24left

The bread plates are ice cold on the TPACs and on the transcons. Since I found a solution for ex-Asia, I'm fine. The meal plates are not ice cold, but are cool-cold.

In the North American J meals thread, I pointed out the difference between 2 identical salmon dinner meals served on a narrow body and then on a 789 IIRC. The first meal was served hot in its individual casserole and was excellent. The second one was plated and not hot.

So, while plating is pretty and as per my photos over the past couple of years, sometimes the presentation is beautiful, I would much rather have a hot meal than a pretty meal.

And yes, I absolutely admit this is FWP, just like the warm champagne. Found a solution to that as well.



You heard that because I posted it.

I'm rather annoyed that the bean counters felt it necessary to chop the little box with the 2 Lindor truffles.

As for second meal, in December 2015 on AC 15, the second meal indeed had chicken rice stir fry as an option.

My next few flights that meals was replaced with breakfast which was not only cheaper for AC, but annoying given the arrival time in HKG as you point out.

On some my flights in February, the second meal now had the non-breakfast options.

AC took away my favourite mid-flight snack - the bocconcini and tomatoes. Sniff.

----

Anyway, that's why it's helpful that we post menus and photos of meals, if possible.
.

songsc

Yea, I heard it because you posted it

Other than the chocolate my pet peeve (or FWP) is that the cheese is gone from the salad

To my understanding Asia flights from YVR offer light meal (chicken, pasta, Asian brunch) while YYZ flights offer breakfast (omelette, congee, Asian brunch).

As for mid flight snack, my understanding is that nothing has gone, they are just on some sort of rotation, with reduced quality/quantity from time to time.

And yes your meal/menu pictures are very helpful. This thread documents AC's meal enhancement.

24left

I posted about the decline in the salads quite some time ago.

Fun part is looking at all the photos since 2014 on the TPAC routes, you can see the cheese disappearing. I once posted about that, asking why, despite knowing the answer.

Worse is that ex-NRT, there used to be a fantastic little salad with green lettuce, flavourful tomatoes etc. And the awesome NZ Anchor butter with those excellent mini-baguette rolls. (look upthread in 2015, you'll see the photos)

Well, it's been this annoying rough cabbage salad for the past year+, cheaper Danish Lurpak butter replaced the Anchor and the fantastic baguettes have been replaced by pointy dinner roles that have the same texture as the square ones AC serves ex-Canada.

But hey, AC has new planes and management is happy.

SparseFlyer

I remember having noodles and chicken for breakfast in Feb 2015. It was mix of that, congee, or regular breakfast IIRC.

Did they eliminate the regular breakfast? Or was the noodles new in 2015?

lcohen999

From memory, the noddles/chicken were a new edition around that time

before it was just a regular breakfast.

Painful when you take 34 from SYD all the way to Toronto and get double breakfasts

longtimeflyin

Thanks for sharing and it makes sense. However, how do the other carriers do it? Almost all of the carriers I fly all plate meals in the air, and yet the plates are warm/hot. While I do not classify your response as an excuse (actually more of an explanation), it still doesn't address why Air Canada has issues with this while other operators operate the same widebody aircraft in a similar configuration and they don't have this inconvenience

songsc

Regarding butter downgrade, I just looked into some pictures I took and found the following (sorry for the poor image quality, I took those photos with my phone, and it was dark in the cabin):

AC8 in August 2016, Lurpak.


AC26 in January 2017, Anchor.


So apparently the downgrade is route specific?


It's unfortunate that airlines around the world have to cut corners to stay profitable. From what I know CX, BR, TK all have some sort of downgrade in J and F this year. Not sure about BR, but CX and TK are not doing well financially.

mapleg

Lucky for me I never eat butter, so I have no knowledge of what is a good or bad product....but perhaps I should let the bean counters know they can save money and board one or two fewer butter servings on any flights I happen to be on.

ACYYZ/SD

Uhm .. regarding the butter downgrade

Having worked in catering previously, highly doubtful that AC calls the shots on which bulk butter is boarded for 2 flights per day. More than likely, the caterer changed over its supplier agreement, and it's the standard for the vast majority of client airlines.

gabdusch

AC870 YUL-CDG August 18, 2017

Prawn and artichoke appetizer was meh:



The new vegetarian lasagna was outstanding! Nice flavour, some crunchiness and it had just the right amount of spiciness which really made this dish memorable.



First time trying the new sun-dried cherry compote on the chocolate fondant. Interesting new twist and I love that dessert, but I think after 2 years, we're ready for a bigger change.

gabdusch

AC870 YUL-CDG August 2017 menu and wine list

Rundosrun

Had this exact same meal last week on YUL-LHR and totally agree, not a great appetizer but the lasagna was quite impressive.

Stranger

May well be that lasagna does not suffer as much for being overreheated, compared with meat or especially fish?

longtimeflyin

I've been on the receiving end of burnt lasagnas on Air Canada so I do not agree with this belief.

BlondeBomber

(and maybe business class)

Recent Time article:

AIRPLANE FOOD
"AVIATION
The Real Reason Why Airplane Food Tastes So Bad
Mahita Gajanan
Aug 14, 2017
Gordon Ramsay would never eat airplane food.

"There's no f--king way I eat on planes," Ramsay, known for his Michelin-starred restaurants and explosive television personality, told Refinery29 earlier this year. "I worked for airlines for 10 years, so I know where this food's been and where it goes, and how long it took before it got on board."

Neither would fellow Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud — unless he was flying in business class.

"On an American flight, if it's local, I try to avoid any sort of food," Boulud, who has designed meals for Air France's business and La Premiere classes for two years, said in an interview. "Sometimes there's weird food combinations."

Both Ramsay and Boulud have a point. Meals served on airplanes are hardly gourmet, especially for people who fly economy class on international or long-distance flights. Airplane food has a bad reputation for a number of reasons — the way the food itself is prepared and stored, the environment in which it is served onboard and the flight conditions all combine to affect the way the meals taste. While there's a little more variety in first or business class — Boulud's menu for Air France includes lobster, lamb chops and braised chicken — a typical airline meal served in economy class is comprised of food covered in sauce to keep it from drying out. Take, for example, a less-than-satisfying egg sandwich a customer flying on British Airways dubbed "literally pointless."

"The egg sandwich was totally bland — the only clue to the filling was a slight change in texture," Jon Burrage, who flew from the United Kingdom to the United Arab Emirates, wrote in a post on Airline Meals, a website that compiles customer-submitted reviews of airplane food. His meal received a 1 rating, out of a possible 10 on the website, which tracks airline meals every day. British Airways said it regularly reviews feedback from customers and crew members.

Prior to takeoff, airlines freeze pre-made meals on the ground and thaw them out while in air, according to Charles Spence, an experimental psychology professor at the University of Oxford. Although planes generally cruise at altitudes of about 40,000 feet, air pressure in cabins is about 6,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level, making it difficult to prepare fresh meals onboard.
"Meals are prepared in advance, so they are shelf-stable for a number of hours," Spence said. "Then it's reheated in less than ideal conditions, which contributes to it not tasting great."

While airplane food is prepared in a method similar to that of making and delivering fast food, flight attendants have to serve a larger number of people in a smaller amount of time than in fast food establishments, said Guillaume de Syon, a professor at Albright College in Pennsylvania. Because airlines regularly serve hundreds of people at once, they do everything possible to keep the food from drying out. That means typical economy class fare consists of chicken floating in cream sauce, extra gravy for beef or potatoes that are mashed until they are runny.

"Airlines came to understand that by the time you have served 250-plus passengers, the food would either get cold or dry," said de Syon, whose work focuses on the history of aviation. "The solution? Douse whatever you are serving in a fluid."

But even when airplane food is made in a way that might taste good before the flight takes off, the combination of dry air, low pressure and loud engine noises in flight cabins heavily impact the passengers' ability to smell and taste — causing even the best-prepared food to seem slightly off.

The dry air of a flight cabin tends to suppress our sense of smell, which is an important factor in taste. Low air pressure and background noises further impact the way we taste, by repressing the ability to taste sweet and salty foods, according to Spence. For food to taste the same before it is in the air, airline caterers have to add up to 30% more of sugar or salt to a meal.
A 2010 study from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, commissioned by Lufthansa, found that while the loud noises on aircrafts further suppress the taste of sweet foods, they enhance the flavor of umami — the savory taste found in foods like parmesan cheese and soy sauce. The amped up ability to taste umami explains why tomato juice is a popular beverage choice in the air.

Following the study, Lufthansa began experimenting with the way it seasons food, according to Ernst Derenthal, a product design and area manager for the airline. Adding more seasonings to the food like salt, pepper and sugar helped — to an extent. The airline found that ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, garlic, chile and curry do not need as much adjustment and maintain the taste of the food, even in the air. Such discoveries prompted Luthansa to rely on naturally intense flavors, such as orange and tomato oils and tomato concentrate to enhance the food the airline served "instead of just increasing the salt and sugar," according to Derenthal. The airline doubled the amount of fresh herbs used in sauces and lowered the amount of acidity included in salad dressing. Menu modifications affected all of Lufthansa's flight classes and passengers.

"We try really to meet a wide range of passengers," Derenthal said. "The food we are designing needs to meet everybody's taste."

Other airlines are combatting the reputation of plane food by upping the umami. Much like Lufthansa, Delta Airlines has started incorporating different oils, herbs and bold seasonings to enhance the aroma of its food, said Lisa Bauer, vice president of Delta's onboarding services. British Airways started introducing more umami-rich items to its menu in 2013, replacing flavorless items like bland cheeses with stronger foods like goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. Earlier this year, Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific announced a new beer brewed with honey and longan berries that is made specifically to taste good while in flight.

Spence said he's noticed the effort in his own travels. He recently experienced an umami-rich meal on a flight to Bogota, Colombia, via Colombian airline Avianca. when he was served lamb with tomato and mushrooms."It was surprisingly good," he said."