Round The World and other travel

Flight Log 4: OZ542

Frankfurt (FRA) - Seoul Incheon (ICN)

Bruce was first down the ramp and bound for seat 2K. I followed closely behind and was intrigued to be greeted by name, even though the cabin attendant had not looked at my boarding pass. Interesting, I thought. That suggests to me that we're the only two Western-looking males in the cabin. I got settled into my allocated seat (3K) and noted that the relief pilot was already occupying 4K. My amenity kit, slippers and headphones were already in place in the seat area, in addition to a cushion and blanket on the seat itself. A sleeper suit was delivered after the cabin crew had an opportunity to gauge the appropriate size. I had a pre-take off drink of apple juice, served with some warmed mixed nuts. As I was enjoying seconds of both, I was aware that no-one else seemed to be making an appearance in the cabin and it suddenly occurred to me to check the other seats for headphones, etc: there were none to be seen. I confirmed the situation with one of the cabin attendants and asked if it would be OK to relocate to 2A.

Three first-class passengers, all in a row.

One moved across the aisle - all set to go!

We could hardly believe our good fortune at having the cabin to ourselves, apart from the very discreet crew member whose presence was barely noticeable. There was a hot towels service at the gate and the captain announced our expected flight time as 9hrs 40mins. This was followed by the familiar and charming ritual in which one of the attendants got into position at the front of the cabin, a short announcement was made in Korean and the said crew member gave a deep bow to the passengers. Pushback from the gate came slightly ahead of schedule at 1827 and we left from runway 07C at 1840.

Once the aircraft had settled into the cruise, the cabin crew handed out menus and wine lists and took orders for drinks.

WESTERN MENU	WINE LIST
Starters	Champagne
Grissini with Coppa Ham, Beef Mozzarella Croquette with	Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2002
Red Pepper Coulis	Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1999
Caviar
Roasted Veal Saddle and Roasted Prawns	White wines
Carrot Cream Soup	Meursault 1er Cru Clos des Poruzots 2009, Burgundy,
Mixed Greens	France
	Chateau Brown 2007, Bordeaux, France
Main courses	Jordan Chardonnay 2008, California, USA
Beef tenderloin steak served with Madeira Wine Sauce,
Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots and Baked Potato	Red wines
Pan-fried Barramundi served with Saffron Cream Sauce,	Chateau Gruaud Larose 2008, Bordeaux, France
Beetroot Risotto, Broccoli and Carrots	Corton Bressandes Grand Cru 2008/09, Burgundy, France
Osso Bucco served with Gremolata Sauce, Polenta, Carrot	Robert Keenan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006/07,
and Turnip	California, USA
	Vaso 2009, Dana Estates, California, USA
Cheese selection
Goat, Cream Mountain, Herb	Port
	Sandeman 20-year-old Tawny Port, Porto, Portugal
Dessert
Sachertorte with Cinnamon Custard Sauce	Dessert wines
Coffee and tea with petit fours	Blandy's 10-year-old Malmsey Madeira, Portugal
	Jackson-Triggs Vidal VQA Ice Wine 2007, Niagara,
	Canada
KOREAN MENU		LEFT: A yellow rose in water was presented to each passenger as part of the process of setting the tables for dinner
Starters
Korean Dried Shrimp Cake 'Saewoo Dasik'
Eggplant Roll with Soybean Paste Sauce
Korean Traditional Walnut Porridge

Main course
Korean Royal Cuisine 'Bibimbap' and Stewed
Seafood: Steamed rice, various vegetables and minced
beef mixed with red pepper paste 'Gochujang', sesame oil,
stewed seafoods, assorted side dishes and soup

Dessert
Fresh fruit
Coffee and tea
Korean traditional cookies

I had a glass of the Taittinger and some ice water, which came with the initial starter served as an amuse bouche. My table was then laid for dinner and some garlic bread from the well-stocked bread basket kept me nibbling until the feast got underway in earnest. First up was the impressive caviar service: a jar of highly-rated Ossetra (a.k.a. Oscietra) was presented with a half-lemon, toast and blinis, as well as the traditional accompaniments of chopped onion, crumbled hard-boiled egg and crème fraîche. This was followed up by the veal and prawn starter, the cream of carrot soup and a light salad with a choice of dressing.

For my main course, I had chosen the barramundi (the Australian name for an Asian sea bass) and thankfully found it to be nice and light. A glass of the Meursault formed the perfect accompaniment. But the feast was far from over! Once the main course plates had been collected, a substantial serving of cheese, crackers and fresh fruit was presented, after which I felt positively stuffed. I had no intention of asking for dessert, but it appeared anyway alongside my requested cup of Earl Grey tea, and I felt obliged out of politeness to have a nibble at it. (In retrospect, perhaps it would have been better to return it untouched, so that the cabin crew could have enjoyed it themselves.)

A distribution of hot towels and bottles of Volvic mineral water brought this amazing mid-air feast to a close. Recalling my Singapore Airlines Suites experience of early 2009, I asked for my bed to be made up in 1A - well, why not make use of the available space?! Leaving most of my various bits and pieces behind in 2A, I settled down in my flat bed and tried to get some sleep. Had I so wished, the following would have been available:

REFRESHMENTS (available on request throughout the flight)

Udong

Ramen

Sandwich

Assorted fresh fruits

I slept soundly for a while and then dozed lightly for about an hour and a half. Eventually I decided to return to 2A, where I was served a refreshing apple juice with ice. Just 30 minutes or so later and some 90 minutes out from arrival, the lights were switched on and a third hot towels service signalled that breakfast - billed as 'Brunch' on this flight - was imminent.

BRUNCH	ABOVE: A new day has dawned, but it's cold down there!
Starter
Fresh fruit
Cereal and yoghurt

Main courses
Crepe with scrambled eggs served with red pepper coulis, mushrooms and zucchini
Grilled Salmon in Pine Nut Crust and Spinach Cheese Soufflé served with basil tomato sauce and vegetables

Selection of breakfast bread (Croissant, Ciabatta Roll, Nut Puff Pastry, Blueberry Muffin) served with jam and butter
Coffee and tea

I wondered how I would ever manage to eat anything so soon after such an outstanding dinner, but nevertheless persuaded myself to have a plate of fresh fruit, a bowl of cornflakes and the scrambled eggs main course. I declined the offer of some yoghurt, but did eat a nicely-warmed croissant. Coffee and apple juice completed this more than ample first meal of the new day.

ABOVE: Despite the sumptuous feast that had taken place just a few
hours earlier, there was no skimping on the Brunch offering

A fourth round of hot towels marked the end of the brunch service and this seemed like a good time to change back into my own clothes. As a parting gift, we were each presented with a Salvatore Ferragamo scented candle and a CD by Korean classical pianist, Yeol Eum Son. We touched down at Seoul's Incheon Airport at 1233 local time and arrived at our stand more or less on schedule.

In summary, Bruce and I agreed that this was one of the all-time great flights: Asiana Airlines is one of the best-kept secrets in the world of international travel. The hard product may be a little dated, but this is more than made up for by an absolutely outstanding standard of service. Truly unforgettable!