UA 988 FRA-IAD, 9/4/2022
777-300ER
I put in for a Premium Plus-or-Polaris upgrade on PP and had the first half of the upgrade clear (it seemed that it should have gone farther looking at the upgrade list after the doors closed, but that'll be another post), allowing my first experience in UA's international PE.
The sales pitch for the meals did sound too premium: "chicken or pasta?" But "chicken" revealed itself to be the legit-delicious south Asian dish below, with the chicken in a creamy tomato sauce (it made me think butter chicken) accompanied by paneer, roast red onions and rice. The salad was also outstanding; those delicate greens, endives and green beans all tasted like they'd come out of a garden only a day or two before. I see from the Polaris thread that those are starters and mains for the really good seats, and if pax knew they were getting something fancier than "chicken or pasta?" they might feel a little more enthusiastic about their journey.
The bread roll, wine and ice cream were Y-standard, though.
After a pass through the PP cabin with a snack basket--weirdly timed for less than an hour before the second meal--I was able to confirm that the warm turkey-gouda sandwich hasn't changed a bit since I last had one in 2019. Which is good! Comfort food in the skies is not to be underrated.
The fruit plate was a nice gesture at making this serving healthy, but I don't think United's fooling anybody with this combination. The chocolate bar at left came from the snack basket, which I brought home and now can't find, probably because Mini DCA writer liberated it from what I thought was a well-hidden spot in the freezer.
