant performance by him!
I have to say it – Business Class is well, in a class of its own!!!! Back in my corporate Airline days I flew business all the time and did not appreciate the difference (admittedly it was pre-flat bed days…). Once the offspring came along it was back of the bus for us…Our recent trip to Japan we splurged and went Business on our forward leg – oh my…sublime…the food, the comfort, the service – so glad you enjoyed your experience, nothing beats a bit of comfortable shut eye – although a good movie is great too (I always re-watch Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)x
Business class to Japan must have been great! It’s still a long flight from Australia so I’m sure it really is a Huge difference, I’m glad you and the family enjoyed it 🙂 I also re-watch certain movies on flights! Mine is would be the Devil Wears Prada 🙂
Cathay Terrific! I was lucky enough to do Business class on the same leg and was a very happy girl. I was also sitting in one of those middle seats, but I found the configuration made me feel like i had enough privacy, then when I was feeling social I could lean forward and chat to the person beside me (who turned out to be a Cathay Pacific pilot so a good person to chat to!).
As for inflight movies, it’s hard to pick one. Although I have learned the hard way that sad movies aren’t the best way to go. I’ve had to stifle sobs before and looked like a red eyed wreck after some choices.
We recently flew Cathay Pacific and were so impressed, too! That lounge looks incredible~