In LA. Alas life goes on. Sad Panda.
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The “suite”. They call it that but there is no door. Alas it is by far the largest see I saw between Cathay J, Q-Suite & Qatar old-school J! I reserved seat 1A after some research. The middle aisle opens the other direction so the only people using the aisle are 1A & 2A & FAs. Definitely felt more private than Cathay Biz I did. The amenity kit was my least favorite of all. I appreciated the mini hairbrush, but I really missed having a lotion in there and the lip balm was not made for air travel (as soon as you open the tube it starts squirting, QR’s solid substance lib balm was better in this regard.) They asked me which size PJs I wanted (I’m 5’10” I went medium, worked fine). They were soft and I think will be handy for future air travel if I feel like lugging then along so I brought them with.
The champagne on offer was Krug 2004. Yum yum yum! The whites were Lamblin & Fils Chablis Premier Cru “Fourchaumes” 2017 & Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2017. The reds and port...
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A quick google search before take off suggested retail prices of the reds at about $25, $45, $145 going down the list. I had the Wagyu beef and switched from the Krug to the Chateau Lynch for that and the senior FA informed me that was many of her fliers favorite. It was good, I had another glass but do give it some air if you ever had it. It was most certainly not $145 worth good in my book fwiw but we all have different pallets!
The rest of the menu...
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For tea fans here’s their complete tea rundown
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After takeoff they served all of us an ahi mango appetizer along with a post-departure beverage which the FA hd taken the order for before takeoff. It was good and I’m not generally a fan of raw Ahi.
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Caviar course (which Cathay F is famous for on the blogs). Alas caviar simply is not my cup of tea. I’ve tried it in multiple settings. Googled how to eat it prior to departure. Still don’t care for it. The fresh garlic bread in the bread basket however was excellent! (Yes, I’m a cheap date in the food department... Booze not so much.)
I had Waygu Beef for dinner (guess I’m not such a cheap date after all!). Mistake: ordered it medium. It came well done. Not a spec of pink. But still yummy & the wine sauce was excellent. The served a slab of it which really surprised me after my dinner experience in CX J was so small it left me hungry. Sorry forgot this pic!
Side tip: when you have a “maybe I should use the bathroom?” inkling and are on an airplane go. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Go to the bathroom stat. Or you will end up like me in the middle of turbulence deciding “screw it! I’ve seen tons of people use the bathroom on other flights when that light is on, I’m gonna try it!” Only to see a FA by the bathroom and be intercepted “Ms. Gottalovepluto! It’s not safe to be up right now please return to your seat!” The following 20 mins sucked guys. When it calmed down but the light was on I asked a passing FA but she said the light is on no. She took pity I think because 10 mins later she came back with the light still on & said I could use the bathroom at my own risk. I took her up on that offer. Moral of the story: extra service is a double edged sword. Everything about you is watched more closely.