Transoceanic Drinking, THE SUITE, and a Serious Sake Problem
Some flight reports are about the seat. Some are about the service. This one is, by the author’s own cheerful admission, mostly about the drinking — with enough food, hardware, and lounge coverage to make it a proper review. The subject is ANA’s “THE SUITE” first class product on the JFK–HND leg, followed by the shorter overnight hop down to Hong Kong, with a lengthy stopover at Haneda’s Suite Lounge in between.
The trip begins with a solo move — luggage and all — which sets a chaotic tone that the onboard alcohol consumption only deepens.
THE SUITE: Hardware First
ANA’s THE SUITE cabin is widely regarded as one of the finest first class hard products in the sky, and the enormous screen is the first thing that catches the eye. The reviewer notes an immediate impulse to bring a Nintendo Switch on board, which speaks to the screen’s scale better than any measurement could.
The design language is understated Japanese luxury — wood tones, low-key elegance, an aesthetic that feels considered rather than ostentatious. The suite closes fully, and the privacy it offers on a long transoceanic sector is genuine.
A small card wallet included in the amenity kit was noted as particularly attractive — one of those minor touches that lands disproportionately well.
The Food: A Tale of Two Menus
ANA’s JFK-origin Western catering has a reputation, and this report does nothing to rehabilitate it. The mousse course is described bluntly as a blob. However, the Japanese menu tells a different and considerably better story. Sashimi featured squid and prawn; a tofu dish came topped with sea urchin and fish roe; simmered fish arrived with a crab-thickened sauce; white rice was swapped out for a tai chazuke — sea bream in dashi broth — and the meal finished with matcha yokan. The assessment was that the Japanese menu has been improving, and this service confirmed it.
Breakfast was served all on one tray — a first class option allowing white rice to be substituted with congee, and the base set was upgraded with natto, nori, and a Kagoshima-style fish cake as a side. A roasted tea ice cream and a branded collaboration packet of fries closed things out. Both drew strong approval.
The second leg down to Hong Kong was a short overnight flight; a light breakfast was delivered before arrival.
The Drinking: The Actual Point of This Report
The writer is not subtle about priorities. The wine selection begins with a 2019 Jean-Marc Bouley Burgundy — a bottle purchased mid-flight after finding it too good to pass up, noting that the acidity of the Beaujolais nouveau he had been drinking previously had recently softened.
ANA’s centenary bottling of a Suntory whisky makes an appearance; the 21-year-old expression is described as reliably unimpressive, heavy on tropical fruit and banana, though that did not stop approximately a third of the bottle being consumed during a sleepless stretch. Dried sardines served as bar snacks — the author acknowledges this looked like something served to a cat.
The mid-flight sake selection included a Noto Guchi 2019 Yamada Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo, a premium expression a friend had recently brought back from Japan retailing at around ten to twenty thousand yen. Other accessible, good-value premium sake brands rounded out the session. The duty-free cart produced crystal sake cups, whisky glasses, a plum wine, and two bottles of Kinobi Kyoto dry gin — the reviewer bought them, despite already struggling with the luggage.
Haneda Suite Lounge: A Three-Hour Nap and Then More Food
The Suite Lounge at Haneda does not offer private rooms, but its dedicated rest beds are described as exceptionally comfortable — well-suited, apparently, to sleeping off a transoceanic alcohol intake. Three hours passed without notice.
Upon waking, the lounge dining resumed in earnest. Sushi was ordered twice. A foie gras hamburger steak was judged too rich. A salmon rice bowl — made with a premium trout variety from Hokkaido or Aomori — was a highlight, with the greenshell mussels receiving a more neutral verdict. Japanese sweets and a chocolate pastry followed.
The lounge also has a bar. A seasonal cocktail called Yuzutsuki — a yuzu-based drink served with what appears to be a snowfall of shaved ice over the glass, like snow on Fuji, mixed with ANA’s own house lime juice — proved so compelling that the reviewer immediately purchased two of the airline’s limited-edition Fuji crystal glasses to take home. The bar’s non-alcoholic smoothie option was used at one point, presumably for recovery purposes.
A midnight snack of what the author describes as a classic Japanese-Western fusion dish — described as enormously delicious, with good miso soup — was eaten with the help of a recipe card left thoughtfully on the table.
Final Verdict
This is a first class experience that holds up at the highest level for hardware and Japanese cuisine, with lounge facilities that reward a long layover.
The Western catering aboard remains the weak link, and the centenary whisky bottling continues to divide opinion. For anyone drawn to premium Japanese sake and a genuinely private transoceanic suite, ANA’s THE SUITE remains a compelling choice — though it is advisable to pack light, given the temptation to fill the return bags with crystal glassware purchased somewhere over the Pacific.
