ANA to enhance in-flight menu with dishes from new chefs and limited regional cuisine menus

Business and first class passengers travelling with All Nippon Airways (ANA) will get to enjoy an upgraded in-flight menu which will feature dishes from three new chefs, as well as regional cuisine created in collaboration with Japanese chefs in Mexico City and Seattle starting from March 2020.

Available on both international and domestic flights, the new dishes created by the three new chefs are part of ANA’s The Connoisseurs Culinary Program which the carrier launched in 2013 to create cuisine for its passengers. With the new chefs, the total number of participating chefs and beverage experts working in ANA’s culinary program will be 19.

“Passengers will be able to enjoy a truly distinct and authentic dining experience featuring in-flight meals inspired by the unique culinary backgrounds of The Connoisseurs themselves,” reads a press release from the airline.

Here are the details about the new dishes and chefs:

Michel and Sébastien Bras

From March to May 2020, first class passengers departing from Japan to North America and Europe will get to try dishes created by the father-and-son duo Michel and Sébastien Bras who will bring contemporary cuisine inspired by their native Aubrac region in France to the plates of travellers. The pair received three Michelin stars in 1999.

Menu example (see main photo above):

• Appetizer:
  The Crab as a “Cream” and Caviar; Coriander flavoured half-green pak-choi, condiments with citrus fruit flavours.
• Main Dish:
  Roasted “Wagyu” Beef Fillet, with shallot melting cream; Stuffed Cabbage in Laguiole Village and potato chips, with Malaysian black pepper.
  The “King Crab” Claw gently cooked on the plancha; Lettuce-asparagus called “celtuce” and confit salty lemon, a Sauternes (wine) and cocoa jus. Today’s “Classic”; Gargouillou of vegetables, seeds and herbs.

Hideki Takayama 

Between June to August 2020, business class passengers departing from Japan to destinations in Asia will get to experience the western-inspired cuisine of chef Hideki Takayama, a two-time winner of the “Bocuse d’Or International Cuisine Competition Asia Pacific”. ANA said the full menu will be announced on its website in May 2020.

ANA is also collaborating with chefs to create regional cuisine for its Mexico City and Seattle routes. Here are the details on its collaborative menus:

Yasuo Asai – Asai Kaiseki Cuisine

Food from Mexico-based restaurant Asai Kaiseki Cuisine will be available for passengers traveling in business class on flights departing from Mexico City. Asai Kaiseki Cuisine, which opened in December 2016 in the Polanco district of Mexico City, is known for incorporating Mexican ingredients into its menu. Business class passengers can experience the Japanese menu prepared by Asai chef Yasuo Asai from June to August 2020. ANA said the full menu will be announced on its website in May 2020.

Shiro Kashiba – Sushi Kashiba