Emirates First Class Table Setting with Menu

My table was set with an impressive collection of linen, silver, porcelain and glass. The tablecloth was laid first with the iconic Emirates logo in the middle, facing me. This was followed by all of the plates, glasses and cutlery intrinsic to a proper First Class meal service. A large selection of dinner rolls including warmed garlic bread was presented in a bowl off to the side. Water was poured, wine was presented, sampled and then poured (the Grgich Hills Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009 for me) and finally the caviar was served.

It was a pretty standard caviar presentation, but that said it was also very nicely done. I received a nice portion of Russian caviar surrounded by all the usual accoutrements – chopped egg yolks, whites, onions and sour cream. A nicely wrapped lemon half and blinis completed the arrangement and before tucking into it all, I paused to take a picture.



Emirates Caviar Presentation

Now this is an interesting aspect of trip reporting for a lot of folks here, many of whom have expressed embarrassment and anxiety at the idea of photographing their food. To be sure, it’s not something that everybody is comfortable with but honestly, what’s the worst that could happen? The flight attendant will think you’re weird? Or maybe your seat mate? The way I see it, who gives a big hoo-hah? I mean honestly, if one’s ego is that fragile to where it can’t withstand the mere thought that someone they don’t even know and will very likely never see again might possibly think poorly of them over an action as innocuous as photographing their beautifully presented airline meal, well, it’s a wonder they ever manage to get out in the world without having their mother along to offer them a reassuring “There, there, it’ll be alright” now and again.

If you want to avoid a lot of the usual “Why?” type questions, one thing I’ve found works quite well is to tell those who are curious that I have a friend who’s a flight attendant for a U.S. airline and he/she was curious about the great inflight service of whatever airline I’m flying, so I promised I’d get some photos of the service. This explanation certainly passes muster with most any flight attendant and even most seatmates. I can also explain taking multiple pictures of any given food item simply by commenting on the apparent difficulty of food photography what with all the different colors and textures involved. At the end of the day though (or flight, as it were), it is what it is – different, yes, but otherwise a pretty innocent activity.

Now Arabic Mezze… Like I said, I thought it was some kind of hors d’oeuvres plate of Arabic specialties. In a sense that’s exactly what it is but what I was presented on tonight’s flight was more like a small meal! It was a delicious collection of hummus type spreads, small salads and a variety of hot and cold delicacies all artistically arranged around a plate bearing a variety of Middle Eastern breads. In hindsight, I was thankful that the Club International didn’t offer a nicer selection of foods else I might not have had room for tonight’s meal with the inclusion of the mezze.



Emirates Amazing Arabic Mezze Presentation

After months of eating skimpy U.S. domestic First Class airline salads, it was a real treat to tuck into a proper international standard First Class salad that included such delicacies as sliced celery, feta cheese cubes with pesto, sunflower seeds and pistachio nuts. Even the two types of salad dressing offered came in individual glass jars instead of the usual plastic packaging I’d become accustomed to of late.



Emirates First Class Salad



Nice Salad Dressing Presentation


Ah… the main course. Tonight’s mixed grill consisted of beef, lamb and chicken accompanied by saffron rice with lentils. The chicken was a little dry but the beef and lamb turned out quite nicely. The rice was delicious! I could easily have eaten only that and been satisfied. Over all, this was a very good and very filling meal, accompanied quite admirably with a glass of the Amancaya Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. Cheese and dessert would have to wait awhile.



The Mixed Grill Main Course

By the time the last of my plates were cleared it was approaching 9:30pm Seattle time. With nine and a half hours left in the flight, I had just the plan to eat up a fair chunk of that time. No – it didn’t include checking out the impressive selection of movies, television programs, games or music on Emirates’ inflight entertainment system, ICE. There’d be plenty of time for that later. It was time to put in some work on this trip report.

One nice thing about submitting this report in its entirety at the end of my travels is that I’m under no pressure to keep up with ongoing reports and the expectations of same that come with an incremental report. As of right now at least, none of you even know that I’m on this trip, so nobody’s waiting on me. That said however, it’s still important to keep reasonably up to date with my writing. It’s a lot easier to write about travels that occurred within a few days of them as opposed to trying to bring them back to life weeks later. And, as we’ve occasionally seen with other FlyerTalk reporters, the longer the report gets put off the easier it is to simply forget about it.

What better time and place to work on your trip report than when cruising high above the planet, comfortably ensconced in a $120,000 high tech suite providing a large recliner, a nice big table and a dedicated cabin crew happy to cater to your every whim. Speaking of which, would you excuse me for a moment please?

Hi Marijana. Would you bring me another glass of the Woodford Reserve, please? Yes, on ice would be great, thanks!

Now then, where was I?



Enroute on the Polar Route between Seattle and Dubai

Sorry, I must’ve dozed off. My principal strategy for defeating the effects of jetlag on this trip is to try and stay awake through as much of the flight as I can. It’s not going to be easy. We took to the air at 5:45pm PDT and I’m normally in bed by midnight Alaska time, or 1:00am PDT. That’s only a little more than half way into this flight. Indeed, Dubai is exactly twelve hours opposite Alaska meaning that our 7:00pm arrival time will be the equivalent of 7:00am back home. Since I want to be ready for bed once we arrive in Dubai, it makes sense to pull an all-nighter. Maybe I’d better switch that bourbon to coffee. First however, I want to check out the cheese offerings along with some of that 39 year old port proffered here on Emirates.



Cheese and Port on Emirates

And what a magnificent cheese plate it was! Beautifully arrayed on a wooden cheeseboard were five different types of cheese nestled amidst a collection of traditional accoutrements such as grapes, dried apricots, celery, carrots and walnuts. The thirty-nine year old Graham’s Single Vintage Tawny Port was an admirable quaff though per my tastes at least, it still fell a bit short of that fabulous Warre’s 1986 Reserve Tawny Port offered on BA about ten years ago. As such, the quest to find its equal continues but oh, what an enjoyable quest!



The First Class Bar on the 777-300

Time passed surprisingly quickly (with the help of a glass of 21 year old Glenfiddich followed by a short nap) and so we were about two and a half hours out of Dubai when I decided to take advantage of Emirates’ bountiful food offerings for a second meal. Back home it was time for breakfast but since I’d be arriving into Dubai at 7:00pm, why not make it another dinner? And, given that we were cruising high over the Caspian Sea at the moment, why not start that second meal service with another plate of caviar? Why not, indeed!

I actually requested just a small portion of the caviar because I also wanted to try out the Seafood Trilogy appetizer. Additionally I asked for a bowl of the Celeriac, Chestnut & Apple Soup followed by a main course of Chicken Lababdar. Fellow FlyerTalker SFO777 had given this dish a good review in his most recent trip report and then backed it up with his excellent photography. I had to try it.



Seafood Trilogy Appetizer



Celeriac, Chestnut & Apple Soup



Chicken Lababdar

The Seafood Trilogy seemed more like a Seafood Duet to me. I took note of and enjoyed the salmon and the lobster salad but if there were any prawns, they were presented in a way that didn’t look or taste very prawn like. Regardless, it was a tasty little appetizer that left me perfectly primed for the next course – the soup. Celeriac, Chestnut & Apple Soup with Goat Cheese Crostini. While it didn’t exactly roll off the tongue to request it, it rolled over the tongue rather nicely delivering a surprising amount of flavor for celery based soup. The crostini was a nice touch. As for the Chicken Lababdar – wow! Although the menu described the sauce as mild, there was still an abundance and variety of flavors. The chicken was tender and the basmati rice, peas and mutter paneer were delicious accompaniments. This dish gets my personal vote for Best Inflight Meal of the Year and I’d like to think that the chef who came up with it would have been proud of Emirates presentation. The delectable raspberry and chocolate indulgence brought this meal to a delicious close, followed by a cup of rich dark coffee.



Raspberry and Chocolate Indulgence

I should add here that had I so desired, a full breakfast service was available. Here is the transcript of the breakfast offerings from the menu:


CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Fruit Juices
Refreshing choice of freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, or enjoy the healthy option of our special detox drink combining beetroot and orange, or a mango and lime smoothie

Breakfast Fruits
A palette of ripe tropical and seasonal fresh cut fruits

Yoghurt
Natural or flavored with fruit

Assorted Cereals
Choice of crunchy Cornflakes or nutritious muesli

Breakfast Bread Basket
A variety of soft and crusty fresh baked breads, butter croissants and freshly baked breakfast pastries,
Served with butter and preserves

Delicatessen’s Cold Meats and Cheese
Offering a gourmet selection of thinly sliced smoked turkey, air-dried beef and a selection of mild breakfast cheeses, dressed with an array of garnishes

HOT BREAKFAST

Chive Scrambled Eggs
Creamy scrambled eggs marbled with fresh chives, accompanied by grilled fresh sourdough bread, roast vine tomatoes, charred Portobello mushrooms, sizzling veal sausages, braised breakfast beans, and golden brown potato röesti

Plain Omelette
Farmhouse fresh egg omelette, served with grilled plum tomatoes, fresh sautéed baby leaf spinach, slow braised breakfast beans and golden pan-fried sliced potatoes

American-Style Pancakes
Thick golden pancakes topped with a rich chocolate sauce and fresh seasonal berries in a raspberry coulis


One interesting aspect of this flight was that it encompassed almost an entire day’s worth of daylight over the course of its thirteen hour duration. We took off out of Seattle with the sun low in the western sky. As we continued north over Canada the sun set and then rose again as were approaching the coast of northern Norway. By the time we’d passed over Moscow it was a bright beautiful day easing into afternoon as we continued over Azerbaijan and Iran. As we descended into Dubai the sun was once again low in the sky, creating a pretty ambience over the desert sands below.

One of my favorite parts of any flight is the last half hour as the aircraft slows and descends ever lower. Between the reduced speed and elevation, it combines to make an excellent air tour of the surrounding countryside - or city as the case may be if you’re flying into a large metropolis such as Los Angeles or Mexico City. Although downtown Dubai is highlighted by glistening glass and steel buildings, the outskirts are made up almost entirely of beige buildings and dwellings. A fair bit of gulf haze had settled in so the view was hardly photogenic but then, this being my first flight into Dubai, it was still quite interesting to see.

Although it’s hard to imagine a 400,000 pound, 242 foot long aircraft “kissing the tarmac”, the phrase seemed appropriate as the flight crew guided our big Boeing into what felt like a textbook landing. It was a fitting conclusion to a wonderful first flight on Emirates. The suite, the meal, the service and the flight were all marvelous and thoroughly lived up to my preflight expectations. The cabin crew in particular did an outstanding job and I made a point of thanking Marijana and Joseph as I exited the aircraft and made my way up the glass jet bridge.


THE DUBAI AIRPORT

From its humble beginnings as a fishing outpost, Dubai has undergone an incredible transformation over the past half century. Oil was discovered in the 1950s. Full independence from Great Britain was granted in 1966 and the government was set up so that the United Arab Emirates became a federation of hereditary monarchies. There are a total of seven emirates with Dubai and Abu Dhabi being the wealthiest.

Much of that wealth can be seen in downtown Dubai where massive government spending on infrastructure has transformed Dubai into one of the world’s most modern and attractive skylines. Until the global economic meltdown of 2008, Dubai was home to almost 30% of the world’s largest construction cranes! Although the pace of construction has slowed a bit since then, the UAE still retain the 7th largest oil reserves in the world so it remains a very wealthy country.

Dubai’s first airport dates back to 1937 though it was actually a flying boat base serving the Empire Flying Boats of Imperial Airways. Dubai served as an overnight stop on the eleven day London to Sydney route. Construction of an actual airport began in 1959. That airport opened in 1960 with a 5,906’ runway made of compacted sand. Over the next few years a number of improvements were made, including a 9,200’ asphalt runway. Jet service arrived in 1966.

During the 1970s and 80s, Dubai was a more of a gas station than a destination with many airlines travelling between Asia and Europe stopping by to top off their tanks. The creation of Emirates Airlines in 1985 and its subsequent growth into one of the largest and most dynamic airlines in the world has transformed Dubai into a major connecting hub for global air travel and spurred the development of the world class facility that we know today as Dubai International Airport.



Terminal A at Dubai International Airport

Exiting the jet bridge, I entered a modern and spacious terminal with huge glass windows and wide, well lit corridors. Shops were everywhere! We had parked at Terminal B and since my connecting flight was not scheduled to depart for another thirteen hours I had plenty of time to get some sleep.

Emirates’ First Class revenue passengers transiting Dubai are provided with complimentary hotel accommodations. Alas, freeloaders traveling on award tickets are not offered this courtesy. Thankfully, Emirates’ First Class lounge is open 24 hours and provides a Quiet Room with individual, curtained off areas complete with couch, table, lamp and a bottle of water. The couch was more akin to a chaise lounge and while its ergonomic curves may have made sense to its designer, they made no sense to me. Thankfully I came equipped with my complete Airport Sleeping Assemblage that includes a Thermarest pad, full sized wool blanket, small pillow, eye shades, headlamp and alarm clock. I set up camp on the floor and slept until about 4:30am local time.

The terminals at Dubai may be air-conditioned, but given the high humidity inherent to the Gulf region they are still muggy inside. As such, the first order of the new day was to take a shower. The shower room was quickly located on the other side of the lounge. An attendant provided me with a towel and showed me to a shower room.

Whoa! This was more like a shower closet! There was barely enough room for me to pull my suitcase inside leaving even less room to change and hang my clothing. I quickly decided to try my luck over at the newer Terminal A, leaving behind a rather perplexed shower attendant but an otherwise clean and unused shower stall.

A spacious and nicely air-conditioned train quickly delivered me over to Terminal A. To its credit the Dubai Airport has excellent and very easy to understand signage. I had no problem locating the First Class Lounge and was subsequently shown to a modern and spacious shower suite, more in keeping with those I had experienced at elite First Class lounges such as The Wing in Hong Kong or BA’s First Lounge at Heathrow. For sheer deluge, nothing beats those sunflower shower heads at The Wing but I did manage a good and refreshing cleaning, allowing me to emerge from the shower suite freshly clothed and ready to take on the new day.



Emirates First Class Lounge Entrance at Terminal B



Emirates First Class Lounge at Terminal B



Emirates First Class Lounge at Terminal B



Emirates First Class Lounge at Terminal B


Now then, where can I get a bite to eat around here? Following the signs to the Dining Room, I was shown to a table and offered a choice of a buffet breakfast or a la carte service from the menu. I opted for the buffet and quickly put together a plate fit for a king or at the very least a hungry passenger who hadn’t eaten in twelve hours. A huge basket of breakfast breads was delivered to my table along with orange juice and coffee. I only ate a single croissant so I’d hate to think that all the rest of that bread was disposed of.



Emirates First Class Lounge Dining Area



Breakfast in Dubai

After breakfast, I paid a visit to the lounge’s newspaper and magazine rack. Outside of specialty magazine shops such as you’d find in a large city, I have never seen a more impressive collection of newspapers, many of them from such far flung outposts as Manila, Nairobi and Buenos Aires. I picked out a copy of the International Herald Tribune and settled into a comfy chair not far from my departure gate at A5. An attendant stopped by to ask if I needed anything and soon I was sipping from a cup of hot coffee accompanied by a small plate of cookies.

At 8:00am EK 045 departing for Frankfurt was announced and I headed over to the gate area. In Terminal A, the First Class lounge is located one level above the main gate lounges but an elevator delivered myself and a couple from Germany down to our own private jetway where we strolled aboard the waiting 777 unimpeded.