At The Creamery

Dearest reader, after the excitement of our flight to the UK, I thought it only fair to update your on our trip back to the US.

As you may recall, we ended up flying with Norwegian, which, to the uninitiated, is a budget long-haul carrier. They fly shiny Boeing 787s, packed to the gunwales with economy seating to keep the prices down; but at the front is a small cabin containing just a few Premium Economy seats. Having had quite enough of the experience back in economy, we decided to go with the Premium option on the way back. I've flown Premium with Norwegian before, so my expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The experience starts with a lounge. I've got to admit, I'm a lounge snob; I can give you the lowdown on which lounges are great (Virgin at Heathrow T3 is probably the best, although Virgin at JFK is really nice too), which are good (Japan Airlines at Narita; suitably clean and efficient, but dull), and which are barely worth the price of admission (BA pretty much anywhere; why are your lounges always so packed and full of people who want to have full-volume phone conversations?). My previous Premium experience with Norwegian had me in the Alitalia lounge at JFK (decorated like the back seat of a late '70s Alfa Romeo in browny-beige vinyl, about as clean, and nothing to eat or drink), and some fairly naff lounge at Gatwick that was overfull. However, at Gatwick we went to a different lounge this time, which was a bunch better; still slightly like a posher version of a motorway service station, but clean, well-stocked and best of all, not packed. A surprisingly good start.

On the plane, you get loads of space in Norwegian Premium; more than I've had in Premium Economy on any other airline, and in fact more than I've had in Business on some others. Here my partner in crime attempted to capture the acres of space in which her tiny legs languished, but perhaps the overall effect of the picture isn't that good:

Maybe should have laid off the sparkling wine?

With a bit more space and a smaller cabin, not to mention staff that appeared to have passed at least the most basic competency tests (unlike in economy!), I can definitely describe this flight using the word uneventful, which is precisely what you want a flight to be. Overall this is a better on-plane experience than a Premium Economy seat on any other airline (simply because there is a lot more space), and a bunch better than the economy experience. I'll probably still go Virgin next time, because there's still a general air of amateurishness about Norwegian which doesn't fill me with confidence, but if you can put that aside it's definitely worth considering.

Once home we went to one of my favourite restaurants for dinner, and one which you'll definitely visit if you come and see us here: the Palo Alto Creamery. This old-fashioned diner serves classic American comfort food (you can get your turkey dinner with cranberries here whenever you like), as well as fantastic ice cream milkshakes, and finally, amazing cakes and pies at their bakery counter.

All of this happens in classic diner ambience: booths with bouncy red vinyl seats (but this is charm; it's not the back seat of a clapped out 1977 Alfasud), metal tables with melamine tops, jukeboxes and everything else. This could easily be Milwaukee, 1957.

The Creamery is quick; you order your food, and it turns up. You start eating it, and the bill gets left on the table for you to sort out at the till when you're ready. There is no messing about here. It's also big: the milkshake comes in a one-pint metal cup, which it doesn't actually fit in, and you eat it with a spoon, because it's basically a dessert. When you eat here, you probably don't want to eat for the rest of that day and maybe the next day.

What I like about the Creamery (in addition to the milkshakes and cakes) is that it feels genuinely American, with no airs or graces (but OK, it's not cheap; this is the Bay Area after all). It's just good honest food served quickly in a charmingly but authentically retro environment. Come visit and see if you can get through their breakfast pancakes!