Seoul, Round The World First Class

Up the elevator to the upper jet bridge.

A glass of champagne at the gate to kick things off, although the Henriot was a little disappointing. 

Nice new Jil Sander leather amenity kit.   But I was reminded of the saying "you can put lipstick on a pig"...

... but it was the same old, same old inside.  

And wine list.  Meh.

Checking out the loot from Gate 134.  Yummy wafers.

Time to get this show on the road.

And we're off.  I'll be back at LAX in 68 hours.

OK, now that's pretty cool.  Air France pilots are apparently showing off as they departed after us and overtook us shortly after.

Even with the EK shower, the First Class lavs are gorgeous.

Wifi worked pretty well most of the flight.

And a bargain at only 17 euros for 24 hours.

Finally, LH changed the amuse bouche and the shrimp and cucumber was tasty. 

Showtime.

Extra garlic bread.

But the starter trio was the usual meh, although the Watermelon, Radish with black sesame Seed, Wakame salad was nice. 

The Chablis was excellent once it was chilled.   Shades of BA as I asked for some ice to cool it.

Our FA was superb and suggested that we compare all the wines on the list.  Just in case you're wondering, the front row is mine, the back row was Levi's.

For my main, I went with the Bison and filet which was excellent.

For dessert, the "Lukewarm" Salt Salt Brownie with Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Turning in for the night.

We arrived about 20 minutes early and pulled into our gate just before 11am.   All in all, a most enjoyable flight.  As is usually the case, a great crew can make all the difference and today's crew was outstanding.

Around an hour before departure, I headed out for some exercise and the long trek to far end of the B concourse and Gate B46. 

Now that how to get around FRA.

Gate lice, Asiana style.

First and Economy are both on the lower deck and board down the same jet bridge... 

... until the split to 1L.

I really like the fact that Asiana configured its A380 to have First Class on the more spacious lower deck.

Lovely and spacious cabin and with privacy doors.

My Suite 2K was roomy and very nice.

Love the doors.

And a huge TV screen.

Major negative as there is only one First Class lav.   Not as elegant as Emirates or Lufthansa's A380 First Class lavs.   With only 3 passengers tonight, the single lav was not an issue.  I just wouldn't want to be in a full F cabin flight.

Major point deduction as Asiana refused to pay the alcohol tax and only offers non-alcoholic pre departure beverages.

On the other hand, extra points for a great Ferragamo amenity kit.

With great stuff you can take home and actually use.  Tuscan Soul is one of favorite travel hand creams.

Tonight's menu.  Attractive packaging with an adequate but not overly generous selection.

And the "wine list".  Yikes.  This one isn't even worthy of Business Class.

Sure hope they are paying these three well as I'd be embarrassed to have my name on this list.

Robert Mondavi Chardonnay???  Seriously?  And the Fleur Cardinale Grand Cru was either corked or just bad from the get go.

Showtime as I went with the Korean option tonight.

The Pan Fried Yam was light and refreshing.

Unforunatly, the poor man's Laurent Perrier and not the Grand Siecle.

The surprise of the night was the caviar... beautiful set up and presentation.  And delicious.

The other starters were just OK. 

What little duck was good but there just wasn't enough to satisfy.

For my main, I went with the Korean Royal Cuisine, Bibimbap and Grilled Cod.  The cod was moist and delicious.  The bibimbap was good but not like on Korean probably because I don't know how to add the right proportion of ingredients.

I watched La La Land and for the live of me, can't figure out how it won any awards.  Jeez.

About 3 hours later, I woke up starving.  Apparently too much air in that bibimbap dish.   The Udon was OK but the ham, cheese and tomato sandwich was just what the doctor ordered.

Another movie and it was time for breakfast or "Brunch" as the menu describes it.  This was actually pretty good.

We arrived on time after what all in all was a pleasant 10 hour flight.  Service was excellent throughout, the cabin was comfy but it's just not a top tier First Class product.  Food is average, the wine list pathetic and First Class ground service non-existent.  There is no snack bar or bar of any kind for that matter.  And the lack of Wifi in 2017 is unforgivable.  Only Air France can get away with that these days.   While I wouldn't go out of my way to fly them, they are certainly better than Air China and BA, but not as good overall as Korean.

The arrival process at ICN is very efficient and dispute the lack of any Fast Track or Priority immigration, it only took a few minutes to be processed.

The fastest way to get to the city is by the Express Train.  I just followed the signs for Airport Railroad.

Paid my 8500 KRW (or about US$7.50) and followed the signs to my 1pm train.

Although seats are assigned on your ticket, there were lots of open seats.    And free Wifi!

Some 43 minutes later, we were at Seoul Station.    It's not for Mrs. SFO777, but a very clean and efficient way to get to the city.

After a quick shower, I headed out in the crisp +14C spring afternoon.

The southern entrance to Gyeongbokgung.

After an hour or so nap, I headed to one of the hotel's 7 restaurants, Yu-Yuan, a 1 Michelin star Chinese restaurant that specializing in Peking or Bejing Duck.  With my body clock all messed up, I chose to eat when they opened for dinner, at 5:30pm.

Ah yes.

Beautiful decor and furnishings.  

Service was outstanding, especially since it was essentially my private dining room as no other patrons arrived until an hour later.

My fried shrimp ball starter.   Outstanding.

And my duck... 1/2 duck and then stir-fry with lettuce cups.   Simply divine.

What a wonderful meal.     Then back to the room to rest up for another day of flying.

At around T-55, I headed to nearby Gate 114.

Still 20+ minutes to boarding, I headed back to find some nibbles.

And then back to the gate to wait.   I have to tell Mrs. SFO777 about this fashion statement. 

Ready to board.

Reasonably comfy regional 2-2 seating with lots of legroom.    Excellent service by our seasoned FA.

Today's menu with a take it or leave option.

Prociutto and melon were good.

But the beef was pretty gross.