SQ Biz Class meal

I'm sure most of us have had the privilege of experiencing air travel first hand. With the advent of globalization and with the on going price wars between the budget carriers like Air Asia and full service carriers like Singapore Airlines and Emirates driving air fares down, air travel is becoming more and more common place.

 

One of travellers main grouches with air travel though, is the food. When it comes to airline food, most people have a really low expectation of what they expect to receive. Food served by most, if not all of the airlines are just not up to scratch. Or at least that's what most commuters are saying. A typical Singapore Airlines Economy(which is what I always have when I travel!) class meal looks like...

 

Decent enough food, but not exactly top of the line fare. So I've always wondered what people have been having behind that curtain which segregates economy class from business class. And during my trip to Europe this time, I had the privilege to finally discover what lay on the other side.

First here's a look at the menu..

There's a wide selection of Teas and Coffees as well as alcoholic drinks. But I was really looking forward to the Foie Gras starter. Scientists have claimed that in the air, our taste receptors don't work the same as at sea level due to differences in air pressure. I wanted to see if that's true. Before the meal proper, we had the customary basket or bread and rolls, but I wanted to save my stomach for the real deal.

Duck Foie Gras smoked with beechwood, mesclun and fennel

 

This starter was a cold dish. For business class, I was expecting something hot, so that was disappointing. The salad greens were good, so were the baby tomatoes, but the foie gras was a little bit on the hard side. It tasted more like the pate you can get at the supermarkets than the foie gras I've had before in restaurants. It just tasted too...pre prepared.

 

It is worth noting, though, that making quality food at a restaurant on the ground is difficult enough as it is. Creating a meal, that will not be eaten for hours and still needs to taste world class when it is finally consumed, is a whole other level. One problem facing airline caterers is how much should the food be cooked on the ground before it gets on the plane. For example, chicken will be cooked maybe 60% on the ground and the rest in the air. So I guess, this was the problem the caterers faced with this dish.

 

Seeing that we were 10,000m up in the air. I guess this was the best they could do. It definitely wasn't the best foie gras I've had, and I was struggling to finish it in the end.

 

Christmas Glazed Pork Kassler

 

 

For my main, I had the Christmas glazed pork kassler. Kassler is the name given to a salted and smoked piece of pork(usually the neck or loin). The greens were ok, the potatoes were fine, but the pork itself was terrible. It was hard, dry and the sauce(cherry jus) wasn't quite to my liking. It was slightly sweet and sour. Maybe when the testers sampled this dish at sea level it was passable, but when I had it, well it just tasted like...airline food. Bad airline food. Again, I struggled to finish.

 

For dessert I had the Christmas log cake which was soft and creamy and chocolatey, so at least dessert was good.

 

So basically, for business class, you get a fine dining experience which is totally different from what you get in economy. They set the tables for you, take your orders personally and ensure that your every whim and fancy is catered to. The food is undoubtedly, more luxurious too, but really despite all its grandeur, nothing beats food prepared fresh.

 

Eggs Benedict

 

 

Finally, with this being a long flight, I had breakfast on the plane too. I had the eggs benedict with spinach and sausages. This was much, much better than what I previously had. The eggs were soft and runny(just the way I like them) and the pork sausages were really good too. Firm with a nice crunchy skin. Considering this was prepared 30,000ft up in the air, I'd say job well done Singapore Airlines.

But honestly, to pay 3 times the fare? I don't think I would do it again. Business class certainly is opulent, but there are better ways to spend you money. At least to me.