SIN: Dnata Lounge @ Changi Airport T1

Unlimited cups of Hudson's Coffee, along with a small selection of buffet items~

Before I proceed to talk about the two eateries that I went to in Jakarta, Indonesia, let's take a step back and look at the Dnata Lounge at Terminal 1 of the world's best airport. The lounge by the ground handling company just opened its doors late last year, having the capacity of about 200 passengers within its 860 square meter footprint.

As I reached the airport early, I decided to have lunch there before embarking on my journey with Air France on the now-defunct SIN-CGK route. While I felt that the lounge could use more comfortable couches, I certainly wasn't complaining, especially when there were only about ten people inside that afternoon. 

Tomato Soup

To begin with, I tried the fresh tomato soup. While it was pretty fresh, I felt that the sweet and sour balance was slightly off, for it was lacking in the former. The croutons, on the other hand, were delectably crunchy.

Caesar Salad

The leafy greens were lacking in moisture, but at least they weren't stale. On hindsight, I shouldn't have had sprinkled too much parmesan cheese powder as it made the whole thing dry. 

Assorted Stuff #1

The mushroom quiche was decent, and so was the aglio olio (lit. garlic and oil) pasta that was spicy enough and not greasy. What was better, in my opinion, was the vegetable stew with its nicely thick gravy. 

Assorted Stuff #2

The Indonesian offering of nasi kuning (lit. yellow) and beef rendang (Indonesian spicy meat dish) was pretty delicious. The former was quite aromatic, while the latter was tender and fiery enough. Alas, the nasi lemak (Malay rice dish cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves) wasn't particularly fragrant, not to mention that its accompanying fried chicken was dry. 

Butter Cake

Writing this review made me realise that there wasn't any fresh fruits served in the lounge. Anyway, I enjoyed the adequately moist and buttery cake slices: original, pandan and dried fruits.

Beverages

As the lounge is partnering with Hudson's Coffee, I got to enjoy my double shot cappuccino that was strong and rich enough for my liking. Unfortunately, my favourite canned pineapple juice was stored in a chiller which temperature wasn't low enough.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7/10

Ambience: 8/10

Overall: 7.5/10

The only food items that I didn't try were the sandwiches. Besides that, I do remember seeing a small selection of alcoholic drinks inside the lounge. Pika's advice: Given the opportunity, do visit the Dnata Lounge at Terminal 3, which was voted 'World's Best Independent Airport Lounge' at the Skytrax Awards 2015.

Dnata Lounge @ Changi Airport T1

80 Airport Boulevard

Level 3, Transit Area

Changi Airport Terminal 1

Singapore

(Daily: 3.30am - 2.30am)

*No separate price given as lounge access is included in the ticket price.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)