We flew mostly Singapore Airlines for this trip, flying from London to Singapore, Singapore to Brisbane, Melbourne to Singapore and Singapore back to London. I was quite impressed with the meals presented on board Singapore Airlines – while the food is not spectacular (c’mon, it’s airline food!), it’s miles ahead of anything British Airways or Air Canada has.
That’s a fish with Oriental sauce dinner on top and a noodle breakfast below.
We gave ourselves enough of a stopover at Singapore’s Changi Airport on the way to Brisbane to take one of the free coach tours (recommended stopover time of 5 hours…we had 7!). Unfortunately, it was pouring the entire time, making the tour more of a laugh than anything. Of course, with such a long stopover, we were able to fit in two whole meals before our next flight: prawn noodles first and then Hainanese chicken rice! The first dish is a noodle soup whereby the soup is based on a delicious broth made from prawn shells. The second dish is extremely famous throughout Singapore and is a boiled chicken dish (in our case it was roast chicken – more of a Malay influence, I believe) served with chicken rice, a delicious rice cooked in chicken stock.
All the food above was eaten airside, past immigration. If it had been easier for us to get out and then back in again, we would have made our way to the staff canteen in Terminal 1. To get there, first search for the Burger King in Terminal 1, on the ground floor. Walk around to the back of it and exit the building. Take a sharp left and walk down the stairs. Et voila, the staff canteen (air conditioned!)! Canteen is a bit misleading as it’s more of a food court with a number of hawker stalls. We feasted here just before our flight back to London from Singapore and the food is good – certainly some of the best at the airport! There is also a canteen in Terminal 2 but it’s more difficult to get to – take the shuttle train between the two terminals instead.
Don’t get me started on the shopping at Changi Airport*! On my way back I bought many Nyonya cakes from Bengawan Solo. And there may have been shoes from Charles and Keith. And…uh…. yeah, best shopping at an airport I’ve ever seen, hands down! Shopping and eating – excellent ways to kill time before a flight!
*If you’re flying onwards to Australia or New Zealand, I suggest you do NOT purchase any food to bring along as these countries have extremely strict quarantine laws and many beagles ready to sniff out your goodies.
Thu, 15 Nov, 2007 at 15:36
I spy REAL cutlery – did you fly business? π
Or do they trust economy passengers not to kill each other with blunt stainless steel knives now?
Mmmm Hainan chicken rice… do you know any places in London that do it well?
Thu, 15 Nov, 2007 at 23:07
I was going to ask the same thing. The meals look excellent.
Thu, 15 Nov, 2007 at 23:52
I miss Singapore. Going to fly BA later this month, maybe I’ll bring a packed lunch.
Sat, 17 Nov, 2007 at 14:38
OH.WOW. That looks pretty tasty… I almost don’t believe you! LOL! (((((HUGS)))) sandi
Sat, 17 Nov, 2007 at 15:24
I agree with everything you say about Changi. I was there when it was RAF Changi, and didn’t recognise the place!
Only reservation was, I wasn’t that keen on noodles for breakfast; the flight attendant had run out of the alternative before she got to us. But, there were plenty of cornflakes and other stuff, so it wasn’t that much of an issue.
Supercharz!
Yes, it is metal cutlery … but I suspect if you stabbed anyone with it, they’d die of old age before you drew blood. Hey, Singapore Airways were even giving away razors with their ‘amenity kits’!
Sat, 17 Nov, 2007 at 21:45
supercharz: Yes, as travelrat says, it’s real metal cutlery. Pretty dull though. It’s economy class…research grants don’t stretch to business class!
And it’s true that they have razors in the bathrooms in the amenity drawers!
Kat: The meals are loads better than those offered by Western airlines. Virgin Atlantic isn’t too bad, though.
tommy: Oh, I’d definitely recommend that!
titus2woman: π It really is true!
travelrat: They give so much food for breakfast, don’t they?! Any other further tips about surviving a stopover at Changi? Perhaps for those not interested in shopping? π
Sat, 17 Nov, 2007 at 22:53
Well, last time I passed through Changi, I stayed in Singapore 3 days. But, I reckon if you only had a few hours, and didn’t want to shop or eat, maybe relax in one of the gardens … and I think you could go for a spa treatment or a massage … but I’m not really into that sort of thing, so I couldn’t be certain.
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 03:45
As a Singaporean who mostly flies SIA and goes to Changi Airport to study (we hang out at the staff canteen!) reading this was rather fun. ^_^ Glad you had a good experience at my homeland~ ^_^
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 05:20
hey hey! glad you enjoyed your travels via SIA π Hope you can get a chance to experience my beautiful homeland in the future! Would be glad to recommend some off-the-beaten-track “must gos” if you drop by π
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 08:40
I’m going to Sydney in a fortnight … but flying QANTAS, and stopping in Bangkok only long enough to refuel. But, we often use Singapore (and SIA)if we’re going to Adelaide.
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 08:42
Excellent meals , would try myself
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 09:26
As a Singaporean, I’m quite pleased to hear you got such an excellent experience here. I guess it’s those little things that make us part of the Top 5 airports in the world.
I’ll be flying to London in December with Royal Brunei… hoping to see a great Heathrow Airport! π
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 10:35
I hope it doesn’t sound too much like blowing my own trumpet, but you can read my article about my visit to Singapore at http://www.justsaygo.com/destinations/singapore.html
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 16:44
Oh I love Changi Airport! It’s a totally new shopping experience.. KLIA is beaten hands down man..
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 20:33
chiiyo: The staff canteen sounds like a brilliant place to study! I only wish we had someplace similar in London…with all that food!
ngc0228: Thank you!
travelrat: Your visit to Singapore sounds great! I too visited the zoo (on my way back from Australia) and loved it! I’ll have some reviews of the places I ate at in Singapore!
krsnakhandelwal: I do recommend it!
nashe*: Um…don’t hold your breath! Heathrow is extremely crowded and just not as pleasant as Changi!
Qi Hua: It is a rather spectacular airport, isn’t it?!
Sun, 18 Nov, 2007 at 22:20
>>Iβll have some reviews of the places I ate at in Singapore!<<
I look forward to reading them! I’ll put a link in from my blog.
Mon, 19 Nov, 2007 at 07:47
[…] let someone else tell about my favourite, and my favourite airline, which uses it for a hub. Go to https://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/singapore-airlines-and-changi-airport/ for an excellent […]
Mon, 19 Nov, 2007 at 11:06
Heathrow airport is an embarassment, so is London Underground.
Mon, 19 Nov, 2007 at 23:44
Thanks, travelrat!
Tommy: Oh, the Underground isn’t too bad – transport here is loads better than in many other cities. But I have to agree with you on Heathrow. Maybe Terminal 3 will look better after the current refurbishment?
Tue, 20 Nov, 2007 at 09:41
I’ve always lost my way finding the staff canteen in Changi Airport. I remember an Indian Rojak stall in the staff canteen (dunno T1 or T2).
You know, SQ has one of the better airline food, IMO. π
Tue, 20 Nov, 2007 at 18:31
tigerfish: T1’s canteen is in the basement while T2’s is supposedly on the 5th or 6th floor somewhere? The lady at information told me that it’s much more difficult to find and so pointed me in the direction of T1’s canteen. And I agree with what you say about SQ’s food!
Wed, 21 Nov, 2007 at 01:47
Love it. Now if only Cathay would follow suit… there’s just something so unappealing about eating airplane meals with plastic cutlery. The whole experience is pretty awful though, to be honest!
Fri, 23 Nov, 2007 at 18:50
supercharz: To be honest, I never used the knife since I chose all the Asian meals. But I know the frustration of trying to cut a steak/chicken breast/pork thingy with a plastic knife!
Sun, 13 Apr, 2008 at 11:38
er how many countries did the singapore airline got
Sun, 13 Apr, 2008 at 12:43
Hi lighting! Singapore Airlines’ route map can be found here: http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/flights-fares/routemap/index.jsp
Mon, 11 Jan, 2010 at 11:04
I donβt usually reply to posts but I will in this case, great info…I will add a backlink and bookmark your site. Keep up the good work!
I’m Out! π
Sun, 4 Jul, 2010 at 21:53
[…] just a quick one on the food on Singapore Airlines again. It was very impressive, even more so than the last time I flew with them! I’m always fascinated by airline meals – my weird collection of inflight meal photos […]
Mon, 4 Oct, 2010 at 19:17
Thank you for posting this! I’ll be stopping by Changi Airport on Christmas day on my way to Christchurch. I’ll be there for about 10 hours at least so all this info is very helpful and interesting.
Tue, 12 Oct, 2010 at 14:05
Lindsey: Oooh, I hope it goes well for you! I have no idea if they’ll run them on Christmas Day but you’d definitely have long enough to either take one of the free city tours they offer at the airport or even go and explore the city a little bit!
Tue, 26 Oct, 2010 at 17:34
british airways is the best airline that i have been into, great crew and great service:.”