SQ 787-10 Dreamliner New Business Class to Perth, Margaret River Glamping & Vineyards

[yflyer]

My choice of post take-off beverage was another glass of champagne...



This was a flight perfectly timed for a full business class dinner service, which began with SQ's signature satay...



3 sticks of chicken and lamb satay, accompanied by peanut sauce, onion and cucumber...



Satay is one of those dishes that seem to work very well in the air...the strong flavour of the marinated meat, and thick spicy peanut sauce are quite delicious at cruising altitude cabin air pressure, where more subtle flavours can taste quite diminished....

The full menu...



SQ's International Culinary Panel...



Dinner menu...





The wine list...







Cocktails...



Spirits, which included a Junmai Ginjo Sake...

[yflyer]

Mocktails...



Hot and cold soft beverages...



As well as a stupendous range of coffees and teas...

[yflyer]

I chose the 2015 Clarendelle Bordeaux red to accompany my smoked duck starter...



The label on the wine said "Inspired by Haut Brion"...hmmm...I wondered what that was about...



On re-reading the wine list notes, I learned that Clarendelle was owned by the same winemakers as the illustrious Haut-Brion Bordeaux First Growth. While this was clearly a different wine from Haut-Brion, or even Haut-Brion's second wine, Bahans / Le Clarence, it was nevertheless a very interesting wine for SQ to serve onboard. And a very fine wine it was as well, even if my unrefined palate was hard pressed to detect any family resemblance to the Haut-Brion First Growth wines...

The duck was tasty, and paired nicely with the full-bodied Clarendelle...



A selection of bread was also offered...



For our main courses, we had opted to order from the BTC menu before hand, rather than choose from the menu (In fact, the inflight dinner menu was also available online before the flight, where your choice of main could also be locked in...)

Mrs yflyer ordered the BTC seared nut-crusted veal fillet, which she found a little too dry...



My daughter, Miss yflyer no.2 opted for the BTC baked herb marinated salmon, which she said was delicious...



As for myself, I chose that old favourite, Classic Lobster Thermidor...



...which I accompanied with the Coldstream Hills Chardonnay...



...this was a wonderful wine: fresh, lively and full bodied, with a smooth, almost buttery, mouth feel...



The lobster tasted very good...tender chunks of flesh in a creamy sauce...



I could not help thinking, though, that this BTC lobster could not compare with the delicious BTC Lobster I had eaten Ex-SYD on SQ's New A380 Suites a year back. Perhaps it was not fair to compare J lobster with what you were served in Suites.

There is no such thing as too much BTC lobster. I also ordered this as my book-the-cook selection for my return flight. How would ex-PER BTC Lobster compare to the ex-SIN dish? More on that later in the TR!

[yflyer]

I opted for ice cream for dessert...



...and then the cheese platter afterwards, accompanied by a glass of port...



Pralines were served with a dry ice flourish...I found it to be a nice touch, not at all gimmicky...



I skipped coffee/tea as the caffeine would have kept me awake, but apparently caffeine had no effect on other pax who had their cuppa...

[yflyer]

After dinner service, lights were dimmed...and pax either used the IFE or took the opportunity to catch a little sleep...



Crazy Rich Asians was on the IFE this month, and I rewatched snippets of it during and after dinner...



Too bad the movie featured a fictitious airline "Pacific Asean Airlines" and not SIA.



It would have been great PR for SQ if they had been featured, especially since SQ Suites might have been the inspiration for the aircraft interior shots in the movie...



Wifi was available on this flight, although it was fairly costly and based on data usage and not time...





Four hours passed quickly, and it was soon we were at top of descent...



The cabin was prepped for arrival...



...and we landed at PER a few minutes ahead of schedule, at 11.32pm.

[yflyer]

Overall, this was an excellent flight. I was very impressed with SQ's 787-10 Business Class. The new seat is light years ahead of SQ's previous regional J product (An angled lie-flat 2-2-2 design, still in service on A330's and some 773's/772's) and is in many ways as good as a long haul J seat.

Cabin service was very attentive, with lots of personal attention to pax in the J cabin.

Downsides? Mrs yflyer's BTC veal was a little too cooked for her liking (I should have warned her that any kind of steak/veal dish inflight is a hit-or-miss thing...), and if you were very tall or big sized, then the seat might feel a little small compared to SQ's long haul J seats. And needless to say, SQ's T3 SilverKris lounge, while very comfortable, is in need of a makeover to bring it up to latest SQ standards, not to mention competitor's lounge offerings.

But apart from these fairly minor quibbles, I think SQ has scored a bull's eye with their 787-10 Business Class product -- it is really a very comfortable way to fly.

We cleared Perth immigration and customs quickly and took a taxi to the Four Points Sheraton in Perth, where we stayed for a night before driving to Margaret River the next day.

To be continued!

[SQ218]

Excellent detailed TR as always yflyer. Thanks for sharing.

[loldude333]

I might just be getting addicted to your TRs, yflyer, fantastically done again as usual.

[SQfanatic]

Excellent and detailed TR so far yflyer. The Y product really looks similar to CX's new 10-across 77W Y seat (and their A350, which in pictures looks pretty much the same), the difference being that the seat colors are a lot nicer.

Seriously, I wish SQ would go back to time-based Wifi again even with their new OnAir Inmarsat system. It's definitely better than volume based any day.

These will definitely be noticeable on the regional A350's as well. But I for sure would love to try a 787 or at least SQ's 787-10 in the future. I could tell you had a very enjoyable flight. Looking forward to more pictures.

[Tonitan]

Another enjoyable TR Yflyer! Appreciate your sharing, I agree the cabin ambience and comfort is more superior on the 787-10 compared to the A359 but the new regional seat wide is a little narrow for my comfort and the inability to get out of the seat during meal service with tray table deployed is a minor irritation. First world problem again!

[flyguy]

I just did a flight to TYO on JAL 2 weeks ago, going up on EY and coming back on PEY on their 787. This is my frrst time flying JAL to TYO/NRT as I usually fly with SQ. But after this, I will fly JAL whenever possible to NRT and beyond. This is because on JAL 787, the EY seating is only 8 across 2-4-2, and their PEY seating is 2-3-2 or 7 across wit a generous 42inch pitch instaed of standard 38". One can actually feel the "spaciousness" and seat width as compared to SQ A350s or 787s. Similiarly for China Airlines A350 with its PEY seats at 7 across which I flown with them a few months back. If only SIA do not pack its EY seats so tightly at 3-3-3 and PEY at 2-4-2.

[yflyer]

Excellent detailed TR as always yflyer. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, SQ218!

I might just be getting addicted to your TRs, yflyer, fantastically done again as usual.

Thanks, loldude333!

Excellent and detailed TR so far yflyer.

Thanks, SQfanatic!

Another enjoyable TR Yflyer! Appreciate your sharing, I agree the cabin ambience and comfort is more superior on the 787-10 compared to the A359 but the new regional seat wide is a little narrow for my comfort and the inability to get out of the seat during meal service with tray table deployed is a minor irritation. First world problem again!

Thanks, Tonitan!

I've not tried A350 J yet, so I can't compare, but I was very impressed with 787-10 J. Maybe it was because I am not that tall/big sized but I did not find the seat narrow. I thought the width was adequate.

Agree that it is a minor inconvenience that you cannot leave the seat without stowing the tray table. That said, I guess pax could take a few moments to transfer anything on the tray table onto the large side console if he/she really needed to get out of the seat...

I just did a flight to TYO on JAL 2 weeks ago, going up on EY and coming back on PEY on their 787. This is my frrst time flying JAL to TYO/NRT as I usually fly with SQ. But after this, I will fly JAL whenever possible to NRT and beyond. This is because on JAL 787, the EY seating is only 8 across 2-4-2, and their PEY seating is 2-3-2 or 7 across wit a generous 42inch pitch instaed of standard 38".

JAL is the only airline that still flies 787's with Economy at 8-abreast 2-4-2. I love that config! In fact, that was the subject of the first TR I posted on SQTalk! Even NH seems to be converting their Dreamliners to 9-abreast 3-3-3. Did JAL restart 787 flights to/from SIN? I thought they only flew 767s/777s to Singapore now. What sector did you you fly the JAL 787 on?

SQ doesn't have PEY on their 787-10's at the moment. On their A350's SQ's PEY is 2-4-2, and it felt slightly more cramped than SQ PEY on the A380, which is also 2-4-2 in a wider cabin. If SQ ever launches PEY on the 787, I hope it is 2-3-2.

[Stratoliner777]

Just wanted to say thank you, yflyer, for an absolutely outstanding report in all respects. This site simply has some of the best trip reports on the Internet!

[yflyer]

Just wanted to say thank you, yflyer, for an absolutely outstanding report in all respects. This site simply has some of the best trip reports on the Internet!

Thanks very much, Stratoliner777! Agree there is superb content on this site! I love both writing and reading TR's here...we have a great bunch of contributors!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

We landed in Perth, on SQ215, just after 11.30pm at night, and by the time we arrived by taxi at the Four Points Sheraton Perth, it was after midnight.

Our game plan for this part of the trip was to spend the night in Perth before picking up our rental car and heading to the Margaret River region for a few days. We would return to Perth after that, and stay at a different hotel, the Westin Perth, for a couple of days as we explored the city.

Our priority for this first night was simply for a comfortable and convenient place to spend the night before heading out, and the Four Points fit the bill perfectly...

I had called ahead to the hotel to ensure that the room was held for us, and our room was ready for our late night arrival.



The room had a dark-toned modern theme and everything looked new. There was a King Bed, and we also asked for a single rollaway bed to be brought to our room, as there were 3 of us.

Bathrooms were basic, but clean and stylish.





We awoke to bright sunshine the next morning, and enjoyed a complimentary full breakfast buffet, courtesy of Marriott/SPG Platinum membership, in the lobby restaurant...



The Four Points was located a few minutes walk from the Perth CBD.



Just across the street from the hotel was the RAC Arena, a sports and concert venue...



...where Shania Twain had just played, and where Phil Collins was scheduled to play in January 2019, as part of his "Not Dead Yet" tour...nice to know that this great musician (And incredible drummer...) was not only not dead, but alive, kicking and playing concerts!