Restaurant Review : Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore

Valentino has been a perennial favourite with many A-listers, movie stars and corporate honchos in Singapore. I'd been here 3 years back and decided to revisit the place for my husband's birthday this year. The family-run restaurant is housed in a quiet lane in Bukit Timah and on entering the place, you get the feeling of entering an Italian home. We were greeted by Papa Gienpero and shown to our table which was booked 10 days in advance. The rustic ambience, dim lighting coupled with banter and laughter of diners puts you at ease. The dining room is really small and tables are placed very close to each other. It all adds up to create the trattoria look I guess. A hook is thoughtfully attached to the table where ladies can hang their bags.

We had brought along a bottle of the highly rated Casanavo De Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2000. The restaurant has a decent wine list but as is the case with premium wines, you pay a ransom for them in Singapore. Valentino charges SGD 45 corkage and after having a sceptical look at the label (perhaps checking if the bottle was a cheap wine from Fairprice?) , our assigned waiter promptly decanted the bottle and placed it on the wooden drinks trolley which accompanies each table. 

Now we turned our attention to the food. We started off with the minestrone soup and traditional Bormio salad. The soup was good but it was the salad which stood out. In keeping with the price ($24.90), it is a large portion and came with a chunky layer of ricotta cheese, diced apples and toasted pine nuts. It is seasoned with a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and we polished it off to the last morsel. Absolutely delicious ! 

My better half ordered stuffed ravioli with porcini mushrooms sprinkled with truffle oil. Whilst the dish was good, we've had better in Singapore. I opted for the fresh lobster in creamy tomato sauce. The menu lists it at $42.90 subject to size and availability. The waiter informed us that day's catch was bigger and thus priced at $ 58.90. When the dish came, I was disappointed since it was a quite a small lobster really with little meat. I wonder how small then their regular menu-listed lobster is! I had not asked for a pasta accompaniment and by itself, the portion was insufficient for a main course if one had not had any starters. I do not recommend the lobster and will stick to a safer pasta dish next time. 

For desserts, there is a lot to choose from. The waiter brings around a dessert trolley laden with freshly baked pastries, tarts and other goodies. These are prepared by Valentino's sister Perla and she has her own stand-alone pastry shop right next to Valentino. Her best-seller is the Chantilly cake of which Iam not a fan. Too creamy for my liking. We ordered a portion each of the Pistachio Cake and Cream Caramel. The Pistachio Cake had a smooth texture as the nuts were finely ground. We liked the crusty aftertaste. As for the Cream Caramel, it was pretty good but again, not the best I've had. Whilst the sweetness was just right, it was a bit hard in my opinion.

Overall, Valentino is a decent restaurant but highly over-rated with all the hype and hoopla surrounding it. Whilst the ambience and service standards are good, the culinary fare is disappointing given the accolades and high rating some epicureans have awarded the restaurant. The food was not upto my expectations and given the tab you run here, I think there is better food to be enjoyed in Singapore. Being unable to recall the full details of my previous visit, I can only say the food standards have dropped. For now it seems Valentino and family are riding the wave of reputation and goodwill they raised in the past. For my next hearty Italian meal in a family-run setting, I'll be returning to my favourite in Singapore - Pasta Brava.

Book Review : Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell is well-known for his Inspector Wallander crime series. Italian Shoes is different in that it is not a mystery story. The book is about Surgeon Frederick Welin who quits his medical profession in disgrace and lives alone on an island inherited from his grandparents. Giving him company are his crippled dog, old cat and a giant anthill. Welin is a bitter man with a heart as frozen as his surroundings. He does not bother maintaining his house which has deteriorated to the point where a giant anthill exists in the living room. Welin has no human company around him barring Jansson, the hypochondriac postman who is youngest amongst the seven people on the Swedish archipelago where Welin lives. Welin is so cut off from the real world that he regularly cuts a hole in the ice and bathes in icy sea water just to remind himself that he is alive.

Having lived in this isolation for 12 years, Welin's past catches up with him when he gets an unexpected visit from Harriett, a woman he had loved in his youth but deserted without a word of explanation. Harriett has terminal cancer and requires a walker. Inspite of her infirmities, she has managed to track Welin down and seeks him out to keep a promise - to take her to the beautiful lake, hidden deep in the forests of Northern Sweden - where Welin and his father bathed. Harriet may well have wanted to see the lake, but going there takes them close to where Harriett currently lives with her daughter Louise. Welin does not know that he is the father of Louise, nor that he is about to meet her. Louise is also uninformed about the meeting, which takes place in the caravan where she lives.

As a result of Harriett's sudden visit, Welin revisits the incident which was responsible for him giving up his medical career, amputating the wrong arm of a promising swimmer called Agnes. He tracks Agnes down and with her agreement, visits her discovering that she now looks after troubled girls, one of whom Sima, would later visit Frederick on his island.

Mankell is a master of writing about desolate landscapes, lonely individuals and alternate lifestyles. When you are first introduced to the protagonist you cannot help but dislike this dour, selfish person who not only sometimes mistreats his pets but also has the annoying habit of peeping into people's personal effects. As you go through the book, you start understanding Welin's scarred psyche and how inspite of his shortcomings, there is a sliver of humanity still alive in him and given the opportunity, how he wishes to atone for his earlier mistakes. The bleak, icy and isolated atmosphere described in the book only mirrors what Frederick Welin feels inside him. It is essentially the story of a brooding individual who is haunted by his past and thinks he can run away from it all only to have his past confront him at a later stage and realize it is still not too late to make amends.

While the book is engaging and depressing in parts, it left me unmoved in the end. I would recommend it however for Mankell's writing style and insights into Nordic and Swedish society. It is excellent fodder for a movie manuscript and I can only look forward to the kind of (in)justice a director would do to this different tale about love, longing and repentance. 

Hotel Review : Sheraton Beach Resort, Krabi, Thailand

Krabi still hasn't suffered the tourist onslaught that most other resort towns in Thailand have. This quiet and beautiful place is non-commercialised as in you don't have people chasing you for tuk-tuk rides or cab operators coaxing you to join tours where you can 'buy real Thai rubies at best price.' This might be partially attributable to the fact that Krabi has a small airport which only has one direct service from Singapore (Tiger Airways) and about 3 flights from Bangkok (Thai Airways). Most tourists prefer to fly into Phuket, visit Phi Phi / Hong Islands and return. This is gross injustice to Krabi as the town in my opinion is absolutely breathtaking and deserves at least 3 nights in your itinerary. The main Ao Nang beach is absolute paradise and has one of the most scenic sunsets amidst limestone cliffs. The good and bad news is that none of the top resorts are located on this beach stretch which means you have to decide between hotels requiring sea transfer (Rayavadee) or hotels on another beach at some distance away from Ao Nang (Sheraton). I don't like to stay in the most happening part of a beach town since these are invariably too noisy and touristy. I prefer the seclusion and privacy of further located resorts and thats precisely why I chose Sheraton.

Sheraton is about 2 hours by road from Phuket Airport and 40 mins from Krabi airport. We had flown into Krabi airport and our pre-booked airport transfer was awaiting us. The drive is scenic though you don't get to see much of the beach en-route. On pulling into the hotel, I was impressed by the lobby and reception area which is huge and airy. The check-in took some time as there was quite a queue. The reception staff's attitude was quite un-Thai in the sense they barely smiled and went about the check-in process quite mechanically. What is a bit annoying is you have to pay for wifi in the rooms though it is free in the main lobby area.

Being 3 of us, we had booked two adjacent rooms since the Executive suite was unavailable. The rooms are of standard size and come with a large balcony. The bathrooms are decent but show some signs of aging. There is not much point in paying extra for the ocean view rooms since all you'll get to see is a speck of blue in the distance. The resort is laid out in such a way that while the property is huge, the main sea front area is taken up by the 2 swimming pools and restaurants. All the rooms are at the back including those with sea view. The hotel has extensive well maintained gardens and the Klong Muong beach stretch alongside Sheraton is totally private and very clean.

The restaurant and housekeeping staff is polite and friendly. Breakfast is served in Mangosteen. The fare is standard and what you would expect in a 5 star hotel. We had lunch on the first day at The Deck by the poolside. They did not have Singha draught beer which I found strange in a Thai 5 star hotel. Not being too hungry, we had ordered fish and chips which were passable. We walked around the hotel complex to discover that almost all restaurants  are located right next to each other and at a fair distance from our hotel room. The hotel has buggy service which can be erratic and you are better off walking if you don't want to wait for one. I recommend a visit to Martini's Bar for their excellent cocktails. Unlike 5 star hotels, this bar has happy hours and a must-try is the Caipirinha. The ambience is relaxed and the seating is very comfortable - ideal for a group of friends to chat over.

On our first evening, we decided to check out the area just outside the hotel which had caught my eye when we drove in from the airport. Numerous restaurants line the road outside Sheraton. A small shopping complex can also be found which has a mini mart, ATM and a money changer. Given how much commission hotels charge for changing money, the money changer was a boon. I saw many tourists getting excited about being able to exchange 'phased out' serial numbers of US Dollars. Unlike US and Europe where these notes are not accepted, Thailand and few other Asian countries have no issues with accepting these notes. It is still valid legal tender after all. The mini mart was always full with guests from neighbouring resorts including Sheraton buying baby food items, beer and cigarettes which are significantly cheaper here. The highlight of the Sheraton resort ironically is The Terrace - a restaurant which is located right outside the hotel but is more popular with guests than the in-house restaurants. We ate one meal there and couldn't help coming back for many of our other meals. The food is simply fantastic and the service is outstanding. It won't be an exaggeration to say one should stay at The Sheraton only to be able to eat at The Terrace ! There is a Nepali restaurant also in the vicinity which is very good and would satiate those with cravings for Indian cuisine. Owing to these two wonderful restaurants, we did not get to try the hotel food at all. But going by the number of Sheraton guests we saw each night at these two places especially The Terrace, I reckon the Sheraton food is nothing to write home about.

We booked a 10 hour tour of the Phi Phi / Hong Islands etc through the hotel. The hotel is only a facilitator and the actual tour is conducted by an external water sports agency. You'll be joined by guests from other hotels and probably it is this mix of people that made the tour exceptional. You can book a private tour also (min 4 pax) but as the hotel staff suggested the islands are best enjoyed with company. The sheer beauty of these islands is mind blowing and they are truly picture postcard perfect. You need to book a separate tour if you want to go to James Bond Island (named after the 1974 Roger Moore movie filmed here) but since we didn't have time, we missed out on that one.

On our final day in Krabi, we made a trip to Ao Nang beach. At a distance of about 8 kms it seemed a saner choice over a trip to the city centre (25 kms). The hotel has a paid shuttle service available to ferry guests to and fro Ao Nang. The service runs at regular intervals and is very convenient. The area is entirely walkable and lined with restaurants, bars, massage centres, Thai silk stores and of course, pirated DVD shops. Make sure you reach in time to see the sunset which is spectacular.

Overall, Sheraton Krabi is a great resort especially for young couples and families. The resort is huge and has every conceivable facility in keeping with its 5 star rating. It is ideally suited for people who love the outdoors and want to undertake activities like hiking, diving, sea kayaking. It may not be the ideal honeymoon hotel and for that you might want to consider the more secluded boutique hotels but they lack the location and private beach that Sheraton offers. Also, it is not suitable for people who like to stay in the hip part of town and be close to the nightlife scene. If your idea of a beach holiday is relaxing on a private beach away from the hustle and bustle with good food and ambience, Sheraton Krabi is for you. I'am definitely going back.

Breakfast Review : Peshwa Pavilion at ITC Maratha, Mumbai, India

ITC Grand Maratha is located close to the Mumbai international airport and hence very popular with business travelers who have work in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai. Transit travelers like myself find the place very convenient for meeting up with friends / business acquaintances over a quick breakfast before heading to the domestic airport. On a side note, you should not be stepping out of international airport to go to domestic airport if you don't have personal conveyance. A complimentary airport shuttle service will transfer you between the Mumbai international and domestic terminals. There are a host of hotels in the vicinity to choose from : The Lalit, Hyatt and Meridien apart from ITC Grand Maratha. ITC has a stellar reputation on the cuisine front making it tough for me to try a new place in the early morning hours. As much as I think I'll go to a different place each time, it hasn't happened so far and now I've been a Grand Maratha regular for the past few years primarily for the convenience.

Breakfast is served in the atrium's Peshwa Pavilion and even at 7am you can expect a pretty full house with executives in suits catching morning news over a hot cuppa or doing business meetings. There is a lavish buffet spread serving everything from Indian dishes like idlis, vadas to continental baked beans and salami to the staple cereal counter. They even serve Asian dishes like Mee Goreng. The choice of fresh juices is good and they serve my favorite - tender coconut water which is drained in a glass for you.

The idlis are super soft and the vada is crisp to the right degree. I asked for a side order of hash browns which took a long while to come but was tasty. Eggs and dosas are freshly made as per order. You don't have to queue up at the cooking station as they send it to your table. There is a self-service coffee machine but the staff will gladly take your order and bring that as well to your table. Small touches like these make the big difference.

Now for the pricing. At INR 850 including taxes (yes, you read that right) it is excellent value for 5 star dining. Only education cess is extra which is a small amount. Thankfully service charge is not levied which is a good aspect since service standards can be inconsistent here. In fact, if there is room for improvement it is on the service front. The staff is polite but somehow takes ages to do everything from serving the table to settling the bill. But I won't hold it against them since on all my previous visits, I haven't experienced this kind of slow service. Maybe it was a specially packed morning last week.

Apart from hotel guests, I highly recommend all transit travelers to take a break at ITC Grand Maratha and have a king's breakfast to kickstart the day.

Restaurant Review : Pietrasanta, Singapore

Few years ago, I remember having asked an Italian friend of mine which was her favourite Italian restaurant in Singapore and without hestitation she had said Pietrasanta ! Always a believer of natives-know-best, I made a mental note of the place and managed to check it out in 2008 for the first time. The experience had started off well with one of the Massimini brothers (who are the owners) seating us at the table and informing us they do not have a printed wine list as they encourage guests to have a walk around their wine cellar and choose their wine. Whilst the evening had been nice, I remember it only for its dreadful end. When the cheque came, I had noticed the wine (priced at SGD 100+) had not been billed and being conscientious, I had pointed this out to the brothers who graciously thanked me for pointing out the error and sent the revised cheque. This time however, I did not recheck the bill and just paid the amount. Only when I got home, I noticed that the 'revised' cheque in addition to the erstwhile missing wine had also been laden with 2 starters which we hadn't ordered ! I was angry, disappointed and promised myself whatever it be I'am not going back to Pietrasanta.

So that was what happened 3 years ago. Fast forward to 2012 when friends visiting Singapore decided to meet at Pietrasanta and I decided to revisit the place hoping things would be better this time. It is a bit tricky for first-timers to find Pietrasanta at Portsdown Road since the area is not a commercial hub and bears quite a forlorn look at night. The restaurant itself looks like a quaint jungle lodge with a large al fresco dining area that leads to a relatively small indoor dining room. There is additional seating space at the back where the garden and washrooms are. The indoor tables were all taken and we decided to sit in the relatively quieter garden area. Be mindful that the outdoor area is infested with lizards and takes away significantly from the experience. 

Considering it was a weekend, the place was crowded and none of us were enthusiastic to do the cellar walkabout bit. We just ordered the Australian Yarra Valley Chardonnay - a safe, tried and tested wine. It goes with all kind of dishes especially seafood and is light and crispy in finish.

Deciding to skip the appetizers, we ordered an assortment of mains ranging from mixed grilled vegetable salad, grilled cod fish with cannelini beans and onion salad, ravioli with spinach and ricotta cheese to risotto with porcini mushrooms. If it is possible to make a super-lousy salad, Pietrasanta excelled. One bite and we knew the salad order was a mistake. The vegetables tasted stale and the seasoning left an odd after-taste. The cod fish was excellent and this prompted me to order another fish item : this time a fillet of Monkfish which happened to be their catch of the day. When the cheque came, I felt cheated since the monkfish priced at a whopping $58++ was double the price of the larger and tastier cod fish. Needless to say, the waitress hadn't informed us about the prices of the daily specials. The ravioli with spinach was barely average while the risotto with mushrooms was quite decent but nothing to write home about. The food thus far had left us fairly hungry so a 'safe' order for potato dumpling with pesto sauce was placed. Another mistake. My guess is the kitchen was too busy since it was a weekend. Only that can possibly explain the below average main course we had.

Since it was quite late to hop to another place for desserts, we decided to stay put and resigned ourselves to another disappointing course. Thanks to the powers that be, the desserts were excellent and we enjoyed them to the hilt. The creme brulee was perfect and so was the tiramisu. The melting chocolate cake with vanilla home made ice cream was another treat. Maybe we were just hungry from the disappointing main course, but I would like to believe the desserts were genuinely good.

Would I be returning to Pietrasanta anytime in the future ? Well, if I'am the sole decision maker, then the answer is a resounding NO. The restaurant is well past its glory days and I cannot think of a single reason to go all the way to Portsdown Road to endure another evening of disappointment and deceit. As for the desserts, there are enough bakeries and restaurants closer home which will satiate my sweet tooth without having to make the long trek. A big thumbs down to a has-been.

Hotel Review : Ambassador by Taj Vivanta, New Delhi, India

I have been staying at Ambassador Hotel for quite a few years now thanks to its single biggest draw : location. Located in the residential enclave of Sujan Singh Park in Lutyen's Delhi, the hotel is a hop, skip, jump from snobbish Khan Market and close to the business district thus making it an ideal choice for business travellers. One of India's leading hotel chains, Taj Hotels, took over the management of this colonial era heritage building few years back and a couple of years ago, the hotel was rebranded as a 'Vivanta' property (a sub-brand within the Taj Hotels to distinguish these as primarily business hotels).

By the time we reached the hotel it was 2 pm which is their official check-in time. Unfortunately, our room was not ready and the front desk manager informed us it would take 15-20 minutes. We were graciously offered cool drinks in the meanwhile. It was close to 30 minutes when the apologetic manager again informed us it would take another 'panj minute' (5 minutes) to make the room. Those familiar with Delhi and its ways would know 'panj minute' is more often than not a euphemism for a couple of hours ! I made my displeasure known at the check-in delay and the manager offered to provide us a lower category room immediately with a change of room next day if that was agreeable. The prospect of unpacking and repacking in less than 24 hours was too daunting and I preferred to wait for 'panj minute' to get our room. Finally after a good 2 hours from the time we had reached the hotel, we were able to get our room (we were upgraded to apparently the best room in the hotel). The lift is a squeeze as it is so tiny that it can accommodate no more than 3 average built people.

Due to the colonial architecture, the rooms at Taj Ambassador are spacious with high ceilings and most have balconies as well. The hotel is only 5 floors high and travellers who like modern hotels with views etc will be dissatisfied. All views are either of the main road and that too of the Metro station entrance or of the noisy driveway. The bed was very comfortable and the luggage storage space is sufficient. The newly modeled bathroom is decent with the shower / tub area demarcated by a glass door. The tub is made of marble and makes for a luxurious dip. Apart from the standard hair dryer, shaving mirror, weighing scale, the toiletries from Forest Essentials (an up and coming Indian Ayurvedic products' brand) were very good. I had a gripe with the towels which though clean had a strange chemical odour.

Breakfast served at Yellow Brick Road (YBR) till 10:30 am is usually a part of your room rate and the spread is quite good. Apart from freshly cut fruits and juices, there is an assortment of South Indian, Continental and traditional Indian cuisines to choose from. Eggs are made as per order. The indoor seating area at YBR is quite small and there is an option to be seated outdoors as well. While that would seem fine in the winter months, make sure to reach early and take a table indoors if you are visiting in the hot summer months. The staff is smiling and friendly but their service overall is lacking and waiters seem to be inexperienced.

The excellent culinary fare at Taj Ambassador has been one of their biggest draws over the years. Even after the immensely popular South Indian restaurant : Dasaprakash shut down years ago (before the Taj group took over management control of the hotel) Taj Ambassador has been able to retain its position as a leading haunt for foodies in the Indian capital. In fact, one of the desserts at YBR innovatively called 'Bulls Eye' has such a loyal clientele that they come to YBR only for this dessert.  The Chinese restaurant : Larry's China has long been a favourite with me. On revisiting the place, I wasn't disappointed. A must-eat are the Sesame King Prawns which are out of this world. The portions at Larry's China are huge and I'd suggest you order each course only after finishing the previous one. I highly recommend a meal here and be mindful that food ordered from Larry's China through room service will be more expensive.

The hotel overall needs massive renovation. The hallways look tired with the carpets fraying at the edges. While furniture in the rooms is made of solid wood, it needs a coat of polish as do the balcony railings. I believe a renovation is on the cards for 2012 so please check before you make your booking if you want to avoid the noise. I heard some guests grumbling about the lack of swimming pool services. Whilst there definitely is a pool, it is mostly inoperational due to 'maintenance work.'

Like most hotels, services like taxi, laundry, minibar etc are expensive. Thankfully, there is an independent taxi stand right outside the hotel (Puaar taxi service) which is reasonably priced and always has cars available on short notice. By the look of things, all Taj Ambassador's guests use Puaar's taxi services. This is a nice bit of arbitrage which will save you a lot of money. The salon at the Taj Ambassador is reasonably priced. Though small in size, it offers all salon services and appointments are necessary. Do note they prefer cash payment to room billing which suits clients because they avoid paying the 12% VAT that way.

Overall, Taj Ambassador is a convenient hotel if you are looking for a no-frills experience. The location is fantastic as are its restaurants. Whilst it is a Taj hotel, the level of luxury and amenities is nowhere close to the other Taj hotels. The room tariff is another factor to look out for. Rooms are reasonably priced in the lean summer months. However, the August-April tariffs are not justifiable considering the lack of amenities, tired hotel look and average service you get. If you are travelling with family or seek a more value-added hotel, there are better options in New Delhi at the same price. But do go to Taj Ambassador for a sumptuous meal. 

Airline Review : Jet Airways (International)

Warning : Long review

I remember when I first started flying Jet Airways in the late 90's, the attraction of the airline was such that few months' down the line all my travel became Hobson's choice really. Did Jet fly to my destination (if not I'd go hopping to my destination or worse, not go at all) and if I was not getting a seat on Jet, I'd rather change my date than fly Indian Airlines (IC). The whole Jet experience was such a refreshing change from Indian Airlines with its smelly aircrafts, old frowning matrons for stewardesses, cold food, etc that one could not help but thank the new aviation policy which made it all possible.

This habit and loyalty continued for a few more years before India's ever liberalizing open skies policy permitted every business house (and politician) to launch its own airline. The price of loyalty to Jet seemed to go up with every quarter when late entrants to the game would go on slashing their fares and Jet steadfastly stood by their (relatively higher) fares. I tried to remain loyal as far as I could before giving away some business to newer airlines. Jet's frequent flyer program (Jet Privilege) started off the loyalty program business in India and I would still rate it the best mileage program amongst all Indian airlines today. Not only is mileage accrual quite generous, getting partner miles (they have a host of hotel, airlines, shopping store partners) is hassle-free and most importantly, they do have redemption seats available for your preferred dates if you book atleast 10 days in advance (unlike most airlines)!

The airline floundered for sometime but good days came back when Jet Airways was allowed to go international much to the consternation of Air India (AI) and Indian Airlines. As a consumer, I welcomed the choice and since then have seen Jet Airways become India's national airline in every sense but the official. Even bureaucrats and politicians started flying Jet Airways over good old AI and IC.

Coming to the present, while the airline has clearly lost a lot of the sheen of its early days, there is no denying that it deserves to be ranked amongst the better airlines in Asia.

What's going for the airline :
1. Young fleet of new and well-maintained aircraft.
2. The crew is by and large friendly, smiling and efficient especially on the India-Europe legs where more experienced crew is deployed.
3. The food and beverage quality is excellent. Not only are the proportions ideal for the journey times, they taste good too (I strongly believe microwave heating on aircrafts destroys the flavour of most meals). On the India-Europe route, they have a couple of rounds of meal service ; the first being a proper meal and second being light snacks (sandwiches, rolls etc) with beverages.
4. Inflight entertainment system is good and has a wide selection of Hindi and English movies though there is a relatively limited selection of movies in foreign languages.
5. Inflight shopping is quite good compared to other carriers and choice of alcohol along with its pricing is impressive (definitely cheaper than lot of duty free shops in Asia and Europe).
6. Jet Wings - the inflight magazine is a must-read for all visitors to India.
7. Passengers to London Heathrow are advised to take advantage of the 'Fast Track' immigration if they can.
8. Attractively priced fares which tread the fine line between Jet's elitist image in the domestic market and yet do not cater to the budget airline segment.
9. The business class seats convertible to fully flat beds are comfortable (I'am personally not a fan of the herringbone layout). What I'am a fan of though are the Bvlgari toiletries kits which come complimentary to business and first class passengers.
10. The airline website is easy to navigate and is loaded with information on airline partners, et al.

What can do with some help :
1. Check-in process is quite inefficient at Jet Airways' Indian terminals. Even when the business class check-in counters are empty, they do not check in economy class passengers which is wasteful.
2. Passengers with only hand baggage are advised to check-in online and print their boarding pass to avoid the long check-in queue at Indian airports.
3. Overhead cabins are quite small (the smallest I have seen in any international airline) and one has to forcefully fit in a standard hand-carry strolley.
4. The angle of overhead reading lights cannot be changed. So if you recline in your chair, you are going to find it tough reading under the light.
5. Economy class seats are quite narrow on the Airbus 330 flying the India-Asia route. The Boeing 777 plying on the India-Europe route is far more comfortable and thankfully so, considering the longer flying time.

Overall rating : 7/10. If you are looking to fly anywhere between Asia and Europe / USA, definitely consider flying Jet Airways. Their European hub is Brussels from where they have arranged for easy connectivity to continental Europe by flight and train. You can buy the partner airline/ Thalys train ticket as one consolidated ticket when you book.