Premium Economy Meals. Menus and Photos
 

NZ1 LHR - LAX 27 June 2018.
Premium Economy VLML (Vegetarian Lacto Ovo Meal)

I didn't get a photo of the standard menu card.

Dinner appetiser was cold marinated mushrooms, grilled red pepper and some other cold veg. It tasted good. VLML desserts are usually fruit. I suspect VGML (Vegan) meals would get the same two components.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1225539c1c.jpg


The warm breads are identical to the ones served in BP. The choices on this flight were sourdough, brown something and garlic bread. If you haven't had it yet, the bread is very tasty. My meal came with diet margarine instead of butter. (yuck) Fortunately they offer olive oil with the warm bread.
The rennet-free cheese underneath the imitation margarine is the only hint this is a VLML meal instead of a vegan one.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f5ff6da5cb.jpg



The hot entree was cooked spinach and green beans surrounding some sort of roasted veg tomato and tofu thing. Mushroom rice on the side. I've had this before. I'm pretty sure it was in Economy. It is mediocre but far better than what they served a few years ago.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...39f88ce120.jpg

NZ1 LHR - LAX 27 June 2018.
Premium Economy VLML "Afternoon Tea" served about 1 hour before landing at LAX.

The meal was a bit of fruit and a nearly inedible vegetable wrap. When my body clock is at 3AM, the fruit is great but that wrap was not something I could eat. Even if I was hungry, it would not be something I'd want.
This is another example where PE VLML is also VGML.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a2cc480a4b.jpg

NZ2 LAX --> LHR 10 July 2018 aboard ZK-OKS
VLML Meal

With the space seats, Crew used to confim my meal request and tell me I didn't need a menu. Now I get one just like everyone else.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2eedf14b74.jpg


This tasty appetiser is also on the standard BP menu: Roast cherry tomatos, green beans and mozzarella with sun flower seeds and date-ginger puree To my surprise I had the dark chocolate and orange mouse cake for dessert. This is the first time I have ever had the dessert from the PE menu. NZ must have found one that doesn't use animal rennet. This is positive step for everyone eating from the standard menu. The dark rye and olive bread were delicious as always.
Look at the real butter. This is another change.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b09cb43d75.jpg

New to me entree. This was the best tasting PE VLML entree I've had so far. Usually they range between barely edible and mediocre. I must not have been the only person complaining.
I don't know what I ate. At first I thought it was eggplant parmesan under the tomato but the texture was more like a flakey white fish. Didn't taste like fish. I may send the airline an email.
If it had been less salty I might even go as far as calling it tasty.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...717248f4e8.jpg

Breakfast:

Fresh fruit blueberry yogurt. Tasty but I would have preferred plain yogurt as the blueberry stuff is full of sugar and redundant over fruit. Hard to stick to a low glycemic index diet when traveling.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eb8c38da8c.jpg


Musli or granola with milk followed by a croissant with marmalade or jam. I passed on the jam. VLML used to come with soymilk instead of real milk. Another change.

Musli:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d495364ca9.jpg

Hot breakfast. I only ate the egg and tomatoes. There was nothing wrong with the potatoes but with all the sugar I'd already had this flight, I was trying to cut out any more starch. The beans taste almost entirely unlike Heinz beans in tomato sauce and I didn't eat them. I also had a cup of strong black tea with milk. Sorry no photo of that.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...640e4605c4.jpg

Yep, it's so easy to get fat when traveling in PE and BP. For me, I never eat the desserts and I do not eat any of the cereal or yoghurt they serve for breakfast in a feeble attempt to lower my sugar intake.

@AndrewAndDebbie

Thanks so much for starting this thread.

Any recent Premium Economy experiences? Flying soon on NZ9/10 and Tasman A320neo.

Wait the A320? Isn't that a narrow body? The narrow body planes only have economy. Or do I just not know enough about plane models.

Yes all the A320 family only has economy.
Do the meals on the A320s ever change?

Yes, I know about the all economy seating on the narrowbody, but with a PE seat on the int'l sector we get "works" which comes with a meal. Just wondering about the PE meals to/from Hawaii and the Tasman meals one gets with "works."

I would really like to see some PE menus or pics for NZ 1/2 Akl - Lax and then onward to LHR.

what meals can we expect on this? Full dinner followed by breakfast is the expectation for the 1st flight but having never done the LHR sector would like to know what to expect there.

cheers

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8d213612b5.jpg
NZ2, AKL-LAX, Jan 2020

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0ffbd0f11.jpg
NZ2, LAX-LHR, Jan 2020

I was surprised to find the bakery offerings reduced since I last flew PE.
On a side note, service on both flights was excellent! AKL-LAX only had 20 people in PE, I suspect that is a rare thing. A lot more people on the leg into LHR. Transit in LAX was reasonably quick. Lines were long but AirNZ rep pulled transit passengers out of line and I was back airside in about 45 mins.
Unfortunately don't have NZ1 back in the opposite direction. Flew CX the other way and their PE offering is very poor compared to NZ, won't be doing it again.

Menu below from a recent PE flight to SYD. Photo of food is the beef listed on the outbound menu.



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0f1537efa9.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...08d9586edd.jpg

Can't get enough of those beef cheeks! ..Said nobody ever.

Menu sounds more exciting that the current BP menu to the US posted a few days ago.

I had the beef but it looked better. Was interesting to note the change to trolley service on my flight and actually getting the mains & entree together rather than entree & dessert. Mains arrived later previously. All going to the same place anyway. Had Kapiti ice cream too which is great but miss the other desserts. Drink and meal service was faster though which I appreciated.