HKG lounge crawl 10 June 2018

[JessicaTam]

Did you notice the damage Sodexo has done to the quality of CX F lounge catering? Most CX FF now see the QF lounge food as superior.

I ate in most lounges and thought the food was excellent. A year or so ago I think they were offering burgers on the F menus, so this has been a definite improvement.

 

[get me outta here]

Looks like a good time was had by all, what a hoot. A rating table would be great to see.

 

[JessicaTam]

Looks like a good time was had by all, what a hoot. A rating table would be great to see.

There were other priorities!

The Deck was not up to the standard of the other CX lounges - but still a step up from G16.

 

[get me outta here]

Which CX F lounge was 'best'?

There were other priorities!

The Deck was not up to the standard of the other CX lounges - but still a step up from G16.

 

[JessicaTam]

Which CX F lounge was 'best'?

The Pier F, followed by the Pier J.

 

[serfty]

I ate in most lounges and thought the food was excellent. A year or so ago I think they were offering burgers on the F menus, so this has been a definite improvement.

Actually I found the burgers excellent and a definite "go to" ... Shame they are gone.

(Of course not an option for those who do not eat red meat. )

 

[serfty]

And for those who thought the dining in Pier F was better than Wing F! Same menu. Hahaha!

Why would they that ... The pier and wing have basically had the same menu for decades .. And that includes the buffet.

 

[CMA222]

Did you notice the damage Sodexo has done to the quality of CX F lounge catering? Most CX FF now see the QF lounge food as superior.

Food has definitely deteriorated since the change. The buffet at the Wing F lounge used to be a highlight on its own but now it is a salad bar with a few hot dishes. No more sushi or sashimi.

I spoke with one of the local staff at the QF lounge who said he was previously employed at the CX Wing F and Pier F and left a few months after the changeover occurred. He volunteered that the selection of food offered was one of the first changes that occurred and the visitors all commented. The size of meals was reduced but that just meant many people ordered more than one serve. One personal comment was that the previous operator gave the staff an annual bonus which was three times what is now paid by the current operator.

There was a reason we generally only had cheese cake and (real) champagne during our brief stop over at the QF. It would have been "sparkling" wine if we had not been accompanied by a Matt_01.

Great to catch up with everyone.

 

[Ewing]

Was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend, and a special thanks to @CMA222 for being my tour guide on Saturday. We had a most enjoyable trip out to Stanley, where we explored and then found a perch at Smugglers Inn where we enjoyed some people watching over a few pints and nibbles (and one of the most amiable bartenders I've encountered!).

Being my first time flying out of HKG I can't comment on what the CX lounges were like before, but I definitely preferred Pier F over Wing F. I managed to visit:

- Pier F
- Wing F & J (the latter just a quick look)
- The Bridge
- The Deck
- Qantas
- Amex Centurion

Centurion was probably my most pleasant surprise. It had a very extensive spirits selection including one of my favourite gins (Botanist) and they also had real champagne (Mumm) along with lovely L'Occitane amenities in the washrooms. Qantas was about as expected. If I didn't have access to F lounges I'd probably use Centurion for future flights.

I only ate in three lounges - a little snack in The Bridge, some rather tasty dumplings that were offered in Qantas, and some BBQ pork plus my favourite Dan Dan noodles in The Pier.

The service upstairs on QF128 was superb despite the challenges the crew faced with quite a bit of the seatbelt sign during the first few hours of the flight. The lovely Ally noticed I didn't eat my main (the chilli beef - it was tasteless with no spice whatsoever so I only had a bite) and said: "Can I get you something else instead? I have everything" so I switched to the chicken wonton soup which was great.

The reason for my late arrival (and not eating much) was that I had a superb lunch at my hotel (Park Lane) prior to checking out. Skye is their restaurant on the 27th floor and the food and service was impeccable - here's a few snaps: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FvgoigSfvZRyBgDc6

The bill for that lunch came to HKD495 (about $83 Australian) including free flow sparkling wine and other drinks. I was very impressed! I did however have to stifle a few giggles as the (presumably) wealthy Chinese man across from me ordered a toasted sandwich and an expensive bottle of Bordeaux to wash it down.

 

[JohnK]

Why would they that ... The pier and wing have basically had the same menu for decades .. And that includes the buffet.

There is no buffet in the Pier. When Pier F reopened they had a menu that was different to Wing F and people were saying the food/menu was better in Pier F. They can't make that claim anymore.

Looks like a good time was had by all, what a hoot. A rating table would be great to see.

Depends what you want out of a lounge visit.

As I said in the PM the Wing F feels open and airy. The buffet used to be great but has since been enhanced. I miss the beef/lamb/pork roasts. The food available in the buffet has an Asian feel to it and that is the last thing I want in a lounge in HKG. I like the feel of the lounge and can sit/stand and people watch gates 1-4. Self serve champagne if that's your thing.

Pier F still has a dungeony feel and there is no buffet. The restaurant is bigger and food from the menu is now identical to Wing F.

Emirates lounge is isually quite empty. Open and airy and able to people watch. Love the food on offer as it's not based on Asian cuisine. The beef medallions and fish on Sunday were excellent. Self serve drinks is a huge plus for me.

Qantas lounge is open and airy and able to people watch. The food is usually pasta, curry and some vegetarian dish. Lovely cheesecake.

Out of the 4 CX business lounges Pier J is probably the pick over Bridge, Wing J and the Deck. Unsurprisingly the food is similar in all 4 lounges as the catering is all done by Plaza Premium.

My advice for anyone in transit not wanting to explore go to the lounge nearest your departure gate.

 

[JessicaTam]

The food available in the buffet has an Asian feel to it and that is the last thing I want in a lounge in HKG.

Asian food in Asia! Who would of thought it!

 

[Eija]

Thank you all - it was fun! I missed a few lounges(next time). But, I got a great happy snap of the Disco Duck Smoking Lounge. Regarding, phone vs. paper boarding passes. I did meet someone at the gate with a Qantas app QR code boarding pass. So the app seems to be hit & miss! It certainly did not work for me despite numerous attempts. Mine was printed out at the hotel. Speaking of Shangri-La - Great Service! Whisked through the airport by a Happy Chappy in a Red Jacket with Gold Braiding arrived at The Wing F in about 5 minutes. How he did will remain one of life's mysteries.

 

[Ansett]

Thank GOD I dont smoke LOL

 

[Ewing]

The Deck was not up to the standard of the other CX lounges - but still a step up from G16.

When I missed the group at The Deck I asked the man at the desk if a bunch of Australians just left.

He said: "Yes, they left a few minutes ago to go collect the rest of our stamps"

Was just about to head out to find you all when I bumped into @Eija and shortly after @CMA222 so all worked out anyway!

 

[adamphosho]

Thanks @JessicaTam for the organisation, it was a fun day meeting people and lounge crawling!

I squeezed in a cabana visit in The Wing F right as my flight started boarding. A quick experience, but it was great to see

In terms of food and dining I preferred the experience at Pier F. Feels like a little underground club. The Wing F is nice and airy, I don't value the champagne bar - effectively just a self service area with some bottles and seats. Although the cabana is unique enough to tip my overall preference to Wing F (at least once)

 

[Ewing]

I don't value the champagne bar - effectively just a self service area with some bottles and seats.

Haha yes. I did two laps of the lounge when I arrived looking for the champagne bar before realising it was exactly as you described.

 

[Aeolus]

Back online after going “dark” for a few days to recover from the lounge binges. Thanks JT and all who made it to this do for the fantastic meet-up.

Actually I found the burgers excellent and a definite "go to" ... Shame they are gone.

(Of course not an option for those who do not eat red meat. )

The burger was definitely on the Pier F menu but not on the Wing’s (forgot to take a pic of the menu but will do so when I head back there in a few days’ time) but I do agree the food and service standards have dropped. Buffet selection at the Wing’s had been reduced too.

 

[Hvr]

All of my MH flights have posted and I've requalified WP for another year. Also had a loyalty bonus so another 8,000 points in the account.

 

[fkn_ace]

Hi all, even though i wasn't there i thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. Thanks everyone. My wife, daughter and i are off to hong kong, then new york next week on cx. Cant wait to try out the wing j and/or pier j for the first time, before our 16hr flight to newark.

 

[Aeolus]

Actually I found the burgers excellent and a definite "go to" ... Shame they are gone.

(Of course not an option for those who do not eat red meat. )

@serfty ...here you go
Anyone else noticed the availability of massage appointment is always 3-5hrs from the time you try to book? The lounge is pretty empty today and it’s still the same. Suspect some dodgy stuff going on there...

Oh, this may be useful info to someone in future, the QF check in at the airport opens at 4pm during non daylight savings, unlike the 3 hour before first flight info on the QF website. I was stuck in the CX arrival lounge for over 1 hr as the CX check in at SGN refused to check my bags all the way through to Oz.