Inflight meals do impact the overall flight experience, at times significantly. In fact, according to research by ORC International, 52 percent of passengers flying on full-service airlines consider inflight dining to be an important part of the overall flight experience. These five carriers have taken the initiative to provide the best inflight menus possible by working with chefs.
Delta Airlines:
Chef: Michelle Bernstein
Class: First and Business
Host of The Melting Pot, celebrity chef Michelle Bernstien helps Delta create Western main courses for the meals served in these two classes on international flights, which are designed to match perfectly the wine selection chosen by master sommelier Andrea Robinson.
Sample menu: In BusinessElite class on flights longer than three and a half hours
Entreés: mini corn cake with salmon, asparagus and pickled onion; Main course: Pan-seared chicken breast with balsamic brown butter and roast pumpkin, topped with arugula fennel salad; Dessert: Chocolate tart
Hong Kong Airlines:
Chef: Jason Atherton and Chow Chung
Classes: The two chefs’ meals will appear on the all-business class flight
Hong Kong Airlines’ all-business class flight between London Gatwick and Hong Kong, which is scheduled to begin operations on March 8, will feature an inflight menu created by British Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton (see story here) and Hong Kong celebrity chef Chow Chung. The menu will bring together elements of Chinese and European cuisines.
Sample menu: The carrier has not released details of menus yet.
Japan Airlines:
Chef: Seiji Yamamoto
Class: First
Michelin-starred chef, Seiji Yamamoto, designs the menu available in first class on most of Japan Airlines’ international flights, putting together high-level Japanese and continental fare.
Sample menu: In first class on Narita-London flight
Entreés: Seasonal tarte of snow crab accented with its roe cream; Main course: Wagyu beef fillet steak flavoured with truffles and served with Perigueux sauce; Dessert: Japanese sweet.
Qantas:
Chef: Neil Perry
Classes: First and Business
For 15 years, Qantas has teamed up with Australian celebrity chef, Neil Perry, to continually evolve the inflight dining experience. The inflight menus are created on a quarterly basis, allowing passengers to experience Perry’s newest Australian concoctions.
Sample menu: In business class on Sydney-Bangkok flight:
Entreés: Cream of pumpkin soup with croutons; Main course: Pan fried salmon with caramelised witlof, crushed peas and preserved lemon dressing; Dessert: Milk chocolate and chestnut torte with blueberries and double cream.
These dishes are served alongside a salad, a selection of cheese and some smaller light meals, such as toasted sourdough baguette with roasted pork, apple, red cabbage and seeded mustard.
Singapore Airlines:
Chef: The International Culinary Panel - a panel of 12 international chefs including: Alfred Portale, Georges Blanc, Matthew Moran, Sam Leong, Sanjeev Kapoor, Suzanne Goin, Yoshihiro Murata and Zhu Jun.
Classes: First and Business
Singapore Airlines brings together 12 chefs to provide a variety of special dishes from different cuisines from around the world for premium passengers. The choices available differ depending on the flight route. Passengers also have the ability to select their main course dish 24 hours before departure by clicking on ‘Book the Cook’ on the carrier’s website.
Sample menu: In first class on the Hong Kong-Singapore flight created by Georges Blanc
Entreés: Country style dark potted meat on brioche bread with fresh herbs, pine nuts and fig tomato chutney; Main course: Slow cooked lamb shoulder with sage, spiced eggplant puree and ovendried tomatoes; Dessert: Medley of dried fruits in bitter chocolate millefuelle, tropical fruit and passionfruit.
Alisha Haridasani