For dinner, I decided to have caviar to start and then the kaiseki. I felt a bit bad that my solo A380 F experience was going to be on a short, overnight flight. On a daytime flight, I probably would have sampled more of the menu. As it was, I enjoyed the kaiseki—fresh-tasting, interesting ingredients, nice presentation (except for the plastic packet of seasoning on one of the plates—they don't do that in fine restaurants, and if the goal of airlines is to have their F catering product somewhat resemble fine restaurant dining, why the plastic packets?).
I decided to skip dessert and try to get a couple of hours of sleep. The flight attendants were kind enough to make up a double bed for me to sleep on (my assigned suite was at a window; they put two center suites together for me to sleep in). It was great to have the extra space to stretch out in. Unfortunately there was a fair bit of turbulence, and since I generally can't sleep through turbulence my night was fitful.
The next morning, though I was still full from dinner, I couldn't resist having a little taste from the menu. Orange juice to start, followed by the relatively light Japanese option.
We landed at LAX on a sunny day and were towed to our gate. I took a shot of the nose of the beast just after disembarking.
Just a few days later, I was on the move again—this time from YUL to ZRH. I was told right at check-in that I'd be the only F passenger. I spent some time in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, which is just okay. Eventually I got bored and headed to the gate, where I found out that there would be a delay in boarding. No reason was given. About a half an hour past the scheduled boarding time, priority boarding began. We eventually left almost an hour late.
I was given a pre-departure drink and a warm canapé.
After takeoff, I opted for some champagne. This time, although again a short flight, I decided to try to do more justice to the menu, and sampled several items.
Champagne and table setup…
… basket of warm breads…
…and multiple dinner courses.
The ravioli and mushrooms were a main course, but there was an option to have an appetizer-sized portion. Very tasty—if I hadn't had more food coming, I might have asked for the rest of the portion.
The thing that looks like a block of cheese in the main course was a surprisingly dense and slightly overcooked piece of fish. This was really the only misstep in the catering.
