Far EA(s)Ts .... The Golden Triangle!

[TomVexille]

Interesting wine and spirits selection at the HND JL F lounge - I was at the NRT JL F lounge in July last year and they appeared to have a better selection of champagne (I think they had two vintages - 2002 & 2004 - of Duval Leroy) as well as the Hibiki 12 and Hibiki 17.

I wonder if JL has 'enhanced' these since July or if HND just has a different selection.

Loving the trip report, Amaroo!

Just my opinion of course but the LP dumps all over the Duval

 

[mitti]

For the NV Duval for sure, I find the vintage Duval better than NV LP by quite a long way myself.

 

[TomVexille]

For the NV Duval for sure, I find the vintage Duval better than NV LP by quite a long way myself.

I'll disagree with that, even the vintage was battery acid to me. But I'm glad that I had the opportunity to try it without having to pay for it

 

[amaroo]

Thanks again for posting. I always enjoy your trip reports, plenty of good recommendations in there.

Thanks Lady C

Interesting wine and spirits selection at the HND JL F lounge - I was at the NRT JL F lounge in July last year and they appeared to have a better selection of champagne (I think they had two vintages - 2002 & 2004 - of Duval Leroy) as well as the Hibiki 12 and Hibiki 17.

I wonder if JL has 'enhanced' these since July or if HND just has a different selection.

Loved the trip report, Amaroo!

No idea on any F&B enhancement - the LP was nice.

Thanks for reading!

 

[amaroo]

Did you enjoy Nahm? We went back in 2012 and whilst the food was good for the most part, the service wasn't great. I am keen to go to Gaggan if we go back to BKK.

Have taken full advantage of the QF DSC offer and booked 3 nights at the The Pen coupled with a booking at Gaggan ... looked hard at the new Park Hyatt however, the "romantic urban retreat" offer was just to good to refuse I'll post plenty of photos.

 

[LadyC]

Have taken full advantage of the QF DSC offer and booked 3 nights at the The Pen coupled with a booking at Gaggan ... looked hard at the new Park Hyatt however, the "romantic urban retreat" offer was just to good to refuse I'll post plenty of photos.

Sounds excellent. Look forward to your report

 

[amaroo]

Bangkok in winter - yes please!

No need to start a new TR. It's all about food .... it's a perfect fit!

 

[amaroo]

This BKK trip was booked back in March when QF released their DSC offer. We were undecided where we would have a midyear break and once I spotted the DSC thread on AFF, we quickly settled for BKK in August and another trip to NZ in Oct.

There are a couple of BKK restaurants we either couldn't get a booking back in January or weren't really suitable for taking the kids.... this trip we've had plenty of time to secure tables, and we'll be leaving the kids at home

The flights are BNE-SYD-BKK-SYD-BNE QF J earning a pretty respectable 640SC.

 

[amaroo]

And we're off!

 

[amaroo]

Looks like we were lucky with the high winds in SYD yesterday. Our flight from BNE was only a little late and we made the Flounge just in time for breakfast.

Full menu was on offer.





QF23 SYD-BKK



A rare treat - East/West runway for us. Saw this fellow decide to go-around at the last minute.

 

[amaroo]

The menu





My selection





The snack



Good flight with a lovely crew!

 

[amaroo]

Given the recent negative press about Thai emigration and passport control, we were very pleased to be able to stroll up to a counter without a queue.

Our bags were out within the first dozen or so.... BKK was a good experience for us.

However, the arrival time for QF23 really couldn't be timed worse for Bangkok traffic! 2 hours later we arrived at our hotel.

Feeling a little shagged from the early start we decided to hit the pool and then the Thai restaurant.

You can't beat riverside dining

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

........................

You can't beat riverside dining.

Deja vu

 

[amaroo]

Just can't say no to a longboat ride ..... great way to spend an hour on Chao Phraya

Our beast



Decent development going up next to the Hilton







The Four Seasons is coming to Bangkok

 

[LadyC]

I am very interested in visiting FS after it opens. Looks like it is still a while away yet.

 

[jkbaus]

Currently in Bangkok too and saw this construction a couple of days ago. The sign on the site says Four Seasons Residences.

 

[amaroo]

Look away if you don't like food shots!

We came to BKK for two reasons - both are restaurants.

First up is Gaggan Gaggan | Progressive Indian Cuisine Gaggan Progressive Indian Cuisine Voted the best Asian restaurant for the past three years and is #7 in the world ranking 1-50 The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Gaggan

Indian like you've never eaten it before, 25 courses! Yes, 25 courses. Only three of the 25 require cutlery .... the other 22 are finger food. We booked the 9pm seating and left just over 3 hours later. It's a very casual atmosphere with waitstaff / chefs extremely engaging. We were lucking enough to score a table in the "chef dining" area so we had a birds eye view of the extravaganza!

The menu is unconventional - it's 25 emojis printed on translucent paper.




At the end of your meal you're given a menu that explains the courses in a little more detail.



Without further ado .... Gaggan!

 

[amaroo]

Pan Leaf Chilly Jam and Yogurt Explosion



Tom Yum Kung Cracker



Eggplant Cookie and Chilli Bonbon



Goat Brain



Idly Sambar

 

[Pushka]

The food (and menu) is quite a work of art. I love the concept.

 

[LadyC]

So did you enjoy the food? I usually expect to enjoy most of it but accept there will probably be a dish or two not to my taste. And how was the service? If you were there for 3 hours, I'm guessing not rushed!