JL707 NRT-BKK

December 31st, 2021

Posts in this series:

Getting Ready - Thailand Pass and Singapore Airlines Saga

Review - Intercontinental Boston

Review - Japan Airlines Business Class B787-9 Boston to Tokyo Narita

Review - Japan Airlines Business Class B787-8 Tokyo Narita to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

Review - The Athenee Bangkok, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Review - Le Méridien Chiang Mai

Review - Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa

Review - The Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui

Review - Emirates Business Class A380 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Dubai

In-transit:

After disembarking our flight from Boston, we had to clear transit security to head back to the departure level. Fortunately the process was extremely smooth and efficient, as most things are in Japan. It also helped that the airport was deserted as could be, with Japan’s border remaining closed to most visitors.

We had roughly two hours to kill at the airport. Normally I’d say that is plenty, but at Narita is another story. There are SO MANY great shops at the airport, ranging from high end duty free to Japanese crafts and treats. This is our first time traveling through Japan together, so my partner was lucky enough to witness the side of me he had never seen before. As soon as the stores came into sight, I became the protagonist in Supermarket Sweep. Do I know what this is? No. Does it look cute? Yes. Am I buying it? As Mr. Big would say, abso-fucking-lutely.

After zooming in and out of virtually every store there was (there weren’t as many, since most were still closed), we had about 45mins to spend at the lounge. I’ve visited both the business class lounge named Sakura Lounge and the first class lounge on my previous trips. Due to Covid, operations had been consolidated at the first class lounge. If I’m not mistaken, the lounge had also gone through renovation.

Lounge:

Upon entry, we were directed to take the elevator one floor up, as the concourse floor only featured shower rooms and smoking area. The interior décor of the updated lounge was upscale. While there wasn’t a particularly prominent Japanese element in the design other than the sushi bar, it felt truly luxurious. Truly luxurious like the Four Seasons George V not the Four Seasons Georgetown, if you know what I mean🤪.

For a temporary operation, I thought the lounge was extraordinary. The space was aesthetically pleasing, and thanks to Covid, you could order f&b from a digital menu and have it delivered to your table. As was the norm in Japan, service was attentive to an extreme. When we finished our food, the lounge attendant brought over some refreshing towelettes within seconds.

The food was equally top-notch, especially the sushi, which was even better than when I last had it pre-pandemic. If they had seating in front of the sushi bar it would outshine so many hinoki counters in NYC charging $400+ for tasting menus. The sushi rice was at the perfect room temperature when served, decanting the waning vinegar essence it’s marinated in. The wasabi was already tucked in between the fish and rice. The fish itself carried the lingering warmth from the sushi chef’s magic touch.

My only criticism was that we didn’t have enough time to enjoy the lounge. Shortly after 6pm Tokyo time, it was time for us to board our final flight to Thailand.

Boarding:

While the flight to Bangkok wasn’t as long as the one from Boston, it was still blocked for a hair under 8 hours. Unfortunately JAL used a regional configured B787-8 for this flight, with angled seats in business class. I flew this product once from Taipei to Tokyo, but that was a 2-hour flight.

Admittedly the seats weren’t the most ideal, especially since this flight was clearly banked for connecting flights from the US. Well, add it to the list of things Covid ruined 😤.

Boarding was a little bit more hectic than usual, due to the late arrival of the Dallas flight. While waiting on people to frantically board (and get their lives together), I settled down in my seat and started perusing the menu. Now if only we can resume pre-departure champagne….

The wine list was identical to our flight from Boston. You can find the menu here:

Inflight:

Service was a bit slow to start due to turbulence departing Tokyo. Although we weren’t hungry, we decided to stay up for dinner because once we land in Bangkok at midnight we would need to quarantine until a negative result came back.

To start, tablecloth was placed and apéritif orders taken. I went with the JAL Original Drink, which was a mixture of grape and peach. It tasted like a flat grape Fanta. Not many airlines can nail a signature mocktail like Cathay Pacific’s Cathay’s Delight does. I also had to order another plum wine.

For dinner, we once again selected the Japanese option. Most appetizers were cold, so they were served promptly.

I mean come on, how gorgeous is that?! Similar to the previous flight, the appetizers were in a compartmentalized bento box, which contained scallop cake, deep fried blowfish with sweet potato and shiitake mushrooms, simmered prawn, pork tenderloin with miso, eggplant, garland chrysanthemum, red konjac and sweet black soybeans, snow crab with spinach and sesame sauce, marinated salmon with bell peppers, onion and vinegar broth jelly, simmered abalone in thickened abalone broth, and duck meatball with carrots and sansho pepper sauce.

Everything from flavor, texture, presentation, creativity to authenticity was mind-bogglingly superb. Each bite sparkled in your mouth, despite us being jet-lagged. Dom Pérignon once said he had seen stars when he invented champagne, I’m glad he didn’t live to this day to fly JAL because I don’t know if the man could’ve handled a cosmic storm.

For our main course, we were served fried chicken with lotus root and grated white radish sauce, as well as black cod with canola blossom and Ren’s special curry. To accompany the main dish were the usual miso soup, pickles and steamed white rice.

Have you ever met black cod you didn’t like? Not me.

For dessert, a strawberry and brown sugar sesame pudding was on offer.

While it was good, I do find JAL’s desserts a bit ordinary by comparison.

On Arrival:

We were completely beat at this point, so we slept for the remainder of the flight and chose not to be woken up for pre-arrival meal. This flight was not as good mostly due to the seats being angled. Other than that, the standard Japanese hospitality was still applicable. Hopefully as tourism recovers JAL would bring back the lie-flat seats on these medium haul flights to South East Asia.