Trip Report: Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN (Denpasar to Singapore)

Airline: Singapore Airlines | Aircraft: A330-300 | Class: Business | Flight: SQ947 (DPS-SIN)

Bali is one of my favourite places to visit (especially for a short weekend trip) as the flights out of Singapore are typically quite affordable. More importantly, there are so many hotels to choose from (even though I always return to the same few properties in the end) and some of the most memorable ones include the legendary St. Regis Bali Resort as well as the Anantara Seminyak Bali Resort. Since my flight from Bali to Singapore was in Business Class, I went straight to the Business Class check-in counters and quickly found myself at the Premier Lounge of the airport not long after.

Bottled Water
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

Now, I have flown on Singapore Airlines' A330-300 product in Business Class on multiple occasions and therefore, I will not be reviewing the hard product in this trip report - if you are interested, check out my previous review HERE. Business Class passengers as well as PPS Solitaire members were amongst the first to board the aircraft and I was quickly shown to my seat upon boarding. Drinks were offered so I opted for Champagne (crucial especially after a lacklustre visit to the Premier Lounge) to cool myself down - the Ngurah Rai International Airport seems to be pretty warm throughout so I was hoping that the cabin would actually be cooler (it was not). What I thought was interesting however was the distribution of bottled water (which I have never been given on a daytime flight from SIN-DPS) - one of the most commonly criticised aspects of the Singapore Airlines A330-300's Business Class is the existence of these cylindrical compartments in front of the seat! 

Red Wine
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

Meal service begun shortly after take-off and once the seatbelt sign was turned off, the cabin crew made their way through the Business Class to offer passengers a choice of beverage as well as a light dinner. As much as I love Champagne, I figured that it would be nice to sometimes switch things up a little (mainly because I had two flutes of Champagne on the ground) - I opted for a glass of red wine instead. It is worth noting that on short flights like these, a copy of the full menu is not provided. Instead, what you will find is a card stock with the menu printed on both sides.  

Prawn Caesar Salad
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

Unlike the daytime flights that I have been used to, the meal service from Denpasar to Singapore begun with a Prawn Caesar Salad. While the cabin crew would have usually gone around the cabin to confirm on meal choices, I realised that this was not done during my flight until much later which could potentially be due to the light load in Business Class. The Prawn Caesar Salad was delicious which I honestly did not expect it to be. 

Garlic Bread
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

One of the air stewardesses then went around with a bread basket to offer passengers in Business Class a selection of bread rolls. Without much hesitation, I requested for garlic bread and was offered two - I did not decline. The garlic bread on Singapore Airlines has a cult following and it has been dubbed as the 'best in the sky'. 

Lapis Manado
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

Book the Cook meals are unavailable from Denpasar to Singapore (even though they are on the other way) so I had to pick my main course from the following three choices: 

• Vadouvan Curry Spiced-Chicken Breast with Preserved Lemon
• Lapis Manado
• Oriental Style Perch in Ginger-garlic Sauce

You would think that I would have had enough Indonesian food by now but I stilled opted for the Lapis Manado. Honestly, when I first saw the name, I thought that the dish was a dessert (Google Lapis Manado and you would know what I mean) but of course that would not make sense since it was offered as main course (who eats desserts for dinner?!). The Manado fried seasoned beef was served with stir-fried eggplant, asparagus and white rice - meat is definitely on the dry side and it's probably one of the least impressive dishes that I have ever had on-board Singapore Airlines. 

Creme Caramel
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

For dessert, a side of Creme Caramel was served - it was not as bad as the crème brûlée that I have had on my flight back from Auckland to Singapore but this is definitely not up to the usual Singapore Airlines standards. 

Vanilla Bourbon Tea
Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ947 A330-300 - DPS to SIN

At the end of the dinner service, I was offered some coffee or tea but I requested for some Vanilla Bourbon Tea instead - I do not want caffeine to ruin my sleep. The A330-300 (9V-STT) that I flew on from DPS to SIN is a relatively young plane (only 4 years old!) and even though the flight departed close to 20 minutes late, it only arrived one minute past the scheduled time of arrival which is pretty impressive.