Gary Wong Gary Wong

Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei, May 23-June 2, 2024

This trip was a year in the making. Quite literally.

It all started with my wanting to take EVA Air Premium Laurel Class from TPE to anywhere in the States so I could experience business class on the Taiwanese carrier with catering coming from Taiwan. Understandably, business class, especially on an Asian carrier, can be quite expensive in cash so I scoped out ways to book it using one of my points currency. After some research, I settled on using Air Canada’s Aeroplan as I already had 50K certificates on hand and I could do a redemption using one of those and top it off with however many points it would cost to get me anywhere in North America. Further research showed it would be difficult to get a flight to JFK so narrowed my focus to either ORD or IAH and just deal with booking a flight onward to NYC from Chicago or Houston afterwards. On June 13, 2023, 355 days out from my return flight from Asia, I managed to snag TPE-ORD for one 50K cert + 25K additional points. I’d book a flight home on Delta for the next morning as the flight wouldn’t get into O’Hare until past 9 pm, well past the last flight out, after clearing customs and immigration.

#AZNMDW24

This trip was a year in the making. Quite literally.

It all started with my wanting to take EVA Air Premium Laurel Class from TPE to anywhere in the States so I could experience business class on the Taiwanese carrier with catering coming from Taiwan. Understandably, business class, especially on an Asian carrier, can be quite expensive in cash so I scoped out ways to book it using one of my points currency. After some research, I settled on using Air Canada’s Aeroplan as I already had 50K certificates on hand and I could do a redemption using one of those and top it off with however many points it would cost to get me anywhere in North America. Further research showed it would be difficult to get a flight to JFK so narrowed my focus to either ORD or IAH and just deal with booking a flight onward to NYC from Chicago or Houston afterwards. On June 13, 2023, 355 days out from my return flight from Asia, I managed to snag TPE-ORD for one 50K cert + 25K additional points. I’d book a flight home on Delta for the next morning as the flight wouldn’t get into O’Hare until past 9 pm, well past the last flight out, after clearing customs and immigration.

Okay, flight home booked. Now, how about that flight from home to Asia? Or, maybe not Asia - why not start in Europe and work my way east over the course of two weeks? I began this booking in summer 2023 with no idea I’d end up in London four times before the end of July followed by an Olympian visit to Paris in August and then Spain for a marathon near the end of the year. I actually had zero trips to London planned for 2024 at this time (I hadn’t even gotten my acceptance into the London Marathon yet!) if that gives you an idea at how quickly plans can change.

But there’d been one flight that’d been on my bucket list for some time - JFK-SIN, the (current) longest commercial flight in the world (by just a few miles over EWR-SIN). But I’d already been to Singapore, you may say (that trip report from November-December 2022 is coming, I swear). That is true and, while I enjoyed my four-plus days there, it was pretty recent and, also, it was four-plus days there, which was plenty of time to see and do just about everything I wanted to do.

So, where to go from Singapore? Booking an award flight to Singapore and connecting onward to another destination wasn’t all that more costly and there was Saver availability to BKK so, Bangkok it was!

I’m just gonna cut to the chase - this was A flight, and I mean that in a lot of ways.

For one thing, this was a long flight which, sure, longest flight in the world but, maaaaaaaaaan, did it feel long, even in business class. It’s a luxurious and comfortable experience but you’re still essentially “trapped” in a metal tube for 19+ hours. If you think about it, how often do you find yourself in basically the same place for 19 hours? With the exception of deep in the pandemic, it was incredibly rare for me to be in any one place for more than half a day. Besides staring at the same things for over three-quarters of a day, your body will absolutely feel it.

But enough about how long the flight was - you wanna hear about the actual experience and…. this was an incredibly bougie experience By the time of this flight, I had two ANA business class products, two from JAL, Delta, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic to compare this one to and I gotta say that Singapore Airlines towers over the American and European carriers, with only the Asian ones on the same… plane (sorry, not sorry for that).

How about the seat? It was solid though the placement of the footwell relative to the seat itself made for a very weird angle when lounging in it but it was incredibly comfortable otherwise. Bed mode more than made up for that which, in retrospect, was where it really mattered on such a long flight as I think I spent over 14 hours of it in bed. Unlike other business class seats, this one didn’t recline to a bed - instead, the back of the seat flipped down to form a very uniform, fully-flat bed. Coupled with the mattress topper, it made for an incredibly wonderful sleep experience.

Let’s talk about food next. I had so much food. With two meal services and plenty of snacks anytime throughout the journey, I did not leave the plane hungry in the slightest. The only thing stopping me from absolutely stuffing my face over and over again was the need to get as much sleep as I possibly could to get myself onto East Asia time by the time I landed early in the morning in Singapore. That said, I still managed to eat both meals and fit in a few snacks throughout the night and day and night… all of which were pretty good to impressive, though maybe not the best food I’ve had in business class.

Where Singapore Airlines really shines though is in the service. Their flight attendants were just the best I’ve ever encountered on a flight, combining the accomplished professionalism of a Japanese carrier with the warmth of the Southeast Asian people. Granted, I was in business class where the ratio of FAs to passengers is greater than in other classes, but I don’t think I ever waited longer than 30 seconds for someone to come by whenever I hit the call button. Just top-notch service onboard.

Bangkok

Having previously spent parts of six days in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, I thought I would be ready for the tropical heat of Bangkok. LOL, I was not. Not even close. As a native of Northeast America used to sweltering summers, the unrelenting heat and humidity of Thailand in May proved to be no match. Needless to say, I savoured the moments in the air-conditioned cars of the MRT or Skytrain but the majority of my time was spent outside, whether in transit or catching the interesting sites and tasty eats. Pro tip: carry a sweat towel with you (I grabbed a towel from my hotel for this purpose) and be prepared to shower more than once a day (I may have taken three on a particularly humid/wet day).

Heat and humidity aside, I had an absolutely wonderful time in Bangkok. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten as well, relative to what I paid - we’re talking $5-10 USD for most of my roadside meals and even the bougie Michelin-starred ones going for less than $150. I’ll get to the fancy meals in a bit but, man, the roadside stalls and hole-in-the-walls are where it’s at when it comes to getting the best of what Bangkok has to offer. There’s really no better way to get a real look at a city’s food scene than in those kinds of places. I had three variations of a braised/roast pork over rice plate and I swear I could’ve done more if it wasn’t such a pain in the ass getting around the city to all the different spots on my map. Side note: while there is transit, it doesn’t get you everywhere you want to go and, even if it does, you may still end up walking a mile or two after alighting the MRT/Skytrain. Another pro tip? The Grab app for ride hailing - car hires are pretty inexpensive (through a Western lens) though you’ll face some prodigious traffic and some white-knuckle driving.

Alright, let’s get to the tire star restaurants - I hit up three one-stars in Bangkok, each with their own merits that demonstrate their deserving the distinction but also displaying the variance within that distinction. Saneh Jaan was solid and the least expensive of the three (I think it came in at under $100 even with the drinks) but it felt like I was inside a large, brightly lit, banquet hall - just not the atmosphere I was expecting and looking for in a nice meal. Thankfully, the tables were spaced apart well but I could absolutely hear the large party (10-12 people, I think) in the center of the room from my table in the corner.

A meal at Samrub Samrub Thai was the kind of experience you get from a small, neighborhood-y joint that somehow got recognized by Michelin for just killing it. Sitting at the counter, I could peer into the small kitchen that somehow crammed a full staff with a stagiaire or two. The food was spectacular and the service was more friendly than super-polished but, combined with the general vibes, absolutely worthy of that star. If I had to compare the fine-dining but not FINE-dining experience to that of a NYC resto, I’d go with Momofoku Ko in the early 2010s.

The standout meal in Bangkok? That honour goes to Nawa Thai Cuisine. This one hit all of the notes for what I expect from a Michelin-starred establishment with incredible food, impeccable service, and a space that ties the whole vibe together. This was fine-dining that was FINE-dining. It had the quality and polish that gave me the impression that their intention is to get to that two-star level someday and it would not surprise me if it got there with some tweaks.

While it may seem like I only came to Bangkok for the food, I also did some culture, visiting several palaces/temples. Yes, you should totally visit The Grand Palace (remember to practice modesty in your sartorial choices) but try to do it in the morning so it’s not as roasty out - at 10 am, it was pretty toasty, even with it being overcast. I’d like to say that going in the morning means beating the crowds but it was absolutely slammed so be sure to pack plenty of patience as you crawl through some of the complex. Honestly, I preferred going to Wat Pho which had less people when I visited, making it lot easier to walk around the place.

Oh, A Race?

As per usual, when I had the broad strokes of the trip outlined, it was time to see if there was a race amongst my stops and, lo and behold, I found the Supersports 10 Mile Run. Sure, there was a five-mile option, but that’d only be half the fun. Starting at 3:30 am surely meant that it’d be a nice, crisp, cool(ish) night run.

Yeah, it’s Bangkok - it was just slightly less hot. Honestly, that wasn’t that big a deal - I didn’t go too hard so it didn’t really bother me too much. What was bothersome, though, was the cross streets not being closed during the race. That’s right, we had to DODGE traffic as we crossed streets, most narrow but quite a few that were wide and a lot of the drivers on the road DID. NOT. GIVE. A. FUCK. It was great, just great.

Ultimately, I survived (as I always do) and managed to enjoy a few minutes of the post-race festivities - this wasn’t a small race and there were a lot of runners reveling in their middle-of-the-night accomplishment. Walking back to the hotel at 5 am was weird as my route was in the opposite direction of the runners heading to the finish which meant I could cheer them on but there were also plenty of late-night revelers making their way back to a bed somewhere. After I got back to my hotel room, I realized the course ran right by my room so I watched a little bit of the last runners passing by as I waited for the hotel’s restaurant to open for breakfast.

Seoul

When putting this trip together, I knew I’d start in Bangkok and end in Taipei but the question was if I’d spend more time in one of the two cities or if I’d try to fit in a third stop in between. I’d already been to Taipei and parts of three days there seemed enough for this and more than five days in Bangkok would be way too much. That left me with four days/nights to fill in and I found the perfect sets of flights via the Air France Flying Blue program - an overnight flight on Korean Air (KL) to Seoul (ICN) that got me there in the morning, reducing one night’s stay in Seoul and an early afternoon flight on China Airlines (CI) to Taipei (TPE) a few days later, all in Business.

The flight to ICN left Bangkok just shortly before midnight and, once we were able to, I got my seat into a (mostly) lie-flat mode. KI’s business class on their regional 773 is in a 2-3-2 layout which normally would mean my window seat wouldn’t have direct aisle access but, thankfully, I had no seatmate on this flight so no impediment going to the loo and plenty of storage space for my personal item. As alluded to, the bed never got fully flat though it wasn’t quite angle-flat - definitely not the best business class product out there but it was sufficient to get three hours of sleep but I could’ve had more had I skipped breakfast which I would really regret not having done so throughout the rest of my first day in Seoul.

Thankfully, I’d made absolutely zero reservations or pre-purchased any ticketed admissions for that first day - I’d like to think that I had the foresight to do that but it was mostly laziness around trying to navigate Korean-language purchase flows. There was ONE thing I knew I HAD to do that day and, after finally checking into my room a little after 3 pm, I made my way out to Jamsil Baseball Stadium to knock that one off my list.

You guessed it - I took in a KBO League baseball game! Man, what an experience that was. You can bring your own food and drinks (alcohol too!) into the stadium and, if you didn’t bring any with you, there are plenty of restaurants and shops outside the stadium where you can purchase some! When I say they were outside the stadium, I don’t even mean that they were amidst the grounds of the stadium - they were built into the outer wall of it. Just an absolute convenience.

The game itself was a laugher with KT Wiz beating the Doosan Bears 12-3 but it was so much fun. Outside of the United States and Canada, it seems like professional baseball games are all about festive joy. This one had cheerleaders for both teams and fans of both participating in songs and chants. I’ve been to two games in Japan but those were in domes - being outdoors here really added to the atmosphere. If you’re ever in Korea and are a fan of baseball - even if you’re not - go to a KBO game.

There were two Michelin-star restaurants on this leg of the journey. I want to give Jungsik its props - those two stars are well-deserved and their lunch is a solid “deal” and I enjoyed every moment of it. That said, there is a NYC outpost of this resto so it’s not like I couldn’t get this experience closer to home but it certainly is nice to get it from the source and at the original spot. I’m inclined to think that the Seoul version is probably the better one but I guess I’d have to visit them in Tribeca to be sure. 😉

But that wasn’t the best of the bougie restaurants in Seoul.

No, that honour would go to 7th Door, a restaurant that is focused very much on fermentation and aging, which, maaaaaan. This meal had so much going on - in addition to their focus on fermentation and aging, there was also the five other basic tastes so, all in, that’s “the seven tastes of food”. Side note: the restaurant gets it name from being behind a door at the end of entry hallway - the seventh door.

The proteins, from the raw fish to the lobster to the beef? They were all sooooo good. But the real highlight of the meal? THE BREAD. Man, was that good bread. I could’ve housed a half dozen of those moist, soft, chewy rolls. I would go back there for those alone.

Some other notes about the general food and drink scene in Seoul - it’s pretty fucking good. I housed an entire (tiny) chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng at Hannam Oriental Roast Chicken and I had zero regrets. I wolfed down 370 grams worth of various cuts of Korean BBQ-grilled pig at Geumdwaeji Sikdang - also no regrets there. I had a wonderful cocktail at Pussyfoot Saloon - my only regret is that I only had time for one because I had the appointed return time for that aforementioned stuffed chicken.

Taipei

I’d been to Taipei before in December 2019 - that leg of the trip was for parts of five days so I got to do and see a lot of stuff then. It may have also been the first time I saw or heard mention of some mysterious illness spreading through China but, surely, that wasn’t anything to worry about, right? Right.

Anyway. Having been here before, it was nice this time to just take it easy as it was the end of a very busy two-week trip so I was running out of steam. Still, I managed to pack a decent amount into those three days in town - there was, of course, a requisite visit to a Michelin-starred joint. On this leg, it was at Longtail which was less a fancy restaurant and more of an elevated East-West gastropub - it did not disappoint. Sure, there’s the pricier set menu option but if you’re like me and just sit at the bar, the move is to go a la carte and see where the evening takes you. With two starters, a main, a dessert, and three cocktails, the total came out to less than $140 USD - just an absolute deal.

What about the cocktail scene in Taipei? I’m glad you asked, dear reader. The cocktail scene, like in a lot of cosmopolitan cities in Asia, is phenomenal. This time in Taipei, I hit up two wonderful cocktail bars in Bar Mood and Ounce. Bar Mood is on the Asia 50 Best list and was the fancier of the two, both in the aesthetic of the interior and in their drinks. I was there late (post-dinner) on a Friday night so it was very lively and fairly loud but it definitely gave fancy cocktail bar vibes. Ounce is a speakeasy behind a coffee shop exterior where a guy playing a game on what I think was a Super Nintendo manned the front, calling the bar in the back to grant access to me. Once I entered, I was maybe one of a handful of patrons and it it was a general super chill atmosphere.

If I had to choose between the two bars, I would split the difference. Go with Bar Mood if you want fancy cocktails that have a Taiwanese influence. Go with Ounce if you’re an American tourist or expat as the owner is from New York and it definitely has a Western influence.

EVA Air Premium Laurel Class

Finally, we get to the reason for this entire trip - the flight home. Well, the flight to the United States, anyway, in EVA Air’s business class. Side note: I’m well aware of how bougie it is to say a two-week trip through Asia was all for a business class flight home but I’ve accepted I’m a bougie bitch.

The work I put in to ensure I secured this flight? Totally worth it. This experience was as-advertised by so many flight reviewers. The seat may not be cutting edge but it was very comfortable, both as a seat and as a fully lie-flat bed and the footwell wasn’t narrow like some other products of this vintage. They gave out some very nice designer pajamas and slippers from Jason Wu - I wouldn’t know the man if you put him in a lineup but… designer amenities! Also, an amenity kit in a Giorgio Armani bag! Just some incredible stuff we get to walk away from this flight with.

Like with other Asian carriers though, it’s the service that really makes the experience. The flight attendants were on their game on this flight with a pre-departure beverage and the start of dinner service not long after takeoff. TPE-ORD is not a short flight and there were plenty of calls for service throughout, between dinner and breakfast, but they were very attentive to passengers’ requests. While I wouldn’t say the food on EVA Air was the best amongst the Asian carriers I’ve flown on, it was pretty close to it and it certainly outclasses meals on Western carriers.

Having scratched this itch, would I ever fly long haul business on EVA Air again? Probably not - their hard product on average is the oldest amongst the Taiwanese carriers and is probably in the bottom half of the three major alliance’s Asian carriers. But would I recommend it to anyone with a way to do this via a Star Alliance award redemption? Oh, fuck yes.

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