Thursday, October 17, 2013

THAI Airways First BKK-FCO

TG944
Bangkok - Rome
Boeing 747-400
HS-TGM "Chao Phraya"
THAI Royal First Class, Seats 1A & 1K
Flight time: 11:30
Distance: 8'885km
Date: 28/08/13




Salmon with some chili-garlic-onion-fishsauce dressing as starter at THAI Airways Royal First Lounge. Very trendy dish all over Bangkok.

The boarding pass - just a piece of paper and yet so thrilling. Especially when it's marked with a big, fat "F".

Bland shrimp cocktail which matches the uninspired and unattentive service we've received at the Royal First Lounge. Am I surprised? Well, not really, unfortunately.

Can't go wrong with a club sandwich, can you.

The missus starting to feel comfortable in 1A.

Likewise the mister's feeling relaxed in 1K.

Mademoiselle enjoying the first of many glasses of Dom Perignon Vintage 2003, one of the most overrated bubblies out there, if you ask me. But no one ever asked me.

A bread basket! Hooray! :-)

Purists and connoisseurs alike would never combine white sturgeon caviar with garnitures.

I'm neither a purist nor a connoisseur. I'm just quite hungry.

Marinated lobster with Thai herbs in tomato, smoked tuna carpaccio, red and yellow endivie. Looks and sounds fancier than it tasted.

Once again I pre-ordered lobster thermidor which was a very good choice considering the other dishes they had on offer on that flight. Never had a bad experience with those poor crustaceans. They must add plenty of flavor enhancer, me thinks.

My partner in crime opted for the beef which was not the best choice. When will people learn that eating beef above the skies always disappoints?

Anyhow, we enjoyed our togetherness to the fullest!

Some lovely chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano can't be missed on a flight to bella Italia! Mamma mia!

Those new pyjamas look good on us, don't they. SWAG! (The first and last time I've ever used this term. Promise! I don't even know what it means!)

Fruits for the digestion.

My lady gave up. She couldn't handle any more food. Next time you'll fly economy again! I tell you! What a waste!

It's an affair of honor to finish all dishes served. At least to me. And so I finished the feast with a Baba Amaretto with praline cream and Armagnac caramel truffle. Sweet.

The poor girl couldn't sit anymore.

The morning after. There is no better place for waking up in an airplane than the nose of the queen of the skies. Classy.

Actually I'm not a big fan of eating fruits on airplanes. Don't really know why not. But I ate them anyway. Hey, I mean YOLO! (Again, the first and last time I've used this term. At least this time I do know what it means.)

My honey is my hero :-)

La signorina had sweet vanilla pancake with yoghurt and maple syrup, grilled "premium" chicken sausage (what is that?) and ham (so that ham is of inferior quality if it's not "premium" then, huh?), and baked cherry tomato.

Champagne for breakfast? Seriously?

I had an omelet with Paris Ham and Gruyere cheese, pan-fried back bacon, grilled "premium" pork sausage (ha!), sliced potatoes with mixed capsicum, and a slow cooked tomato. It was good.
Better don't get used to this space, honey! Next time your seat number is 73E!

Lac Retaud, Switzerland. One of the many reasons for this trip :-) Smile high!



Thursday, January 24, 2013

THAI Airways First FRA-BKK

TG921
Frankfurt - Bangkok
Airbus A380-800
HS-TUB "Mancha Khiri"
THAI Royal First Class, Seat 3A
Flight time: 10.10h
Distance: 9'008km
Date: 04/01/13


Classic THAI First boarding pass. What's the special meal going to be?

The mandatory bretzel at Lufthansa's Senator Lounge in FRA


attempt of a panoramic shot of the F cabin in the upper deck of the flying whale

local whale greeting us on the apron

massive screens they have in first

a glass of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 to start with

seat controls

stairways down to the proletariat ;-)

bar in front of the first class cabin seen from the stairways

Multi-purpose area in front of the cabin. A massage service would be a fantastic purpose on a 10h+ flight, me thinks. This is something for TG's marketing department.

In fact, the so called "bar" is used as a news rack

Let's see what THAI has on offer today...

:-)

Seat 3A is in the last row of the cabin. I wisely chose to be seated in the back due to possible noise from intoxicated passengers from the bar in front of the cabin. How could I know that THAI is using it as a news rack?

love that tail camera

About time to leave, my friends!

And off we go into the wild blue yonder.

quite elegant cabin

and a classy seat

and some classy pyjamas

smooth glider this A380

Campari Orange and some nuts

canapés with shrimps and duck

The windows of the A380 are rather bad for taking pictures. Still the sights can be enjoyed.

refreshing towel

:-)

The service was quite slow which is why I got my second Campari O (after two glasses of bubbly) before the first course already. Give me a break... and hurry up! I'm hungry!

Breads (focaccia, garlic bread) are nicely presented in a small basket.

love it

white sturgeon caviar with garnitures

most overrated dish accompanied by a glass of Chablis Grand Cru Desvignes 2011

First course included lobster medaillons, wasabi dip in tomato cup, sesame tuna fillet, and a duck liver pyramid

vegetable salad

and the preordered main course with a glass of Beaune 1er Cru Les Greves 2008

a rather bland and disappointing lobster on a cream sauce with vegetables and noodles (it seems they serve the classic lobster thermidor only ex BKK)

cheescake with passion fruit sauce to finish

boring espresso to support digestion

Grand Marnier on the rocks to support the sleep

overflying Georgia already

the huge toilet (bigger than many hotel bathrooms I've seen)

another attempt to capture a 160 degree panoramic picture of the toilet including the spacious dressing area on the left

Proof that the A380 is equipped with WiFi! Now it just needs government approval to fully operate and connect to the WWW - this might only take 4 to 5 years in amazing Thailand I suspect...

elegant 2E & 2F

lounge mode needed after this feast

into India soon

Breakfast time!

lovely :-)

healthy!

richest fruit smoothie ever...

Baked potato leek souffle, veal sausage, sauteed wild mushroom, and tomato basil ragout

Flight's over too soon...

The setting sun will always rise again.

:-)

:-)

northern outskirts of Bangkok

left turn over the southern seashore shortly before landing

illuminated engines before short final

approaching runway 01L

landed!

Wat Arun, Bangkok, Thailand. One of the many reasons for this trip :-) Smile high!