Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - FC food, case of diminishing returns?

Having sampled CX FC cuisine on 4 intercontinental flights (we were looking forward to it, and are not particularly impressed), I wonder if CX is spending money (reputedly USD 50 per FC pax - highest in the world) on expensive ingredients that just doesn't quite come together inflight.

I would imagine a good portion of that money goes to caviar and salmon but it seems to go downhill from there. The lobster thermidor is just o.k. with the heavy cream sauce (not quite the same inflight as on ground). Salad vegetables (ex-HKG and JNB) are tasteless and the caesar dressing is this heavy creamy stuff that could have come out of a supermarket bottle (it can't be that hard or expensive to make a real caesar dressing fresh on ground and bottle it for inflight use - as an example, NW's "mishu" dressing ex-NRT is divine). My GF had a (sun)fish main ex-JNB. While the fish was merely o.k., the pepper sauce was so fiery hot (she can tolerate chilli-hot S-E asian & Indian dishes) that she just had a bite or two and abandoned the rest. She had a beef stir fry ex-HKG which she said was merely o.k. and she's had far better mains on domestic US (the airline) FC flights.

The best and most memorable dishes we had were soup (simple corn! ex-JNB) and fried rice with premium ingredients (YVR-HKG supper).

Desserts are very good.

I fondly remember the Japanese BC meals on CP and NW and even BA FC meals back in 2001 more than I do the CX equivalent. CX FC dining just isn't all that memorable other than for the service (almost impeccable), salmon & caviar, and wines/beverages.

Maybe the meal planners could do a better reexamination of how the food holds up in the air rather than the total spend on the meals.

It really depends on the catering station... JNB is not known for its food offerings.. and what was surprising was that on a flight about 2 weeks ago, I found the main course choices in First Class, to be EXACTLY the same as the ones in Business Class.

Ex-HKG, one would go for the Chinese offerings, and Japanese... It's not the ingredients, but rather the kitchen that makes up the food.

For example, SIN's catering by SATS, has dreadful food. No matter which airline, the food tastes the same.. whether by SQ, CX, QF.. there is a distinct similarity to the food. ex-HKG, the food is generally good, and so is ex-TPE where the crew raves about the catering.

Some places are good.. ex-SFO, ex-YVR, ex-AUSTRALIA, ex-LHR, ex-NRT, ex-BKK. So it really depends on where the food is uplifted from.

I've had my share of samplings the past month... JFK, YVR, HKG, MEL, SIN, NRT, TPE, JNB. All were fine except SIN. JNB was fine too.. but I was sitting in J though sampling the food from F including caviar and salmon. It was just like F class experience..without leaving my seat. Hey, they even gave me the pillow from First. No, First Class was not empty... the crew was just extra nice to me that's all.

JNB was fine too.. but I was sitting in J though sampling the food from F including caviar and salmon. It was just like F class experience..without leaving my seat. Hey, they even gave me the pillow from First. No, First Class was not empty... the crew was just extra nice to me that's all.

Cudos!

How many people have accomplished this???

I found the food to be spotty. Acutally my best meal in the past 3 months was NRT-TPE in April which as shrimp with spicy red sauce, with 3 JUMBO shrimp which seemed like the same recipe I had LHR-HKG (where I thought the menu was disappointing...not even a hot desert), but that one was served with 5 small shrimp which were overcooked and not nearly as tasty/impressive.

That's why I sometimes ask for chili sauce when I come across food that I don't like.

One time, I've even finished their supply of chili sauce from the FC galley, so they had to give me tabasco sauce instead!

I find the food on CX to be rather bland at time (perhaps I eat too much spicy food?).

It really depends on the catering station... JNB is not known for its food offerings.. and what was surprising was that on a flight about 2 weeks ago, I found the main course choices in First Class, to be EXACTLY the same as the ones in Business Class.

[...]

I've had my share of samplings the past month... JFK, YVR, HKG, MEL, SIN, NRT, TPE, JNB. All were fine except SIN. JNB was fine too.. but I was sitting in J though sampling the food from F including caviar and salmon. It was just like F class experience..without leaving my seat. Hey, they even gave me the pillow from First. No, First Class was not empty... the crew was just extra nice to me that's all.

Out of JNB on my most recent trip, the main course I had was horrible. A friend of mine who was in J had the same food as me.

Talking about pillows, people from J were INVADING the F toilets, STEALING the F pillows, and making noise in the F cabin, where they should not be.

Talking about pillows, people from J were INVADING the F toilets, STEALING the F pillows, and making noise in the F cabin, where they should not be.

And the FA's didn't make short shrift of them? :eek:

And the FA's didn't make short shrift of them? :eek:

Out of about 6 people whom I saw going to the washrooms illegally, only 2 were stopped. I slept for about 8 hours on that flight, so I didn't see much. I was awaken by a J passenger fiddling with the curtain (I was in 2K), trying to escape the F cabin after his trip to the toilet, and as soon as he managed to get the curtain open, he casually lifted a pillow from the vacant 2G. :mad:

of that money goes to caviar and salmon but it seems to go downhill from there. The lobster thermidor is just o.k. with the heavy cream sauce (not quite the same inflight as on ground).This illustrates the vagaries of catering in different cities. CX served an outstanding lobster thermidor on a flight I took in 2002, catered out of NRT. It has stuck in my mind because I was struck by how much better the CX lobster thermidor was compared to the SQ version which I happened to have had a few days earlier (as a "book the cook" meal). And my amazement at having such success with this dish (which presents several difficulties for serving anywhere). So you use lobster thermidor as an example of what is wrong with CX F meals, and I use it as an example of what is so great and wonderful about CX F meals. The caterer makes a big difference (I've found same dishes from LAX to be quite a bit worse than out of SFO, for example). Overall my experience has been that CX does a good job in managing these problems.

So you use lobster thermidor as an example of what is wrong with CX F meals, and I use it as an example of what is so great and wonderful about CX F meals. The caterer makes a big difference (I've found same dishes from LAX to be quite a bit worse than out of SFO, for example).

since ex-HKG is CX's (100%?) own flight kitchen. Shouldn't be bad if CX has total control? My lobster thermidor sample was 2x ex-HKG and 1x ex-JNB (the meals were so unmemorable I wouldn't have remembered what I had it except for digital pictures I have yet to submit to airlinemeals.net).

Who is CX's caterer in NRT? FWIW, NRT has long had a reputation for excellent catering (but my sample is small).

CX should have good control over food ex YVR (I believe it's a JV with LSG SkyChefs).

The food quality in CX is definetely declining. My wife & I have flown the HKG - LHR run 6 Rount Trips in CX Business. The food has been complete Rubbish recently. I have been flying this run for years, and I feel that quality is very bad. It never used to be like this before. I'm not sure why this is happening.

One piece of advice I have, is NEVER EAT THE BEEF, whether they serve it as a medallion, or a steak or as any other form. It always has a bad smell, and tastes awful, no matter which way I fly.

My wife also was never very happy her food over the last few trips.

By the way, if you are ever flying domestic in the US, I like to pick up from Mc.Donalds a 'Shake Shake' salad, where they give you the dressing seperatly to the salad. When I am ready to eat, I put the dressing into the countainer and mix it in. Its very easy to make and eat, and tastes excellent and fresh. Sometimes a $5 investment can make a big difference to your day.

That must be the most surreal reply ever on FT - I can't believe anyone could genuinely compare McDonalds favourably to CX First food while in a sane state of mind!

:D :D

:D :D :D

I like to pick up from Mc.Donalds a 'Shake Shake' salad, where they give you the dressing seperatly to the salad. When I am ready to eat, I put the dressing into the countainer and mix it in.

On the HKG-YVR trip, my GF got served the caesar salad coated in that thick icky dressing. My salad was served with dressing on the side, not that I asked for it that way.

The food quality in CX is definetely declining. My wife & I have flown the HKG - LHR run 6 Rount Trips in CX Business. The food has been complete Rubbish recently. I have been flying this run for years, and I feel that quality is very bad. It never used to be like this before. I'm not sure why this is happening.

I have done this route in the past in FIRST CLASS, and the food was average. Sometimes in CX the eggs are so rubbery they make me sick.

I have done this route in the past in FIRST CLASS, and the food was average. Sometimes in CX the eggs are so rubbery they make me sick.Then please stop flying CX and leave the seats available for those of us who enjoy the food .... my own experience, based on dozens of CX F breakfasts, is that CX serves the best eggs of any airline and I can't recall a single instance of rubbery eggs. I suppose I have just been lucky and your experience on a single CX F trip is more representative of what really goes on. I can accept that CX has bad food sometimes, but rubbery eggs that make you sick???? That is just not possible (they are freshly cooked to order!!!).

Although the scrambled eggs I usually order are good, there were some occasions on HKG-LHR that the eggs were rubbery. I may have exaggerated at the sick part, and I apologise for that. :(

Err. guys, when I mentioned earlier about McDonalds, as mentioned, I was refering to when flying Domestic in the USA. I guess I neglected to specifically on AA or any other domestic US airline. As far as I know, CX doesn't fly domestic in the USA (It only flies between YVR - JFK, which is not a domestic flight). Of course CX First (& sometimes Business) food would be better than McDonalds. But MickyDees is still better than any Domestic USA flying I've ever tried.

CX food is much better than most airlines I fly, BUT the standards are not quite up in the air as it used to be. I appreciate the airline is trying to roll out some celebrety or gourmet dishes, but the general meals are not quite what they used to be, and looking at pictures of the lovely gourmet dishes (which aren't being currently served), really doesn't do much for me.

By the way, I have to say one thing, I had the lovliest desert recently, some kind of Cheesecake. CX used to always have the most awful desert cake, and I used to notice that they used to have very few portions of them, my guess was that most people used to turn down the desert. However on a recent flight I had a lovely cheesecake, and they had ALOT of portions, they had a couple of full cakes on the cart - enough supply to feed a portion to all takers. Most people I saw were taking the desert.

Although the scrambled eggs I usually order are good, there were some occasions on HKG-LHR that the eggs were rubbery. :(

So well, ummmmmmmm, SEND THEM BACK :D

heh, I shall just do that. :D

I still find CX FC catering to be the best in the air. Some have complained about the quality or portions being a bit less recently. I honestly don't know how some of these folks can eat so much, YMMV. Seriously, I am a high mileage runner who has to eat a lot and often. Last flight I was especially hungry.. I had the Caviar/Salmon, Salad, Entree, and cheeses (which I could not finish). I ended up was so full it was difficult to fall asleep. I was not the slightest bit hungry through the flight until breakfast and had dim sum with fried noodles (didn't finish). I felt like a big fat porker when I hit to the showers in HKG. :o Maybe it is sitting sedinatry for 14 hours, but I can never eat all of the stuff that is available nor would I want to try...... Krug on the other hand...

Think CX is going downhill, try UA!!! :eek:

I can honestly say that I have never had a bad meal in CX J or F. I almost invariably choose the Chinese or other Asian dishes as I am very fond of Asian food. The last time I travelled in F on Cathay (DUB-HKG then HKG-SIN, about 6 weeks ago) the food was excellent, and the service as impeccable as always. The F attendant insisted that I try something from every course, and I probably well and truly over-ate, but it was great fun!

And the wine was of course spectacular. Krug. Sigh.

After landing in HKG I took myself off to the Pier for a shower and to do some work. The service there was incredible. After a couple of hours, I felt like some dim sum and noodles. I spoke to a lounge staff member, who wanted me to sit down and have the full treatment in the F restaurant, but as I was working, I politely declined and asked if I might have "just some dim sum and noodles". I was presented a few short moments later at my workstation with siu mai, har gau and cha siel pau, noodles in a very hot and spicy soup style sauce (fantastic!) and a pot of jasmine tea. Can service get any better than this?

any comments on the new wines in F, especially the branaire-ducru vs. the lynch bages it replaces?

I travelled from HKG-AKL earlier this year in F and I was surprised to find the "Sha Cha Beef" in the menu. According to my friend he had that dish in Y Class a few months before hand.

I chose the Lobster instead which was Ok.

I agree with the Ceasar Salad, the dressing taste disgusting.

As for the comments re: J Class invading F Class, I seemed to recall about that post I put up about the sharing of lockers with J class in Row 2. I guess now it proofs the point that Row 2 is not as good as people claim it is.

any comments on the new wines in F, especially the branaire-ducru vs. the lynch bages it replaces?Haven't heard that LB is gone, but this would be a big step down (roughly half the quality). Branaire-ducru is quite good value and their 2000 is exceptional (but won't be ready for drinking for another 10 years). What year is CX serving?

they are serving '96. there's an insert in the wine list publicizing it - the wine consultants took "over a year of intensive research" to find it.

Haven't heard that LB is gone, but this would be a big step down (roughly half the quality). Branaire-ducru is quite good value and their 2000 is exceptional (but won't be ready for drinking for another 10 years). What year is CX serving?

They didn't have LB on my last flight. I tried the new one but didn't like it. Personally like LB better.

they are serving '96. there's an insert in the wine list publicizing it - the wine consultants took "over a year of intensive research" to find it.Given the task of finding an LB substitute at half the cost this was a good choice. Too bad, LB is magical among Bordeaux (note the capital B), it is one of the few that is good before its time (doesn't close up too much during aging, thus pleasant drunk young). I haven't flown CX since May (when they still served LB) but I have noticed very few paid F pax on CX except on a few routes; lots of upgrades instead, so the writing was on the wall for cutting back on CX's very lavish F service and catering cost. Do they still serve their super-Tuscan (Antinori Tignanello, every bit as good as the LB but in a different way, and similar price)? Presumably that is also gone now.

They didn't have LB on my last flight. I tried the new one but didn't like it. Personally like LB better.

Wow...too bad it was there in mid-June...must have just run out. :(

Must have run out recently indeed. Was available YVR-HKG-JNB late May and theother way mid June.

I am surprised CX doesn't try to cut by offering preimum wines (maybe not as good, but very close, at a fraction of the price) from some of its destinations such as S. Africa.