The lady in 4F in the meantime was complaining to any cabin crew who would listen that groups 1 and 2 were invited to board simultaneously; the horror!
Boarding was delayed a bit because they were looking for a missing passenger (multiple announcements in the category of "could Mr X please make himself known to the cabin crew?"), but we pushed back around ten minutes late, and took about a five minute taxi to the runway. After a very long takeoff roll, we were off to London!
Service was quite slow to begin with; about forty minutes after take-off, I was finally offered another drink.
Rosé champagne and nuts
Given the flight length, why not try some of the food?
Here's the food part of the menu. A (*) indicates that I took that option.
WELCOME TO FIRST
We believe that travelling in First means enjoying some of the finer things in life, and your delicious menu today is no exception.
From fresh seasonal ingredients, to a carefully chosen selection of international wines and Champagnes, our talented chefs and sommeliers have created a signature experience to be savoured.
So, please sit back, relax and enjoy our à la carte dining.
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DINNER
PRE-APPETISER
(*) Kudu carpaccio with thyme marinated goat's cheese and a lemon and shallot oil.
STARTERS
Smoked salmon with aubergine confit
Warm parsnip and potato rösti with goat's cheese and red pepper coulis
(*) Cream of baby marrow squash soup
Fresh seasonal salad served with your choice of sour cream and herb dressing or lemon and olive oil dressing
MAIN COURSES
Pan-seared peppered fillet of beef with fondant potatoes, grilled mushrooms, courgette, vine cherry tomato and sage butter jus
Fillet of kingklip with sweet potato fondant, sautéed spinach and piquanté pepper, fennel and star anise beurre noisette
(*) Roasted medaillon of lamb saddle with green beans, baby carrots, pomme purée and garlic cream sauce
Mushroom ravioli with sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan sauce
Salad of grilled sesame prawns with vegetable slaw, mesclun and a tamarind dressing
I skipped dessert and cheese.
As some would say: showtime, BA style
Kudu carpaccio; OK but not special
Soup; not too bad
Lamb; looked better than it tasted, lots of fat
Observations: not once addressed by name, which is something that I would expect when travelling in First... Food wasn't spectacular, I would say 6 or 7 out of 10. And, as I mentioned, it took a while for the service to start up, but once underway they sped up a bit. About 105 minutes after take-off, I retreated to the lavatory to change into my pyjamas. A member of the crew made my bed, and I slept quite good for about seven hours total. After four hours, I woke up because it was getting quite cold. I walked to the galley to pick up a bottle of water, and continued my sleep for another three hours.
4A is ready to sleep!
More to follow!