Foodie Day in Singapore

via Singapore Airlines First Class

October 2022

Off to New York and Singapore

My DFW friend, DFW_CK and I are off for a day in Singapore, thanks to some good luck and fortuitous planning a year ago. That's when Singapore inexplicably released saver redemption seats on their JFK-FRA-SIN A380 before the change from 14 old Suites to 6 new Suites. We found a day with 2 seats and crossed our fingers. Fast forward to today and we're off to New York early enough to have lunch at Michelin three star Le Bernardin, ranked #44 in the world on the World's 50 Best list.

• Delta First Class to JFK

• Lunch at Michelin 3 star Le Bernardin

• BLADE helicopter to JFK

• Singapore Airlines First Class A380 Suites to Frankfurt

• Singapore Airlines First Class A380 Suites to Singapore

• Our Day in Singapore including Marina Bay Sands

• Lunch at Michelin 1 star Burnt Ends Singapore

• Dinner at Micheln 3 star Odette Singapore

• Singapore Airlines Private First Class Check-in and The Private Room

• Singapore Airlines First Class 77W to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita

• American Airlines "First Class" to Denver

Delta was the logical early morning choice as they have the only nonstops to JFK that work for both of us. 5am at DIA...

First stop was the Delta Sky Club.

Much improved breakfast options...

Back down on the concourse, whoa now that's a line.

Denver DEN to New York JFK

Delta DL 876

737-900

6:25am-11:45am

October 11, 2022

Completely full flight and we left on time.

Whoa... only $5 for Wi-Fi for the entire flight.

Choice of quiche or fruit-cereal plate.

The quiche was very good.

There's always a few in the crowd.

Cool double airport pics. LaGuardia first.

And JFK a minute later.

Surprisingly pleasant Delta flight with an on time arrival.

Instagram video of this morning's Delta flight from Denver to JFK.

Lunch at Michelin 3 Star Le Bernardin

DFW_CK arrived on Delta from DFW just before noon and we met in the Terminal 4 arrivals hall where we stowed our bags for the afternoon. Then an NYC Taxi into the city at a reasonable $57 flat rate.

And to Le Bernardin, our home for the next 3 hours.

Le Bernardin

155 W 51st Street

New York, NY 10019

https://www.le-bernardin.com

Gorgeous place settings.

Tasty salmon dip.

We both did the Chef's Tasting Menu. Starting with Tuna Tartare - Sea Urchin Toast with Jus de viande. Wonderful.

Scallop-Caviar. Warm Scallop "Tartare" with Osetra Caviar and Sauce Marinière. OMG

Poached Lobster, Grape-Fennel Salad, Verjus Sabayon. Spectacular.

Langoustine - Sautéed with Petite Mache Salad, Truffled Cream and Mushroom - Balsamic Vinaigrette. WOW!

Dover Sole - Pan roasted with Green Olives, Toasted Almonds, Aged Sherry Wine Reduction. Simply Divine.

Steamed Halibut, Truffle Sunchoke Purée, Baby Root Vegetables, Sauce Bourguignon. Lovely.

For dessert, Spiced Poached Pear, Buddha's Hand Shop Medley.

And Pistachio Praliné, Grand Marnier Bavarois. Fabulous.

And a parting gift.

As we pretty much closed the place down for lunch. What a wonderful culinary treat definitely three stars for food and worth the $298 per person price tag. Service was excellent but perhaps not as genuine and wonderful as other three stars like Odette or Guy Savoy. The biggest negative was the wine pairing, in particular our sommelier. She was not very engaging and definitely going thru the motions. Wines were nice but tor $170, I'd expect a little more than a 1.5 ounce pour.

Since it was a perfect 72 degree day and with an hour to go before our 5:40pm BLADE flight back to JFK, we decided to burn off some calories and walked the 25 blocks down to the West Side Heliport. The attractive BLADE terminal.

BLADE

W 30th Street Heliport to JFK

5:40p-5:46p

Departed 5/5

What a great way to beat the rush hour traffic to JFK. And at only $195 per person, not that much more than Uber.

Six short minutes later, we're at JFK.

A BLADE SUV was waiting to drive each of us to our respective terminals.

Instagram video of our BLADE flight to JFK.

Singapore A380 Suites to Frankfurt

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites to Frankfurt

Our BLADE driver dropped us off at T4 arrivals where we retreived our bags out of storage. And then up the escalator to Singapore check-in.

After a quick CLEAR/PreCheck combo security check, we headed first to the Amex Centurion Lounge. Unfortunately, it was packed so we just headed for the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.

Our A380 parked a few gates away from the Clubhouse.

New York JFK to Frankfurt FRA

Singapore SQ 25

A380-800

8:55pm-10:00am

October 11, 2022

Departed 5/6

This is my second time in the Singapore A380 Suites. Very nice upper deck location with Suites 1 and 2 designed for those traveling together, as the suite divider comes down for a very spacious feeling.

Pre-departure offering of Dom Perignon or Krug.

Dom vs. Krug taste test.

Once in the air, our cabin crew began their wonderful inflight service. Yay, menus are back unlike my May LAX-NRT flight.

Showtime, SQ style.

The Yellow Tomato Soup with Mozzarella Cheese was excellent with a spicy kick.

For my main, I went with the Cantonese Style Roast Duck with Plum Sauce. Very nice.

For dessert, the Gianduja Chocolate Mousse Cake with tasty.

After dinner, I tried to sleep but only got a couple of hours as tonight's flight was just over 6 hours.

We had to disembark in Frankfurt but mercifully did not have to reclear security. We headed to Lufthansa Senator Lounge to pass the time until we reboarded.

Instagram video of our Singapore A380 Suites flight from JFK to Frankfurt.

Singapore A380 Suites to Singapore

Frankfurt FRA to Singapore SIN

Singapore SQ 25

A380-800

12:30pm-7:00am +1

October 12, 2022

Suite 2F

We boarded at around noon and I took my assigned 2F this time, as all suites were occupied. I prefer the row 2 suites as 1A feels claustrophobic on take off and landing as you look at the bulkhead wall and there is no easily viewable window.

Todays's menu.

Love the Singapore Satay.

For my starter, I went with the celebrity chef's Beetroot Stained Smoked Salmon. This was just plain gross and inedible. There is a reason there are not a lot of German restaurants outside of Germany.

For my main, the Kai Yaang was tasty, Thai style grilled marinated chicken with dipping sauce, vegetables and fried pineapple rice.

Nap time and I slept for 5 hours.

Time for a mid-flight snack.

The Egg Noodles dish was bland and not very good.

Next I tried the Gourmet Cheese Plate... LOL. This looked more like something that you'd see on American Airlines

A couple hours later I tried the Oatmeat Banana Pancakes. It was OK but I was hungry who knows how good it was. I wouldn't order it again.

We arrived at Singapore just over 12 hours after departure. As usual, SQ inflight service was excellent. Sadly, the food on this leg was mostly mediocre.

My Instragram video of our Singapore A380 Suites flight from Frankfurt to Singapore

Michelin Foodie Day in Singapore

Our Michelin 4 Star Foodie Day in Singapore

After we checked into and freshed up at the Four Seasons, we headed out to check out the Observation Deck at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

Great views of Singapore from the top of the Marina Bay Sands.

FIrst food stop today is Michelin One Star Burnt Ends, ranked #94 in the world and #41 in Asia. Strange location with no obvious signage identifying itself. And a most unpleasant rhymes-with-witch for a hostess. The food better be good.

Today's cool menu.

OK, this has to best the best beer name ever!

Smoked Quail Egg with Caviar was fabulous.

Grissini and Taramasalata. Wow!

Jamaica Chicken and Lime Crema. Sensational.

Beef Marmalade and House Pickles. Awesome.

Burnt Ends Sanger... Brioche, pulled pork, cole slawm chipotley aioli. Delicious.

Uni, King Crab, Brioche. Amazing.

Fish and Chips. Out of this world.

Pakistani Lamb Chops.

Fabulous.

And the finale, incredible Onglet, Burnt Onion and Bone Marrow. What a great meal although it dragged on way too long as the last three dishes took over an hour to appear.

After a few hours of relaxation back at the Four Seasons, we headed out for our 7:30pm reservation at a true Michelin three star - Odette, ranking #36 in the world and #8 in Asia.

Gorgeous and elegnat restaurant in the National Gallery of Singapore

Tonight's amazing tasting menu...

Marukyo Uni. Amazing.

Shima Aji "Crudo". Wow.

Rosemary Smoked Organic Egg.

Wonderful presentation.

Seaweed Butter Glazed Scallop. Simply divine.

Kombu Steamed Kinki.

Poularde de Bresse.

With the most amazing potato puffs.

For dessert, Williams Pear Gourmandise. Outrageously good.

And a selection of sweets to finish.

What a marvelous dinner at one of the truly great Michelin three star restaurants. A wonderful culinary experience combined with flawless and engaging service. Bravo Odette!

Instagram videos of our day in Singapore:

Four Seasons Singapore

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Michelin One Star Burnt Ends

Michelin Three Star Odette

The Private Room at Singapore Changi

Singapore Airlines First Class Check-in and The Private Room at Changi

With a 9:30am departure, I arrived at Changi at around 7am to check-in. Very nice private and civilized First Class check-in facility.

Passport control before entering the terminal. Security is at the gate.

Singapore renovated and actually moved The Private Room. Very nice lounge although no tarmac views.

The house champagne is the wonderful Taittinger Comtes

The breakfast menu, although a little worn from re-use.

And the menus for the rest of the day...

After breakfast, I spent another 30 minutes before heading to the gate.

My Instagram video of Check in and The Private Room.

Singapore First Class to Los Angeles

Singapore First Class to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita

With no escort for FIrst Class passengers, I made my own way to the gate and cleared security before the queue go too bad.

Singapore SIN to Tokyo NRT

Singapore SQ12

777-300ER

9:30am-5:15pm

October 14, 2022

Departed 4/4

Nice four seat cabin but starting to show it's age. And not nearly as private or as nice as Air France or Emirates.

My cabin mate did the Dom vs. Comtes taste test.

Not very impressive meal service this morning as SQ serves only breakfast on this 6 hour 9:30am departure. Despite the fact that a meal isn't actually served until closer to 11am and everyone HAS ALREADY HAD BREAKFAST IN THE LOUNGE. Cheap.

Fortunately, I had Booked the Cook and enjoyed my Chicken Rice.

The worst part of the day was the absolute mess that is Narita. Despite the same plane and 90 minute stop at Narita, all must deplane and go thru security. Singapore made no accomodation for the 4 First Class passengers and we were shuttled like cattle in a maze around Narita.

That and the new Gate 31 is a mile from any lounge.

Tokyo NRT to Los Angeles LAX

Singapore SQ12

777-300ER

6:40pm-1:15pm

October 14, 2022

Departed 4/4

Mercifully back on board.

The always yummy SQ chicken satay.

At this point, I just wanted to sleep. And did so for nearly 6 hours. Woke up hungry.

Lobster starter. Looked nice but was pretty bland.

My 2nd round of Book The Cook Chicken Rice was very good.

Really? Fruit?

And cookies for dessert.

We arrived LAX on time but not sure I'd go back to Singapore Airlines for a while. While inflight service is always wonderful, cabin crew can only work with what they are provided. SQ's cost cuts are obvious with mediocre food and apart from the champagne, Business Class like wines. And the Narita "connection/security" debacle is not something I would endure again. What put up with that crap when I can choose Emirates and Air France from Singapore.

Instragam videos of my day with Singapore;

Singapore First Class to Narita

Miserable security check gong show at NRT

Singapore First Class to Los Angeles

American "First Class" home to Denver

American First Class home to Denver

From Gate 130, it was a very short walk CBP passport control. A few minutes later, I went back upstairs and recleared security at a deserted PreCheck line. And headed for Terminal 4. Despite American using regional jets between LAX and DEN, timing and price were right today.

The walkway to T4.