Although Singapore Airlines does not maintain any lounge in either of the New York airports they operate from (JFK and EWR), passengers can access the Virgin Clubhouse in Newark Liberty (which I had written of here). In New York Kennedy, Business Class passengers will have access to Swiss Air Lounge while Suites passengers the Virgin Clubhouse.
The Virgin Clubhouse in JFK is located next to the Emirates Lounge and Air India Maharaja Lounge. It has its trademark chic design and unlike the one in Newark, this lounge is larger and brighter (with very good view of planes parked at the gates). Unlike most lounges, this lounge has only an ala carte menu (no buffet items). There is a large bar (which again I did not explore) and a saloon. Unfortunately, complimentary spa treatment is only for Virgin Upper Class (Business Class) passengers.
Shower facility is available – although large, the design and color make it look a little dirty.
Food selection on the menu was quite extensive and the few items we ordered were great! We tried the following items:
- Seared Salmon
- Vietnamese Stir Fry Beef
- Spring pho bowl
- Fish Taco
- Deep Fried devil egg
The seared salmon was done with perfection – not dry and hard. The stir fry beef was more like sliced grilled beef instead of the traditional Asian style stir fried beef (it was great!). The pho tasted more like sukiyaki (sweet broth which was not typical of pho) with enoki mushroom that was not cooked.
As for snacks, both the Fish Taco and Devil Eggs were excellent.
One interesting feature of the menu would be the alcohol-free cocktails. These are distilled non-alcoholic spirits produced by Seedlip. Looking at the description, it looks like a concoction of drinks with food (peas? Egg white?). I tried the Ruby Shoesday – savory sparkling drink that I find interesting but can’t really get used to.
The best place to seat in the lounge would be the Cabana Seats and the pod seats. For plane lovers, seats by the large windows would be the place to be for plane spotting. Special mention goes to the pool table in the middle of the lounge – which would be suitable for larger groups to sit together.
Wi-fi speed wasn’t great at about 10 Mbps both up and downstream which is still decent.
That Time Of The Year! 