FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Club World dining - restoration of full menu - 28 October 2022
Old Oct 27, 2022, 11:22 am
  #71  
ttama
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: Varies
Posts: 1,281
Originally Posted by AnaTravel
BA can't please all of the people all of the time but they can focus on quality and flavour (as you suggest). Qatar Airways, for example, offer an Arabic mezze that zings with flavour and looks superb. Many people enjoy food that does not contain meat, as your somewhat "militant" 😁 preferences indicate.

Those that wish for seafood, meat and poultry options (the majority) should have a menu that reflects this. Adding vegetarian choices should be part of expanding the menu to reflect shifts in eating trends.
Yes, I agree. And the more I look at that menu, the more I think that it was created by someone who doesn't like food (especially any kind of food that isn't a vegetable). Yes, we know what pan-seared cod is. But what would make it exciting was if they said something like Ginger pan-seared cod. Or Miso flavoured cod. Or something else (cajun, curried, whatever) flavoured cod. As it is, I'm visualising a slab of something white and tasteless, like the kind of school dinner I used to be served.

We know our taste buds need extra help in the air. You can't just have cod-flavoured cod in the air - unless you don't like your food tasting of anything.

I know that flying economy used to be "chicken or beef" and the crew might not know what the actual dish was - whether it was pasta or braised with potatoes etc. You never knew until you peeled off the foil. But this is supposed to be a premium cabin. Would it hurt to tell us what our food might taste of, if anything?

Perhaps an accountant is given a list of ingredients with their component prices, and puts together a random dish that adds up to the target price. But someone forgot to put any spices or flavourings onto the accountant's list.

I'd like to know if there's a rosemary jus, for example, or a wine reduction or, as someone mentioned previously, a certain type of dressing. Maybe they leave it deliberately vague so the cheapest caterer can bid for it, and create whatever suits them. Maybe a caterer can take these bare bones and create something nice. But personally I'd like to know what I'm ordering before it arrives, and as it is a lot of that food sounds bland and dull and totally unappetising.

And as someone else said, what are the desserts served with? Will we only find out when it turns up? Personally, I dislike custard because you never know what you might get - I love a creme anglaise but can't stand anything thicker. Cream would be nice. Does the apple crumble come with cream? Or maybe a nice cinnamon-flavoured ice cream? If I don't know, I might decide on the chocolate sponge.

It wouldn't take much to make more of the menu look interesting, assuming BA could deliver what they promised. And it would help prevent the crew being bombarded with questions on the day. They're not supposed to be waiters - although many of them do a superb job of it, with endless patience and humour.

I appreciate I'm coming across as critical, and that the food may turn out to be very very nice. But as mentioned before, I'd prefer to board the plane feeling hopefully optimistic rather than pessimistic and bearing a pizza box.
ttama is offline