Lunch
A few hours had now passed and it was time to have lunch. I ordered another glass of Krug and the purser came to set the table. The setting featured the signature candlelight, bread basket with triple bread roll, salt and pepper shakers, unsalted beurre d’Isigny (butter) and a choice of olive oil. First up (and not mentioned on the menu) was an amuse-bouche of beef wrapped in nori seaweed, garnished with edible flowers (too pretty to eat).


Amuse-bouche

That was followed by the caviar and smoked salmon. The caviar was served with the traditional garnishes and the dish was plated beautifully. There was an additional basket with what must have been the cutest baby blinis I have seen, along with crackers. The salmon unfortunately was not as tender and unctuous (in a good way) as I had expected. The most important detail, I must add, was handled correctly: the mother of pearl spoon for the caviar. In fact, 2 mother of pearl spoons. (Take note, Lufthansa!)


Caviar and smoked salmon

Next up was the delicious lobster and king crab leg dish with ponzu dressing, this was probably one of the most beautifully plated appetizers I have had on a plane so far. The purser serving this meal definitely had the right eye for presentation.


Glazed lobster and king crab leg with ponzu dressing

The main course of halibut and jumbo prawn was less of a success in terms of plating, though by no fault of the crew, there were just too many elements of this dish to fit onto the plate. The halibut however, was tender, moist and flaky, I was impressed that they pulled this dish off without overheating the fish. One minor detail: the plate itself was not hot for this main course.


Baked halibut and jumbo prawn

I skipped the cheese course and was served the deconstructed black forest, again another beautifully plated dish. This dessert featured a base chocolate biscuit surrounded by cherries, airy chocolate genoise, thin white chocolate rings broken up and three chocolate spheres filled with chocolate, cherry and vanilla cream. Topped off with a red garnish tree and cranberries. Probably the most intricate dessert I have had in the air, and most likely very labour intensive to make on the ground due to the sheer number of different components. I had a glass of Port to accompany this dessert and finish off the meal.


Deconstructed black forest

Service throughout was perfectly paced and I really felt the commitment by the catering team on the ground and the crew in the air to deliver a dining experience exceptional for a 6 hour flight departing in the morning. Most airlines, even premium Asian carriers, would use a morning or midnight departure as a reason to serve a reduced menu, but not Qatar Airways.

Arrival
The flight was slowly coming to an end and the last service items were a hot towel and another box of Läderach chocolates as we descended into ZRH.


Hot towel and chocolates upon descent

It was a fine day offering some scenic lake views as we approached our destination, and I changed out of my pyjamas and stowed away my belongings in preparation for landing.



Descent into ZRH

What an outstanding experience overall.

As we pulled into the gate at Kloten Airport, I bid the crew farewell and exited the aircraft via the L1. (Funny how they didn’t use 2 airbridges/stairs neither at SFO nor DOH, but in ZRH for just one passenger, I was able to exit via my own jetbridge!)