The menus on Thai Airways’ flights from Taipei to Bangkok have been given the five-star treatment with a new series of dishes developed in collaboration with the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei now being served to business class passengers until the end of August.
Passengers travelling in Royal Silk Class on the airline’s TG633/TG635 flights departing Taipei between now and August 31, 2018 will see a total of six new menus developed in collaboration with Adam Tanner, executive chef at the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei.
Each of the new dishes has been inspired by those served at the hotel’s Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Ya Ge, as well as the Michelin-recommended Italian restaurant Bencotto.
The six menus have been divided into three “cycles” that will rotate every month, each offering a Western and an Asian menu.
June: Cycle one
Western menu
- First course: Smoked salmon with crostini, dill cream, and caviar
- Main course: Marinated Japanese beef, onion puree, seasonal vegetables, beef jus
- Dessert: Tropical fruit verrine with caramel mousse and milk chocolate crunch
- Assorted cheeses
- Side dishes: Grilled polenta cake; bacon and truffle bread; miso brioche bun
Asian menu
- First course: Assorted meat, tofu, marinated Chaozho style
- Main course: Glazed sweet and sour Taiwanese black pork with fresh pineapple
- Dessert: Mango, pomelo, sago cream
- Side dishes: Stir-fried dried scallop, egg white, jasmine rice; seasonal vegetable sautéed with garlic
July: Cycle two
Western menu
- First course: Slow poached prawn, tomato consommé gelee, prunier caviar
- Main course: Roasted US prime beef tenderloin, rucola flan, crushed potato, mushroom jus
- Dessert: Pineapple panna cotta with strawberry jelly
- Assorted cheeses
- Side dishes: Baked eggplant melanzana; mini ciabatta roll; rosemary focaccia
Asian menu
- First course: Ginseng-marinated drunken chicken
- Main course: Sliced steamed giant garoupa with spring onion
- Dessert: Red bean soup
- Side dishes: Assorted vegetables with fungus, bamboo piths and noodles
August: Cycle three
Western menu
- First course: Yilan smoked duck breast, cherry fluid gel, foie gras, micro lettuce
- Main course: Roasted Kagoshima pork, bok choy, mashed sweet potato
- Dessert: Chocolate delice with whipped mascarpone and gianduja
- Assorted cheeses
- Side dishes: Sauteed asparagus with mushrooms; bacon and truffle bread; miso brioche bun
Asian menu
- First course: Shredded chicken, flat glass noodles, cashew nuts in a spicy sesame sauce
- Main course: Steamed black cod with truffle and soy sauce
- Dessert: Chilled almond tofu with seasonal fruit
- Side dishes: Sauteed kale with XO sauce; Chinese sausage fried rice
Both Flight TG633 and TG635 fly daily, with the former departing Taipei in the afternoon and the latter in the evening.
However, it’s worth noting that Thai Airways’ third daily service out of Taipei – its early morning TG637 – doesn’t appear set to see the new menus.
Business Traveller reviewed the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei late last year.
