SINGAPORE AIRLINES SUITE CLASS SINGAPORE TO NARITA TO LOS ANGELES SQ12 SIN-NRT-LAX 新加坡航空头等套房舱新加坡经东京飛洛杉矶

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 12

SIN - NRT - LAX
DEPARTS 09:25 am
ARRIVES 13:25 pm
Seat 3C 3D First Suite Class (with 3A 4A 3F 4F all empty around us)
AIRBUS A380-800                                                                                                       

Redeemed with Singapore Krisflyer miles
Transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards points
91375 miles one way 15% online redemption discount included


This was probably our once in a lifetime Suite Class flight since there's rumor that Singapore Airlines' not continuing the same route. We took a taxi from Marina Bay Sands early morning around 6am to get to Changi Airport to spend an hour or two at the lounges. One of our friends, Ken Irelan, traveling with us to Singapore is flying through Seoul back to San Francisco on paid coach. We did get him in the First Class Lounge with us but not the Private Room.

We didn't know exactly where the First Class check in entrance was at Changi Terminal 3. I searched online but could not find any information on it. We shot past it to drop off our friend first, then the taxi driver said, "Oh you should've told me earlier. Now I have to double back." We decided to just walk back. FYI, there's a section where no sidewalk existed. No matter, we checked in easy and went through the dedicated immigration counter. All good!

THE LOUNGE(S):
Useful tips:
Singapore Airlines will not allow economy/business class passengers check in with first class passengers. They will allow one guest per first class passenger to enter First Class Lounge but not Private Room. You may order items from Private Room menu to be delivered to you in First Class Lounge. HOWEVER, they sent two crew members to inform us that they will only deliver ordered items to First Class passengers but not their guests.

The inflight service is a world apart from anything you experience on the ground when it comes to Singapore Airlines. Sideline: sadly, it can easily be generalized to the entire hospitality industry in Singapore especially when you enter the secured hotel-guest-only Skypool area at Marina Bay Sands. The turnstile attendants act like BART police no less. They will not smile or be friendly at all if thre is a card key glitch at the gate. They WILL treat you like a criminal, even if it was the scanner that was malfunctioning. We knew to prepare ourselves for incidents like these but when it happens, it disrupts the relaxing poolside vibe. Oh wells!

I suspect that Singapore Airlines flight attendants are trained and given much latitude to go beyond what's strictly outlined in their job description to go out of the way to make you happy.

Invitation to the Private Room

Breakfast Menu at the Private Room

I didn't eat much at the lounges to save some room for the massive amount of food inflight. Ordered dimsum. The quality was just so so. You may also order items at a couple of stations at the first class buffet area such as french toasts and soup noodles. One of the Asian attendants was so diligent he noticed where everybody was sitting. After ordering the soup noodle, it was delivered by him to our party. He never even glanced our way and he knew where to take the noodle.

Dimsum served at the Private Room - delivered from Private Room kitchen to First Class Lounge

Shortly before our departure time, we headed over to the gate. As mentioned by many travelers, security check is performed at each gate. Everybody goes through the same security check area, no special treatment there. They were very efficient though.

We were greeted promptly by name right before we stepped on the aircraft and were led to our suites. Every single one of the flight crew was extremely friendly to us and acted like they love their jobs from their hearts.

LE SUITES (day-time seats):
The suites were less than 1/3 filled. 3C and 3D are indeed very suitable for couples traveling together. There's more visual connection than say Cathay Pacific's business class middle seats. There are sliding panels at entry of the suite to close off for privacy. Also translucent screens on the side panels that you can slide up for more privacy. It is not completely opaque and the partitions stand at approximately 5'-6". The privacy is good but not absolute.

Dr Wong settling down into his suite, 3D

Outside view of suite 3C

Dr Wong's Dom Perignon 2006, available @ Hooter's too.

Champagne was served promptly after we'd settled down in to our seats. As you can see the suites are very spacious and there are lots of storage spaces including a narrow coat closet between suites. Additionally, there's a privacy partition that can be pulled down between C seats and D seats. 

General aesthetics of the suites and the overall cabin look is very "yacht" like since they are designed by yacht designer Jean-Jacques Coste. Though quite luxurious, the style is far from contemporary with clean lines and colors. It may become dated soon but it does not look like Singapore Airlines' planning a solid future for their A380 planes. Suite class may be trailing off in the near future. Lucky that we got to try it at least once!

Inside front view of Suite 3C

There were empty suites all around us so I asked the flight attendants if I could sit in a window suite during take off. They acted like they wanted me to own the whole cabin! We asked if we could dine together, they said sure and "reserved" a window suite for Dr Wong and me as our dining room by closing the doors!

Suite 3A was empty and available. So the flight attendants invited us to dine or sit wherever we'd like.

3C 3D or 2C 2D are made for couples but there is no window view. I suspect Suite Class is rarely full, so a window suite may be always available, kind of a gamble though.

The menu was quite thick and took a while to digest. It was placed in a leather portfolio. A very nice and classy touch. You can also see that they forego of the overhead compartment to create a more airy space.

Download Full Menu here.

Me in Suite 3C reading the menu.

No matter how much of a "police-state" experience we had in Singapore, it's still an enchanted place for me. I plan to go back once every two years to see my brother and eat the hawker center food. There's just nothing like it and I still have not been able to find any authentic Singaporean hawker food outside of Singapore. I miss you Singapore!

Just a view of East side of Singapore, probably North of Changi.

POST-TAKEOFF SATAY SERVICE:

One of the many reason to be on business / first class on Singapore Airlines is the famous Satay Service! It was every bit what I expected and more! The peanut sauce was on point - thick and full of flavor. I had both beef and chicken skewers. Don't think they offered mutton/lamb but I ain't complaining. These were very authentic tasting, took me straight back to the street of Singapore. I have heard that they do not have Satay Service on the flights out of San Francisco because of some stupid customs rules. Something about the US not allowing raw meat to be stored in a fridge from a foreign country on US grounds. COME ON! We were served Satay on both legs - out of Singapore and out of Tokyo. As I'd learned from flying upper class, even though I have an appetite of 4 grown men, it's always good to just have half a serving of everything offered to you so you can try a wider range of food. Also learned to control myself and not binge on bottomless Coke Zero, i.e., if I'd like to have restful sleep without getting up every 15 minutes to relieve myself. So on the second leg, I only had one chicken Satay one beef Satay. Did not want to over-stuff myself.

the famed Satay Service to start off the flight. Beef or chicken.

LUNCH:
After the satay service, I order the sake - Sawaya Matsumoto Sake. It is a Junmai (pure rice) Daiginjo (highest grade of polished rice) sake.  My favorite sake is still Wakatake Onikoroshi's junmai daiginjo. It's dangerously smooth and slightly sweet with a bit of a melon after taste. The Sawaya Matsumoto was good but in my mind not comparable to Onikoroshi. Nonetheless, it was a very good prelude to any meal - not invasive nor harsh.

JunMai Daiginjo Sawaya Matsumoto, Kyoto. Pretty yummy but too dry for me.

Lunch commenced officially after I finished my sake. The flight attendants invited us over to the dining suite so we could dine face to face in a suite. Before they started serving us, they were very busy serving another couple who booked the cook. They also dined couple style face to face in a suite with windows.

As soon as the table was set, holding the garlic bread in one hand, I turned over the china to see if they were still using Givenchy. No, they were not. It's become Wedgwood bone china. Absolutely not a down-grade, just maybe leaning toward colonial and traditional English charm than fashionable French chic. They were still very pretty!

Wedgwood replaced Givenchy.

Everything was perfectly timed. Bread rolls were heated well enough but not overly hot. Butter was just soft enough for spreading. Coke Zero was refilled continuously. It was a great experience to dine with your travel companion face to face. It's a rare chance and a much more interactive experience than dining solo. Even when you're sitting super close to each other on coach, it just does not feel the same. Real life physical face time is irreplaceable.

Table set! First table for two on a plane

Cheese and mushroom roll i had

They called the satay service Canape. Then the first course came as Appetizer. There were two choices:

Smoked Duck and Goose Liver with Yuzu
or
Malossal Caviar and Lobster Madellions

There's no way I'd not have lobster! As many have written before, the lobster medallion can easily be the most enjoyable course of all. It was fresh, it was just crisply cold enough, it was not smothered with sauce, it was perfect! Just a couple drops of lemon juice did the trick. No other seasoning was needed. Personally not especially fond of caviar but it made the dish look great! I always prefer Japanese Tobiko, but this beluga caviar had a clean pop.

Caviar and Lobster Medallions

First course. Dr Wong had garlic bread

Honestly though, the face to face dining experience was great but if your meal service last for more than 2 hours, your lower back might start hurting. The ottoman/seat immediately in front of the tv monitor curves towards the dining table so you'd have to lean forward a bit or just take up a few inches of the front of the seat. Since there's always more than one meal service on long haul flights, you may want to take turns with your travel companion. Also, the table is seriously just big enough for one dish on each side. At times, the Kaiseki serving plates were a bit too big for the dining table.

It's not as spacious as expected. The TV side is very cramped and curved up and forward.

You have two choices of soup, one Western style, one traditional Chinese. We both opted for the Chinese soup and did we choose the right soup! I am pretty sure it wasn't a traditionally double steamed Cantonese style chicken broth (原盅燉雞湯) that's steamed in a sealed "urn" over boiling water to prevent the liquid from evaporating - kind of like how one melts chocolate in a double steamer. But this chicken broth was prepared so well it had the depth and complexity without being cloudy and thick, it was again, perfect! The shiitake and bamboo pith mushroom were also very suiting accompaniment, if only there were a couple pieces of winter melon in it. No, I'm not complaining.

Western choice was cream of pumpkin soup. Yawn.

We both chose the Chinese chicken broth

Very simple but deep flavor.
竹笙冬菇老火鸡汤

Bamboo Pith Mushroom in chicken soup!

竹笙冬菇老火鸡汤

The salad was nothing to write home about. It read as "Salad of Frisee and Endives with marinated baby artichoke and Ligurian olives with choice of a number of forgettable dressing. When it was presented in front of me, I almost dozed off and buried my face in it. However, we were informed that the Singapore dressing has local Singaporean Sambal blended in.  I tried it, not impressed. It didn't have much of a Sambal taste, it just had a sort of kick to it. By the way, real Sambal needs to look like this (Thick, chunky and greasy. if it doesn't make you sneeze when you throw it in your burning wok, it's not Sambal. Please don't call those watered down bright fake red sauces they sell in a bottle at Wholefoods Sambal):

photo credit: http://www.mummyicancook.com/2011/08/sambal-tumis-my-very-important-belachan.html

Simple salad. Singaporean dressing with some not too spicy sambal mixed in.

White table cloth is always nice to have.

For his main course, Dr Wong chose the Chilean Seabass on a bed of Kale and Quinoa Salad, Tomato Jelly and Almond Flakes. Seabass is a fatty fish and a good choice to be re-heated on a plane. Salmon is a no no no no no no no in flight. Please never order Salmon on a plane, even on first class.

Dish was nicely presented. He especially liked the tomato jelly. Tomato jelly among other vegetable jellies' been popping up all around us. We've had some sort of watermelon jelly cubes served with yellow tail crudo in San Francisco. Is it a new trend?

Dr Wong had the Chilean Seabass on kale and quinoa with tomato jelly.

I can't help it! I can't help it! When I see Hainan Chicken Rice on the menu I cannot not order it! Pandan flavored rice?! All three sauces (ginger, chilli, and think soy sauce) announced on the menu?!?! I could not resist! I know I am stupid not to order the expensive steak or fish but I just could not help it! It was one of the most perfect Hainan Chicken Rice I'd ever eaten . . . well, the side soup was . . . look at it. I don't even want to talk about it, but the rest was just perfection! The chicken was deboned, juicy and tender, chicken fat and pandan flavored rice. Almost as good as Tian Tian at Maxwell Road Hawker Center in Singapore. If I could only order a side of chicken kidney or liver . . .

I had the Chicken Rice, AGAIN! Can't get enough of it! 

Chicken Rice was one of the best I've ever had with both dark and white meat. No bones!

Quick snap of two of the four engines

Sadly it was dessert time before we knew it. It was a Warm Pear Tart served with "I'm not sure if it's Häagen-Dazs®" ice-cream.

Warm Pear Tart with vanilla ice-cream and raspberry sauce.

I think the vanilla ice-cream was probably Häagen-Dazs®!

Typical cheese plate to wrap the lunch service up. Presentation was nice enough.

Dr Wong had cheese to round up the meal.

Red cheddar, camembert, and English blue stilton

I was a lot more excited about Singapore Airlines' tea offerings. They have a full complement of TWG teas, black, Darjeeling, earl grey, blah blah blah. But the most impressive was Pu-Erh! Pu-Erh is my favorite de-greasing Chinese black tea. I order it with air-dried Chrysanthemum flowers every single time I go have dimsum. Not even Cathay Pacific Airways offer Pu-Erh on first class. There's also Sencha, Hojicha, Genmaicha, and Masala. You already know "cha" and "chai" means tea so I am not going to use them like in ATM machine. Tea was served in bone china especially designed for Singapore Airlines by Narumi.

Finishing with Pu-Erh and Dr Wong with Genmai

Tea served on Narumi bone china

There wasn't much time left after the lunch service, a couple of drinks, and a movie or two. We landed in Tokyo before long. The flight crew informed us that they would not be flying with us all the way to Los Angeles. We said our good-byes and got off the plane to see what's to be discovered at Narita airport.

ANA First Class Lounge

Transiting at Narita Airport was a breeze since we were one of the first passengers to get off the plane. We had to go through security once, took around 5 minutes. A sign was showing that the ANA first/suit class lounge was upstairs. Right outside there's a Singapore flight attendant cardboard mannequin so we were pretty sure we would be admitted. Receptionists were very polite and friendly. An attendant then led us to a seating area. The lounge was quite deserted, with only 3 other passengers. Drink order was taken and delivered within minutes.

There were menus to order from by the kitchen. They were typical Japanese fare with a few Western options, nothing extremely luxurious. We were quite stuffed from the meal service on the plane so did not order anything. The Chirashi would have been my first choice.

Made to order entrees menu 1

Made to order entrees Menu 2

The lounge was very spacious with partitioned pockets of seating areas. There's plenty of room to stretch and relax and maneuver around the buffet. The cafeteria style dining area was separated from the seating area and was attached to the kitchen through a self-serve window.

The decor was contemporary with minimal colors and clean lines which we appreciated very much.

ANA First Class Lounge seating area

Buffet area

We were presently surprised by the items provided at the buffet. The way of Japanese cooking and presenting food is in a league of its own. I especially liked the seared tuna and skewered chicken meat balls. Everything looked delicate and appetizing.

Buffet spread

The soda machine was the first I'd even seen. It worked well but there's no Coca-Cola products. I tried the Pepsi NEX, it was a good substitute for Coke Zero. Diet Coke and other beverages not available at self serve area can be ordered from one of the attendants.

Soda and iced tea machine

There were other hot items available. They all looked good but I did not have any space for them. There's also plenty of vegetarian items to choose from.

Hong Kong style curry chicken

Sauteed vegetables

Pork slice stew with potato

simple sushi and onigiri - look vegetarian

Delicate looking snacks including chicken meatball skewers!

Dining area

Buffet area 

The shower area was immediately to the left of reception while seating and dining, right. One would have to walk past reception to get to shower. They gave us a mini three bottle shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel by Shiseido before leading us to the shower area.

The lounge can easily be our favorite with top notch Japanese hospitality and food. Though there's no lobster nor caviar to be had, we still thoroughly enjoyed this quite, clean, and modern lounge.

After lounging, we shopped a bit at the couple of shops downstairs right by the gate. There's your usual Japanese wrapped box treats and such. There wasn't too much time left so we didn't venture far from the gate. Before long, it was time to board again. I usually try to board as late as possible when flying coach, but why wait when you can go back into your Suite?

Second leg from NRT to LAX

As informed earlier, there was a change of flight crew. Cabin was thoroughly cleaned and there's a small card saying the suite was cleaned by so and so. Everything was re-distributed except the amenity bag. They call it the "giveaway". Apparently it is a rule that passengers will not get a second Ferragamo "giveaway" bag on the second leg. I was going to request a female version of it if available, but.

Flight was delayed because of heavy rain. After 45 minutes, the pilot announced that we'd be stuck there for at least another 2 hours because of weather. Many passengers were not happy. We heard an announcement about the flight being a non-smoking flight after two hours of the plane sitting on that tarmac. I guessed someone couldn't take it anymore and lit up!

On the other hand, we were overjoyed that we got to stay longer in our suites! I know it's a bit sadistic thinking about the passengers stuck in coach but . . . 10 minutes after the extreme delay announcement, the purser came by our suite and asked if we'd mind them beginning our dinner service immediately since we'd be stuck on ground for at least another two hours. We said "Sure!" thinking then we would have more time to watch movies or sleep. We both decided on our first leg that we wanted the Kyo Kaiseki dinner.

I have much to learn about Kaiseki cuisine, trying to share what I learned from research and some personal insight I have. We did not take advantage of the Book the Cook option since it was our very first time on Singapore Airlines first/suite class. Our seasoned Singapore Airlines flight attendant friend Victor Koo recommended that we order the Kaiseki on the way out of Japan so we did. We also decided to do so because we saw "TUNA BELLY (TORO)" on the menu.

DINNER:

Sakizuke and Mukouzuke were served together.

Sakizuke:
Marinated Squid with Kelp, Grilled Pimiento and Tonburi
Pickled Saba, Wakame and Apple Jelly
Persimmon, Gingko and Mushroom Tossed with Walnut Dressing

Mukouzuke:
Miso-Marinated Toro with cucumber and Tomato Jelly
Pickled Yellow Chive with Soy Sauce and Yuzu-Mustard Dressing

Sakizuke & Mukouzuke

I thought it was rice in the round stone case, it was TORO!

Kyo-Kaiseki Dinner

 Sakizuke #1 - The cubed tako was served chilled, lightly pickled. It had just the right chewiness, tasted very fresh and the low temperature helped a lot. Felt like it was straight from the ocean not long ago. Pimiento is a kind of cherry pepper, didn't taste grilled but it did add a nice color contrast to the little dish. Tonburi is the edible seeds of summer cypress (kochia). Texture's supposed to mimic that of caviar. I didn't really get the association but it was fun to eat. Didn't taste like the ocean though. I've had fingerlime pulps added to a dish that was much more successful as vegetarian caviar.

先付 (appetizer) Sakizuke - #1:  Pickled Tako with Kelp, Grilled Pimiento and Tonburi

Sakizuke #2 - Pickled Saba (Mackerel) on Wakame served with Apple Jelly. Saba Sashimi connoisseur Dr Wong gave the Saba an "A-" which is a pretty high grade for sashimi served on a plane.

先付 Sakizuke #2:  Pickled Saba, Wakame and Apple Jelly

Sakizuke #3 - The star of this third mini appetizer has to be the creamy walnut dressing. It almost had a running peanut butter consistency, full of walnut flavor and bound the mushroom (maitake) and the julienned Persimmon together. Small slices of jade green Gingko nuts were throw on top. My Chinese heritage only exposed me to yellow gingko nuts. The jade green ones looked so precious and rare but they did taste the same as the yellow ones I'm used to.

先付 Sakizuke #3:  Persimmon, Gingko and Mushroom Tossed with Walnut Dressing

Mukouzuke - The lightly seared Toro was creamy and fresh. There's the jelly again! This time it's cucumber and tomato, both tasted refreshing and soft with a tiny bit of bounce. Very fun to eat! The yellow chives were just pickled enough to tame the usual kick when you bite into it. These were served on a bed of baby greens. The Yuzu-Mustard dressing was a very fitting and welcoming alternative to just soy sauce and wasabi.

向付  Mukouzuke (usually a seasonal sashimi) - Miso-marinated and Seared Toro with Cucumber and Tomato Jelly
Pickled Yellow Chive with Soy Sauce and Yuzu-Mustard Dressing

Oshinogi - This course served as a starchy intermission to cushion your stomach for further culinary adventure. When your stomach is half full with starch, you can really savor the taste and quality of the next dishes, and not to care about the quantity. Cold soba noodle served the usual way with wasabi, scallion, nori (packaged), and a soy dashi mirin sugar dipping sauce. Didn't care much for the saffron sushi rice with a paper thin piece of saba on top. These yellow sushi thingies are usually made too sweet for my taste buds. The chicken liver terrine would've been perfect served with Ritz crackers, hah! But by itself it was a bit too rich and gamey for me. This course was garnished with a piece of oden style boiled daikon and a few braised bamboo shoots Jenga style.

御凌ぎ - Oshinogi: Buckwheat Noodle. Scallion, Wasabi, & Seaweed; Saba on Saffron-Sushi Rice, Chicken Liver Terrine

御凌ぎ - Oshinogi: Saba on Saffron-Sushi Rice, Chicken Liver Terrine

Futamono - Lobster head was lightly battered and fried. Lobster body/flesh was cut into small piece and fried in an egg batter, served with Mizuna, Daikon, in a shallow bath of ShiroMiso broth. This dish looked really good in picture but could've used a lot less frying. Lobster is best consumed raw sashimi style or steamed I believe. The Yuzu was mixed in the lobster egg batter. All I tasted was the overpowering Yuzu rind and starch in the batter. Sad! I love Mizuna and it's always good in a salad or slightly blanched (Mizuna is a Japanese vegetable that tastes and textured like a mild Arugula, SQ menu spelt it as Mibuna but I suspect it's the same vegetable. Tasted the same!)

蓋物- Futamono: Fried Lobster with Daikon, Mizuna and Yuzu in Shiro-Miso Broth

Right after the Wagyu was placed on our dinner table, the pilot announced that we'd be next to take off on the run-way. Our jaws dropped! The purser immediately appeared at the suite door and told us not to worry and to take our time to finish the course. I did not want to be the one holding up the plane and hastily finished consuming that succulent piece of meat. It was so rich of beef flavor it's almost bitter. The scallop paled in color and flavor compared to the Wagyu. I usually like my scallop pan seared in high heat, "Pittsburgh-ed" or "black and blue" in steak term - charred on the outside, cool in the middle. This scallop tasted like it was marinated and smoked. Not my cup of tea.

The engine was gearing up while I swallowed my last piece of steak. At the corner of my eye, I could see 4 flight attendants on stand-by mode but were trying to look casually leaning. Pilot announced the "flight attendants please take your seats for take-off". I put my chopsticks down and there they came quickly but politely taking all the serving plates, chopsticks, table cloth, stemware . . . etc and putting them away then ran to their seats and put their seat-belts on. It literally took less than 15 second. As soon as they sat down the plane started accelerating. For safety, we were rushed back to our suites with seat belts on while we watched this craziness go on.

None of the flight attendants looked stressed and they moved in such grace. After this incident, I fell in love with Singapore Airlines' flight service and attendants. They try so hard to please! And I realized that in first class you can dine until the last minute where everyone else has to put away tray tables and everything way before take-off. If I were paying $10,000 USD for a flight, I wouldn't expect anything less!

焼物 Yakimono: Grilled Wagyu, Grilled Tosazu pickled Leek; Teriyaki-Style Hokkaido Scallop, Nori, Chestnut, Carrot.
御飯 Goban: Steamed Rice with Matsutake Mushroom; Asari Clam Soup, Mitsuba Leaves, Ginger, Pickles

Yakimono: Grilled Wagyu, Grilled Tosazu pickled Leek

Yakimono: Teriyaki-Style Hokkaido Scallop, Nori, Chestnut, Carrot.

Goban: Pickles

Goban: Asari Clam Soup, Mitsuba Leaves, Ginger

Goban: Steamed Rice with Matsutake Mushroom

As soon as the plane finished ascending, the crew immediately rushed back to the galley and within minutes, our next course came.

Mizugashi - The Chestnut Creme Brulee was nice but the torching might have left something to be desired. On the other hand, I am not sure if an open flame is a good idea on the plane. There's also a little piece of Okashi looking but tasted like a mini cream puff with the same color as the tiny maple leaves. The Vanilla ice cream was rock hard. Didn't touch it.

水菓子 Mizugashi: Chestnut Creme Brulee with Vanilla Ice Cream

Le SUITES (night time beds):

The seats within the suites are manually converted into beds by the flight attendants. I assume if you know what you're doing you may do it yourself. But with the uber attentive Singapore Airlines flight attendants around, there is no way you'd be able to begin the process within being noticed by them and they will in turn insist to convert the bed for you.

Double bed on the plane!

 The two single beds do not exactly become one double bed. There is a narrow barrier between them and it is not soft. It was still a very fun experience to be able to sleep right next to your spouse in the air. We would do it again given the chance! I wonder tho if I wanted to have a midnight snack, would it be served on a tray, kind of a breakfast in bed setting?

Double bed on the plane!

Double bed on the plane!

BREAKFAST:

Kuchitori - Japanese breakfast was very nicely presented and delicate. Nothing extremely spectacular or expensive. One small complaint was that the dried "jellyfish" was best accompanied by rice porridge (or steamed rice). It is a bit too salty to be spooned directly into one's mouth. I saved it for my steamed rice and did not let the flight attendant take it away. Worth noting is that these tiny pink fish (assume pickled with pink colored plums maybe?) were not jellyfish as in the floating umbrella shaped sea creatures' tentacles. These were what Hong Kong Cantonese people call Pak-Fan-Yu (white rice fish). It is a small species of smelt. Wikipedia calls them icefish or noodlefish. They are served deep fried in Hong Kong, deep fried then cured and dried in a soy based sauce in SouthEast Asia and Korea. My Caucasian friends call them "Fries with Eyes".

口取り - Kuchitori (small side dishes):
Burdock Kimpira, Simmered Herring;
Grilled Eggplant, Ginger, Kinome Leaf;
Royal Fern Wrapped with Tofu Skin;
Simmered Sweet Potato, Carrot, Taro;
Green Beans, Waterchestnut;
Jellyfish with Wasabi Seaweed

口取り - Kuchitori (small side dishes):
Jellyfish with Wasabi Seaweed

口取り - Kuchitori (small side dishes): 
Royal Fern Wrapped with Tofu Skin;
Simmered Sweet Potato, Carrot, Taro;
Green Beans, Waterchestnut

口取り - Kuchitori (small side dishes):
Burdock Kinpira, Simmered Herring

Yakimono - Our very elaborate Japanese breakfast continued. This was more like a lunch portion than breakfast. We did enjoy every dish thoroughly except the sour pickled plum. I'm sure it's full of fiber and vitamins. It's just not something I associate with a savory breakfast. I could not tell the difference between the top right hand side dish and the previous walnut dressing dish. I suspect they were the same thing, all the way down to the jade green gingko nuts.

焼物 Yakimono - Simmer Radish with Minced Chicken and Yuzu;
Marinated Persimmon, Gingko Nut, Maitake Mushroom and Yamakurage with Sesame Dressing;
Salted Blackthroat Sea Perch;
Rolled Salmon with Lobng Yam;
Omelette with Crabmeat and Mizuna;
Assorted pickles, steamed rice, Miso Soup

焼物 Yakimono -
Omelette with Crabmeat and Mizuna

焼物 Yakimono - Simmer Radish with Minced Chicken and Yuzu;

Salted Blackthroat Sea Perch;
Rolled Salmon with Lobng Yam

焼物 Yakimono -
Assorted pickles, steamed rice, Miso Soup

焼物 Yakimono -
Marinated Persimmon, Gingko Nut, Maitake Mushroom and Yamakurage with Sesame Dressing;

 At some point, it would just be awesome if you forget all about the menu and just eat with your eyes and taste buds with no reference point in text. It was a great culinary adventure for us. I walked by the galley and saw 10+ Polaroids taped on the wall of all the dishes. These were most likely the visual tools for the flight attendants' plating effort. The love and care put into each of these Kaiseki course were tremendous and we enjoyed every single bit of them, with a very few exceptions.

Singapore Airlines' Kyo Kaiseki meal service can easily be the most tasty and elaborate in the sky!


BATHROOM:

Bathrooms are bathrooms. They were nice and clean but I always try not to spend too much time in there. Go in there only when absolutely needed.

It was a little odd that there's only two bathrooms for 12 first class passengers. After the Satay Service, I tried to use the bathroom but they were both occupied. The flight crew were very apologetic and I asked if I could go upstairs to use the business class bathrooms. The male flight attendant I asked said of course but he ran upstairs ahead of me. I was wondering what was going on. When I reached the top of the stairs, he retracted the belt barrier and led me to the bathroom. He whispered, "it's ok to use now." I suspected that he went in there to make sure it's clean enough for a first class passenger. It was quite unnecessary but I appreciate the gesture. Later I found out that the Singapore Airlines first class bathrooms are cleaned after every use.

While the first class bathroom toiletries were Ferragamo. They look like the Tuscan Soul line of products that were also offered at the Amsterdam Waldorf Astoria. On the other hand, the business class bathrooms had Miller Harris products, oh the horror! I didn't care that much since I personally don't really like strong fragrance. The Ferragamo in the men's amenity kit was from the Acqua Essenziale BLU line.

Something else that was peculiar was that at times, the flight crew would stick a piece of paper napkin to jam the first class bathroom door to make it look like it's occupied. The flight crew told me afterwards that it's to prevent the premium economy passengers from using the first class cabin's bathrooms. Such class segregation!

Very nice lighting but I could see every wrinkle on my face!

Cream Corian lav top

Curved shelves with orchid in spacious bathroom

Tall mirror in bathroom

electronic adjustable faucet

Toiletries in the business class bathroom.

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All in all, Singapore Airlines' Suite Class soft and hard products were both exceptional. As redemption flights, they were cheaper than Cathay Pacific's First Class products. I'd go with SQ over CX whenever possible especially if Kaiseki is served on the flight!