Review: Noodles at CDG in Cathay Pacific’s Paris Lounge

Cathay Pacific’s lounge in Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris is used by Cathay Pacific, British Airways and eligible oneworld alliance frequent flyers. It is located between Terminal 2A and Terminal 2C in the connecting building adjacent to the American Airlines Admiral’s Club.

Since this lounge opened, the airline has created a new premium lounge concept which is currently featured in two lounges – one in Hong Kong and one at London Heathrow. Despite not being the latest design, British Airways frequent flyers consider it the best “British Airways” lounge on the continent.

The IT Zone

Immediately on the left when you enter is what Cathay Pacific refer to as an IT Zone. It is a space set aside featuring six computers and a printer.

Everyone is catered for as half the computers are Windows based PCs and the other half are Apple. Working would be quite pleasant here as it is cheerfully lit and nicely appointed.

Comfortable Areas To Lounge

Running down the left hand side of the lounge are seats of grey seats with colourful artwork on the wall above. Each pair of seats features a place to charge devices.

Further along past the dining room the chairs change to black and tan with a different style of lamp. This helps to break up the areas and not have everything in one single block of colour. Along the window overlooking the apron are a line of black easy chairs which is where I decided to sit. Watching aircraft out the window in spite of the rain is great fun!

Cathay Solas Chairs

Specially designed for Cathay Pacific are the Solas chairs. These are designed so you can eat, work or relax with a little more privacy. They also face the window at CDG, behind the black chairs.

My first experience with these was in Hong Kong and I sat in one for an hour or so. They are not really my cup of tea for some reason. They are comfortable but I am not a fan of them possibly due to the closed in feel.

Toilet Time

White marble and black granite are a feature of the lounge and this carries over into the toilets. Products are from Institut Karite – well, product – there is only one.

I quite like the wooden boxes for the hand towels which match the one the hand wash sits on. It just looks good. On my visit the facilities were spotless and showed no signs of wear. All bathrooms should be like this as far as I am concerned.

Dining Room

For a lounge covering 600 square metres and having a 120 person capacity there are certainly a lot of areas to cover. The dining room at Cathay’s CDG lounge features tables for two which are close enough together to be private or used for larger parties.

Behind the tables is a taller marble table featuring stools where people can slurp their noodles on the run. It dominates the space without being intrusive and helps to signify the end of the dining area. Overall the space is very effective and a nice clean place to eat some food before flight. Speaking of food…

Extensive Buffet Selection

What really sets apart a decent lounge is the food. Here at CDG the buffet selection has something for everyone. As the lounge is run by a Hong Kong based airline there is a distinctly Asian slant to proceedings which I love.

My choice was the Chicken and Cashews over some rice which was great. A glass of Baron d’Avella Champagne washed it down. I like how the Champagne is resealable to keep it fresh. Now come with me on a journey, one featuring all the other food you may wish to eat while waiting for your flight. The self-service options are excellent but having said that, that is not all. There is one more thing you need to know about…

Cathay’s Noodle Bar At CDG!

The pièce de résistance of any Cathay Pacific lounge – CDG is no exception – is the noodle bar. Here you can get freshly cooked items made to order.

One of the two items I tried on this visit was the Pho Chicken. For those that don’t know, Pho is a clear soup that originates in Vietnam. My soup was just okay but that was because I had it second. Virtually minutes after getting into the lounge I went for the highlight dish at the noodle bar. Nestled in the middle of the menu is the Dan Dan Noodles. These are Udon noodles in a peanut flavoured soup and feature in all the Cathay lounges with a noodle bar. Out. Of. This. World. Every time I have them, I love them. Love! They are so delicious and bursting with flavour that they take your breath away. I am kicking myself that I only had the one bowl. Perfection!

Overall Thoughts

Visiting Paris? I suggest you fly home via CDG to London on British Airways or via Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific so you too can spend a couple of hours in this lounge. Besides being comfortable, relaxing and very clean, those who enjoy food and drink are spoiled for choice. From buffet selection to the noodle bar you won’t go hungry. Cathay Pacific get it right when it comes to lounges, they really do.

Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below!

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