After rushing through work, I finally got on my way to the airport and was excited to embark on my 2.5 weeks holiday. When I reached the entrance of the check-in queue, the uncle told me he couldn’t find my name on the flight list. I thought I had gotten the date or the time wrong. To be honest, I was quite chill about it. I wasn’t panicking or anything. Lol. If it were my folks, they were probably be sweating buckets. Then I was directed to the counter for assistance in which the staff also kept swiping my passport until he decided to just ask me for my booking reference. Thank goodness, they found my flight booking. Lol. After a little hiccup, I proceeded to find the Qatar lounge which was located at the far end of the pathway before realizing my gate is all the way on the other side. Oh man

But hello, Qatar Premium Lounge. It’s nice to meet you

The staff welcomed me at the entrance, helped to keep my bags at the bag storage before another staff brought me through the silent walkway to my seat. Talk about being personal. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and I whispered to the staff – it’s really quiet in here. He laughed saying this was the snooze area and it would be different inside

The drinks counter once you exit through the snooze area

Then shortly after I was seated, a welcome drink was served and I was asked to scan the QR code for menu. It kinda reminded me of Private room, with food served ala carte style and I wished the friend was with me so we could try everything off the menu. Lol

Welcome drink to start!

Went to check out the salad buffet line after I made my dinner order through the staffs

I say the ham & cheese looked good

Came back to my table and was served a Diptyque wet wipes. Well, Diptyque is Qatar’s exclusive partner for its amenity kits so you will see their products everywhere

Started off with a Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. Didn’t like it

So I ordered a Coconut Cooler that is a cocktail made up of White Rum, Martini Bianco & Coconut Water. Well, it tasted like medicine. Moving on.

Decided to go with 2 starters for dinner – Prawn Tempura and Chicken Congee cos it looked like the lightest option out of the entire menu. Glad to say it fared better than the drinks though it tasted above average

The funny thing was the lady sitting next to me ordered the exact same thing. Well, we still have more food on the plane later. Need to save some stomach space 😀

Decided to take a walk to the shower room and I must say the Qatar lounge is actually pretty big. They have more seating space inside other than the quiet zone and dining area

And the shower room was clean, spacious and bright. It was quite impressive

They even had a space for you to dry yourself

And of course, more Diptyque

Decided that it was time to walk to the gates since it was gonna take awhile. After a good 15 minutes walk and finally reaching the gate, I was shocked to see such a snaking line queuing for security checks. Thankfully there was a separate queue to use

Hello Qatar 947! 🙂

Boarding commenced shortly and soon we pulled back and it was time for take-off

It was my first time flying Qatar Airways so I was really curious about everything and checking each button and anything that could be pressed. Lol. I chose the rear facing Qsuites for my first leg and I quite liked the arrangement. There was plenty of legroom space, in fact too much for me cos I’m so petite my soles of the feet could only reach the foot rest just a little

Storage area at the side which acted as an armrest, that consisted of a bottle of water and earphones

Pillow, blanket and amenity kits displayed outright. I kinda preferred when airlines have their amenity kits displayed rather than passengers requesting for it. Ahem #IYKYK

And yes, more Diptyque. lol

The crew did their introduction, took our orders for welcome drink and also came around to distribute lounge wear (with slippers included). Yes, you get PJs in Qsuites which some people really enjoyed this touch of service

I actually ordered water but they asked me to order something nicer. lol. So orange juice it shall be

After take-off, they closed the door for all passengers so we could have our own personal space

Even their blanket is of different quality. I felt like Princess Jasmine in Arabian nights or something

Decided to check out the toilet so that I could wash up and sleep since I requested for meal service to be prior to landing. I liked that they had a small vanity area that lit up the entire space. Else, the toilet is pretty functional

They came around and set the mattress for the bed and I tried my best to get some rest but after few hours of trying, I decided to call for meal service instead. lol

Amuse Bouche – Smoked Salmon

Also, some bread basket and olive oil was served

Starter: Pepper Crusted Seared Tuna w Green Papaya Salad, Cherry Tomatoes & Compressed Rock Melon

The tuna tasted artificial. It reminded me of those Americanized Japanese food which didn’t taste great. The only good thing was the rock melon which was really sweet

Mains: Shanghai Noodles w Braised Tofu, King Oyster Mushrooms, Carrots & Bakchoy

The noodles were every bit disappointing. It was dry and the tofu wasn’t braised enough. And the red wine was too acidic for my liking. I thought a wine from Bordeaux cannot go wrong. I guessed it turned out otherwise. I was disappointed. I concluded that the food and drinks were below my expectations or rather, maybe my friends had raised the bar too high for me. The crew said I didn’t eat much. I told them I wasn’t hungry. lol

They came to distribute chocolates prior to landing. And wow, Laderach 😀

And soon the plane flew over Doha, marking our descend already

As I looked out of the window and saw the stairs was being brought to plane, I realized we were not connected to the bridge and so we stepped off the plane to 3 buses waiting for our cabin class in sight

Let’s just say there were more than enough seats to go around for everyone

I got a shock when I entered the terminal cos I had never seen this amount of human traffic at an airport. It was just people everywhere. I got even more confused after passing though security control and I couldn’t find the lounge cos people were crossing me in all direction. Lol

I finally found the Al Mourjan business class after taking the lift up and down and up again. The lounge I went to was the South lounge since I didn’t have much time to visit the other one. So the visit to this was literally look, see, connect to WiFi and exit since my boarding was gonna commence soon. I have to say the lounge was quite impressive in size. It was so big they even had a second floor for it

Really huge and also, full of people but it didn’t feel packed like Silverkris lounge cos the seats were spaced out. It gave you the illusion it was not that crowded but yet every seat was kinda taken up so in the end you spent a long time touring the area

Dining area that was located in another area

I think Singapore Airlines can take a leaf out of Qatar’s book. The lounge was really impressive in size and this was just the South lounge

Then it was time to make my way to the gates yet again for my second leg of the trip

Took a photo of the 4 pax-sharing QSuites since I was one of the first few to board

I chose the front facing one this time but I realised there wasn’t space for you to place your shoes as compared to the rear facing. On the flip side, I could curl myself up in a ball comfortably with this arrangement while it was difficult to do so with the rear facing though you have better out-of-window photos for the latter cos you are nearer to the window So both ways had its good and bad

Likewise, amenity kit from Diptyque, this time in the form of a bag

And served their signature lemon & mint tea as welcome drink which was quite delicious

I took a look at the menu and went to sleep. Sleep was better this time round and I managed 3 hours of it before I woke up, washed up and waited for meal service

which came in the form of Thai Chicken Khao Soi Egg Noodles

I have to say the food out of Doha tasted so much better, thankfully

Was served some cappuccino which was quite tasty though I doubt the caffeine was strong enough

The service at Qatar would win SQ hands down. It’s definitely more personal and they make an effort to engage conversations with you though I wouldn’t say the same about the food & drinks. And in terms of product offering, I don’t really have much of a preference as I felt they were actually comparable and comfortable enough. I have friends who really love Qatar and especially after comparing with SQ, they usually don’t have much nice things to say about the latter. lol

We finally landed in Paris after 16 hours, welcomed with heavy rain and wind. Immigration took 40 minutes even with a priority queue cos there was only 1 counter opened. It’s wow, so efficient. I even managed to finish watching my kdrama while waiting since the queue just felt like it was never moving. After collecting the bags, I found the friend sitting in a corner waiting for me and we proceeded to find our driver, who was not even here. Lol 

Traffic to city centre took 1.5 hours due to morning rush hours and we were so ready for breakfast. So after dropping off our bags, we headed to Le Paris London, which was recommended by the receptionist 

A pretty decorated cafe

We took some time to google-translate the menu since the staffs felt rather unfriendly and both of us went for the same set

Breakfast which consisted of fresh orange juice, latte, toast with jam and scrambled eggs with salmon. The best was the orange juice. Lol. I mean it’s not bad bad. It was just very average 

So after filling up our tummy, we began our shopping hunt! (I mean, that’s what Paris is all about right? lol)

Paris was really colder than expected

We started off with Polene cos it was the furthest from where we were and we wanted to find bag for our friend. I have to say among all the brands that we had visited, the staffs at Polene was the unfriendliest and they don’t even have much bags to offer. And there was such a long queue to enter. So don’t keep your hopes up

After few hours of shopping later, we proceeded to LV Dream exhibition since we had a booking at 3pm. I say, the exhibition was a little too artistic for our appreciation. Lol

But I thought the gallery of the LV scarves were really pretty

So we decided to check out the cafe and chill instead. We didn’t make any reservations at the cafe but glad to know there were more than enough tables to go around

The cafe is a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and award-winning Pastry Chef Maxime Frédéric of Cheval Blanc Paris, renowned for his exquisite chocolate creations

Just look at all the LV monogram pastries

The cafe was a beautiful place. The seating area was quite big and you could overlook the scenery while chilling here 

Latte €9

House Iced Tea €9

Eclair au Chocolat €16

Charlotte aux Poires €18

The pastries were really good. Like it’s just not fluff (cos it’s a brand store) but it’s worth checking it out

I really liked my selection of Matcha with Pear and the friend really liked her eclair so I guessed everyone was happy. And oh, the coffee and tea was decent too. It’s really a nice cafe to chill at

Then we spotted Samaritaine that was just directly opposite and decided to make a point to go there later

We popped by the gift store next door that was decorated with LV luggages and had a great selection of chocolates, truffles, spread and whatnot

Well, when you have a chocolate retailing for €250, this was really chocolate on another level

No we didn’t buy this, there were cheaper options available of course

We went to the retail store next where the friend spent a long time deciding if she wanna get her scarf or not while the exhibit of Vivienne caught my eye

So cute right?

We crossed over to check out Samaritaine since I read that everyone had a pleasant shopping experience there. Basically it’s a shopping mall with each level categorized and all the big brands in there. Nothing really caught our eye so we decided to relocate elsewhere

We were really quite exhausted due to lack of sleep and time difference. But it would make no sense to go back to hotel since we had a dinner reservation in an hour’s time. So we wandered to a shopping mall nearby, found a seat and stoned out. lol. This is how holiday looks like when you are ageing

Then it was finally time to make our way to dinner. But as we were just 20 steps away from the restaurant, it just suddenly started pouring heavily. The rain was so torrential when I checked the weather forecast, it said – severe weather being issued. And the restaurant was just 3 minutes of being opened for dinner so we stood under the petite shelter with the rain coming on us. Talked about arriving in style. The least the restaurant could do was to open that 3 minutes earlier but nope, they had to open on. the. dot. Gosh

Anyway, to the wall of wines at Pierre Sang On Gambey

The place was packed and it was quite a compact space. Dinner service started promptly and we went for wine by the glass cos the friend couldn’t really drink. I must say, the drinks were really pretty good!

A glass of white based on their recommendation. I really enjoyed it. Really light and easy to drink

There’s no menu. It’s a surprise. The 6-course menu priced at €54 works like this. They would serve the dish first and after you had finish eating, they would ask you to guess then reveal what ingredients were used in each course

Beef slider w Lemon, Soy, Mayo with Gochujang Sauce

It was really good. First bite, the bread was soft and tasty. The beef mixed with tofu and spring onions had texture and flavour. It was a really nice first dish to start

Bread basket which was a bit meh to me

Asparagus, Pickles of Red Fruits (Pomegranate, Blackberry, Cherries) Hollandaise with Wasabi Sauce

Oh, this was also delicious. Generally just very good flavours coming together on the plate

Sous Vide Egg, Peas, Pea Foam, Pickled Red Onions, Nori powder with Kimchi

Not a fan of pea, but the peas complemented the egg well and the foam was delicious. Love the nori powder that added fragrance to the dish. It was a pretty good dish overall

Duck, Meat Jus, Gnocchi, Fermented Soy bean

The duck was abit too raw. And we don’t believe it’s gnocchi. Cos it tasted more like mandu. This was probably the least well-executed dish though the flavours were pretty good

And I enjoyed the red that was recommended as well. I concluded they serve some pretty good wine in here

Cheese, not a favourite. We had 2 bites of it. We tried our best. lol

Buckwheat Mousse, Buckwheat Crisp, Caramel, Pear Jus, Pear

We were surprised by the use of Buckwheat. It wasn’t a flavour we could guess. But the dessert as a whole was pretty decent. It’s light yet sweet without being too overdone

I thought the restaurant was interesting cos they had a pretty fun concept – forcing you to talk to your companion. lol. The staffs would ask you what was the dish after every course so it was quite a fun experience to see if you got it right or wrong. A good place for conversation starter, first dates or if you or your companion had nothing to talk about. Would definitely recommend this place!

We went straight back after dinner cos we were simply too exhausted 

Next day was just a full day of shopping. We wanted to check out Lafayette so we had a random croissant from opposite which was so good

You should check out the bakes from Ernest & Valentin. Each piece looked every bit inviting

No wonder it was so highly rated on google. Approved!

Lafayette didn’t turn out as bad as I expected cos I read pretty bad reviews online. We shopped around the area before we proceeded for lunch at Akrame

So fancy

We were one of the earliest to reach so the space was pretty empty for awhile before the lunch crowd started coming in and mostly in business attire

Black Pillow Bread filled with Mushroom Cream & Smoked Sardine

Our first starter started out very fancy. But it was every bit delicious and definitely presentation on point. Loved the mushroom cream and you could taste the smokiness of the sardine in it. It was a really good first bite

Potato Soup

Washing it down with a hearty potato soup that complemented really well. Loved the potato crisp especially. So good

Bread with White Butter & Garlic Butter

Realised they always serve the bread after the first course. Loved the butter, not that much about the bread

Jerusalem Artichoke w Ravioli

Didn’t expect much from this dish but I was surprised by the clear and sweet taste of the artichoke in the broth. It was done very well. And the ravioli with the skin so thin and satisfying. The whole dish came very well together

Cake w A Single Peanut

On first sight, this looked like chawanmushi to me. But I had to say this cake was a surprise. The peanut foam was cooked in such way it wasn’t overpowering but yet you could taste the nuttiness in it. It was really tasty

Codfish, Citrus, Cream, Celery Emulsion, Prawn Bisque

Fish was cooked just right without being too flakey or mushy. It was tender to touch and we loved the pairing with the cream more than the prawn bisque. The latter felt a little too strong for the mild taste of the codfish

Veal Chop in Paper, Peas, Kumquat

You could anticipate the bite of the veal just by looking at the colour. Done so beautifully, our mains was perfect

Gold Nugget – Lime, Passion Fruit Ganache w Mango Passionfruit Sorbet

Desserts. I could only say, the French does really good desserts. lol

Ended with a cup of latte cos we would probably go into food coma after this

But who knew, we had more to come. Madeleine w Caramel Mousse & Chocolate. The Madeleine had a good texture without being too dry and went really well with a good cup of coffee

Service was quick and attentive. It felt like our next dish always just appeared in moments just as ew had our last course cleared and every dish was stellar. I had an enjoyable time at Akrame and would recommend anyone to give it a try

We decided to continue our shopping after lunch and took a slow walk to the train station since we had such a filling lunch. But just as we were minutes away from the train station, it started to rain again. The weather in Paris was really eccentric

We went to check out the Dior flagship store at 30 Av. Montaigne which was so huge it can be a shopping mall by itself. We also concluded Dior SA were the nicest, no matter which outlet we go to

So they had a gallery space, the restaurant Monsieur Dior and Pâtisserie Dior and of course all your retail needs in here. They also had so many staffs in there there’s someone bound to attend to you. Good.

After combing a few more shops around the area, we went back to hotel to chill for abit before heading out for dinner again where we had a reservation at Frenchie. We were a little unfamiliar with the area so was confused at which restaurant was the one we were supposed to go to. We later realised they had a casual sandwich joint, a restaurant and a bar all on the same street

A tiny space with probably 20 odd seats. No walk-ins allowed

The said bar opposite. This bar also housed all the guests that were turned away from the restaurant cos they didn’t have reservations

Oysters Pickled & Grilled, Cauliflower, Orange

First up, oysters. The oysters were huge, done well and had a flowery fragrance to it. The friend didn’t like oysters so I had both of them

Duck Rillette

It had a hint of acidity in it so after having something creamy from the oyster, it kinda cleansed your palate to make way for next to come

Waffle w Caviar, Green Peas

This was really tasty. The flavours were good and we were glad the peas didn’t have a strong taste. We joked the French really liked peas and asparagus in their cuisine. Thankfully we don’t hate them

Homemade Seaweed Butter

Served with bread of course. The butter was really good. So good the friend finished her bread. lol

Asparagus from French Riveria, Lemon Sorbet From Nice, King Fish Emulsion w Olive Oil

We loved the lemon sorbet. It was something different yet refreshing and a nice ending to the palate. The King Fish emulsion was tasty too and went really well with the asparagus

Dumpling Pasta Stuffed w White Garlic & Ricotta, Lemon, Morel Mushroom, Chicken Broth w Cheese Thickening

A little too salty overall. Cos chicken broth + cheese was just too much. The morel mushrooms were good though. We really enjoyed them. And we were full by then

Sole Fish, Hollandaise Sauce w Butter, Asparagus w Lime, Spicy Langoustine Bisque

When we saw the dish, we were like asparagus again? lol. Fish was cooked really well and we liked it with the hollandaise sauce. However I thought the asparagus was too sour for my liking. It felt like they had soaked the entire asparagus in lime bucket overnight, or maybe it was just too much asparagus overall

Quail, Artichoke, Basil, Black Truffle Sauce

Quail was cooked well but we thought the leg confit with pork belly was abit too funky. We don’t hate it but we don’t love it either. However from the response from the next table, they seemed to think this dish was out of the world

Banofee, Caramel, Pecans, Banana

Palate cleanser. It was really nice. Light, sweet with a touch of saltiness. Loved the pecans at the bottom which provided some crunch at the end

Strawberry, Honey Twirl, Marigold w Gel, Lemon Yoghurt Ice cream

So pretty. Even though we were so stuffed by then, I managed to finish 3/4 of this. It showed how delicious this was. Every component was just delicious

Sweets, Caramel, Cream Puff

Ending off with petite 4 but we were so ready to roll out of the door

Chocolate

And we thought that was the end. No, we had chocolates to bring home

I felt like the portion per course was just too much for us. If they made the portion a little smaller, we probably wouldn’t have struggled that much. Food was decent overall though I probably would not choose to return again (cos there are just too many restaurants in Paris. lol)

And then it’s back to hotel, pack up, sleep cos we had to wake up at 3am for our 7am flight to Barcelona. It’s Au Revoir for now and Hola in a few hours!