Airplane food is generally assumed to be bland and underwhelming. We as consumers came to expect this and lived with it. However, I want to share two recent experiences I’ve had with smaller European airlines where I thought the food was actually quite outstanding.
Three weeks ago, I flew from JFK in New York to Brussels on Brussels Airlines in business class. On my outbound flight, I had a codfish dish for dinner and fresh chocolate croissants (I mean flaky and hot like they were just baked) with yogurt and ripe wonderful fruit for breakfast. On the return flight, I had a really delicious curry shrimp and rice dish with warm soft and fresh bread. The most striking part of these meals was how fresh everything was. I’ve had many a stale piece of bread and terribly unripe fruit on flights around the world, but this airline managed to excel in quality of their produce.
Just today I flew from JFK to Vienna, Austria, on Austrian Airlines in business class, and when we boarded I was pleasantly shocked that a chef dressed in the full outfit including tall hat greeted us before we departed and took our orders for the in-flight meals (dinner and breakfast). I have never seen this before! It was a nice touch and it led to very high expectations, which were all fulfilled.
The dinner I had was a beef filet mignon with asparagus (perfectly crisp), parsnip fries, and a lovely glaze made of a soy sauce reduction. The flavors were incredible, and really were restaurant quality. For breakfast, I had an omelet, potato latkes, and fresh fruit and yogurt (not to mention real orange juice).
They also took orders for specialty coffees that the chef whipped up in the galley for everyone (think rum or Baileys in your cappuccino, or a scoop of ice cream added to your double espresso). The quality of these drinks was outstanding and dare I say better than some very large coffee chain stores.
The objective of this article is to let all passengers know that there are airlines out there who are getting the meal service right. Their high standards and attention to quality is really obvious. I applaud them and encourage other airlines to take note and hopefully take action to increase the level of their service.
I have come across a website called WWW.AIRLINEMEALS.NET, which has meal reviews of almost all airlines (including the two I am mentioning in this article). I encourage you to consider doing some research of the various carriers before booking your next flight to see how they are ranking against the competition.
As always, I wish you all the happiest of travels and Bon Appetite!
