Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong (First Class)

By
Ziggy
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a sign on a wall
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I didn’t really know what to expect of the First Class SilverKris lounge in Hong Kong as, on the one hand Singapore Airlines has a strong reputation as a premium carrier (so the lounge should be good) but, on the other hand, Hong Kong isn’t the airline’s base and lounges at outstations are never as good as the ones at an airline’s home.

Joanna and I had made good use of the excellent option you have in Hong Kong of checking your bags at either Hong Kong or Kowloon stations so we took the Airport Express unencumbered with baggage.

people standing in a line at an airportSingapore Airlines Check-in at Hong Kong Station

At the airport the lines for security weren’t too bad and although passport control wasn’t the most efficient we didn’t have to hang around for too long before we were in the giant mall that is airside at Hong Kong Airport.

The SilverKris lounge at Hong Kong airport is near gate 15 and one level below security and passport control.

a map of the airportAirport Map To The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

There are various sets of escalators that lead down to the lower level but as long as you follow signs to Gate 15 you can’t really go wrong.

a woman standing at a reception desk in a lobbySingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

The SilverKris lounge in Hong Kong hosts both Business Class and First Class passengers with First Class passengers having their own room to one side.

The lounge agents checked us in pretty swiftly and soon we were walking down the main corridor that leads to all areas of the lounge:

a hallway with a glass wall and a wood floorSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

Joanna and I were booked to fly in Singapore’s Suites Class (A380 First Class) so when we got most of the way down the hallway and saw the First Class sign….

a man sitting at a barSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

….we peeled off the the left and presented our boarding passes at a second desk:

a room with a yellow wall and a yellow wallSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

The First Class area of the Hong Kong KrisFlyer lounge isn’t exactly big….and it isn’t exactly spectacular either.

You can see the almost all of he lounge from the doorway.

a room with a table and chairsSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

Just inside the door is a newspaper stand…..

a table with newspapers on itSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

….and just past that are a few armchairs:

a room with chairs and tablesSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

To the right is where all the food and drink options are set out (I’ll come on to those later)….

a buffet table with food on itSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

…and just past the buffet is where the lounge has its small dining area:

a man sitting at tables in a restaurantSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

a table set up in a restaurantSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

There are a few armchairs opposite the dining area….

a room with a couch and a tableSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

….and once you’re past those you’re in the last two areas on the lounge.

At the end of the lounge and on the right is a further seating area with large-screen TV and a magazine rack:

a room with chairs and tablesSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

a room with a television and shelvesSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

There’s an ample number of power outlets and USB ports in this area (found between the seats) and, as the ports are universal, most travelers shouldn’t need an adapter.

a close up of a plug and socketSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

Opposite this seating area is the last section of the SilverKris lounge where there are four work pods that are a little reminiscent of an aircraft’s Business Class suite:

a person sitting in a boothSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

Each pod has a desk, comfortable bench and a power outlet and provides a modicum of privacy for those looking to get some work done.

a seat and table in a boothSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

Next to these pods the lounge has set out 4 high-back chairs which were probably the more comfortable of all the seats in the lounge.

a room with chairs and a deskSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

a room with chairs and a tableSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

a pair of chairs in a roomSingapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong

SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong – First Class Food & Drinks

As I mentioned earlier, the lounge offers a selection of food options via a buffet located just inside the door to the lounge…but it also offers an a la carte menu too:

a menu on a tableFirst Class Lounge Menu

The options were as follows:

  • Roasted cajun spring chicken with buffalo spicy sauce
  • Sautéed penne with triple tomato sauce
  • Baked provencal salmon with apple balsamic sauce
  • caesar salad
  • Laksa (Singaporean-style noodle soup)
  • Hong Kong-style traditional braised noodle with pork

As I was soon going to be experiencing Singapore Airlines Suites Class I really didn’t want to fill up in the lounge so I passed on the a la carte options…but I did try a little from the buffet.

Salads & Cold Cuts

  • Mixed lettuce salad
  • Quinoa and sweetcorn salad
  • Quinoa salad with cous cous, chicken and beans

a group of bowls with food in them

  • Curry chicken with pineapple salad
  • Spinach, peach and pomegranate salad
  • Roasted wild mushroom and potato salad
  • Assorted cold cut platter

a counter with food on itSalads & light coffee cake

Mini Sandwiches

  • Roasted beef of triangle bread roll
  • Tuna salad on mini burger bun
  • Roasted cajun zucchini on black sesame bread roll

Hot Options

a group of bowls of food on a table

  • Steamed pork & shrimp dumplings
  • Steamed vegetable dumplings
  • Tomato, potato and beef shank soup

a plate of food on a tableMy sampler platter – steamed pork and vegetable dumplings, mini tuna quiche & deep-fired samosas

  • Tuna quiche (mini)
  • Deep-fried samosas

food on plates on a counterTuna quiches and deep-fried samosas

Desserts & Other Food Items

  • Nachos
  • Coconut tart
  • Cookies
  • Light coffee cake

a group of food on a tableNachos, cookies & coconut tart

  • Häagen Dazs ice creams

a counter with food items on itHäagen Dazs ice creams & mini sandwiches

  • Strawberry mousse
  • Mini cakes
  • Cheese cubes & crackers
  • Simple fruit salad

a tray of food and desserts

I’m not sure if that was everything but it should give you a good idea of what kind of food was on offer.

What little I tasted was fine….but it certainly didn’t stand out in any way.

Drinks

On the nonalcoholic side there were the usual choices of juices and hot drinks….

a coffee machine and juice dispenser on a counter

…and sodas in the chiller cabinet on the wall:

a fridge with bottles of alcohol and drinks

On the alcoholic side there was a whole menu on display……

a menu sign with text and images

…which included all the self-serve items like the usual wines and spirits….

a group of bottles on a counter

…as well as a number of drinks that the lounge staff were happy to serve…like cocktails and the more expensive cognacs and brandies.

I chose not to partake but I did notice that the lounge champagne was non-vintage Veuve Clicquot  – not a bad champagne by any stretch of the imagination…but also not really premium either.

Other Info

The First Class lounge shares showers with the Business Class lounge (a lot of airline lounges do this) but there was a long line waiting to use them so I didn’t get a chance to take a look and see what they’re like.

a sign on a wall

Thoughts

As a First Class lounge and somewhere where passengers wait before they experience the fabled Suites Class product this lounge is a bit of a letdown.

It’s quite small, it has exactly the same furniture as the much larger Business Class lounge next door (I’ll be posting pictures of that soon) and there’s no real premium feel to it. There’s also no natural light anywhere which, combined with its size, makes it feel a little uninviting.

The food offering was perfectly ok….but differed only very slightly from what was on offer in the Business Class lounge and, while some of the drinks may have been of the slightly more expensive variety (when compared to the Business Class lounge), they really weren’t all that special.

The staff were nice and friendly and they clearly wanted to help, serve and make sure everyone was ok (there wasn’t many of us in the lounge) but they couldn’t compensate for the overall feel of the lounge.

The best way I can think to describe it is this: It has the feel of an outstation Business Class lounge for an airline with limited service to the outstation. I can’t see anything to indicate that Singapore Airlines has put any extra thought or effort into this lounge – it’s almost like an afterthought.

There was nothing really premium or First Class about this lounge and, as I sat in it and thought about what I’d say in this review, I couldn’t shake the thought that not too far away in the same terminal was a Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge called The Pier and oh how I wished we had been in there 🙂

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