Old Jan 7, 2018, 7:35 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: KARFA
This thread gives the current catering options for the LHR T5 Concorde Room (all day) and First Dining Room within the LHR T3 Galleries First lounge (after 18:30). Eligible passengers include BA First ticket holders, Premier and Concorde Room cardholders. The catering in both lounges is supplied by BaxterStorey, who took over the contract on 2 May 2013.

The current catering options in the LHR CCR can be found in the first post in the thread, or you can click here. In addition, there are a selection of bar snacks available, details found in post 8 or you can click here.

There are also photo guides (updated with December menus) which you can see in the following linked posts:
Concorde Room (CCR) at JFK
Please see this thread which is now dedicated to food and drink at all none LHR Concorde Rooms and Bars
Concorde Rooms and Bars: JFK, IAD, SIN, DXB - food and drink - 2017 thread

Also there is an archive of JFK CCR menus in post #14 of that thread which covers September 2015 to date.

Catering options - other LHR lounges
Galleries First (Flounge) LHR: Dining menu and food options 2016 (n.b. no separate 2017 or 2018 thread) - T3 & T5
Galleries Club lounges LHR: Dining menu and food options - T3 and T5

For the First and Club lounges at Gatwick and the UK domestic lounges in Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Leeds, Aberdeen, and Inverness
First Lounge London Gatwick Catering options
Galleries Club Lounge Gatwick (North Terminal): Catering options from April 2013 (n.b. no separate 2014-2018 threads)
UK Domestic lounges (outside London) - catering arrangements from April 2013 (n.b. no separate 2014-2018 threads)

BA Champagne & Wine thread
The LHR CCR cocktail menu - cocktail menu introduced May 2014
The 2017 BA Champagne & Wine Thread - covers LHR & LGW lounges and in the air

Archived food & drink threads
Concorde Room (CCR) LHR: menus 2017
Concorde Room (CCR) LHR: menus 2016
Concorde Room (CCR) LHR: menus 2015
Concorde Room (CCR) LHR: menus 2014
Concorde Room (CCR) LHR: menus 2013
Concorde Dining Room IAD: menus and food options - see new Concorde Rooms and Bars: JFK, IAD, SIN, DXB linked above
Galleries First (Flounge) LHR: Dining menu and food options 2015 - T3 and T5
Galleries First (Flounge) LHR: Dining menu and food options 2014 - T3 and T5
Galleries First (Flounge) LHR: Dining menu and food options 2013 - T3 and T5
First Lounge London Gatwick (North terminal): Catering options from April 2013 (n.b. no separate 2014 or 2015 thread)
The 2016 BA Champagne & Wine Thread - covers LHR & LGW lounges and in the air
The 2014 BA Champagne & Wine Thread - covers LHR & LGW lounges and in the air
The 2013 BA Champagne & Wine Thread - covers LHR & LGW lounges and in the air
International Lounge Terminal 1 LHR - catering options from May 2013 - T1 international flights
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Concorde Room (CCR) LHR : menus 2018

Old Sep 8, 2018, 12:18 pm
  #361  
 
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I have just realised that my Monday afternoon flight is from LHR rather than LCY (good job I've realised this now!!) so dearest young Karfa, please let me know what you'd like me to have for a lunch on Monday.

Unless instructed otherwise, I shall have the charcuterie, the lamb and the tortellini. I am meeting an FTer for dinner on Monday evening hence the flight lunch
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 12:23 pm
  #362  
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Originally Posted by chris1979
I have just realised that my Monday afternoon flight is from LHR rather than LCY (good job I've realised this now!!) so dearest young Karfa, please let me know what you'd like me to have for a lunch on Monday.

Unless instructed otherwise, I shall have the charcuterie, the lamb and the tortellini. I am meeting an FTer for dinner on Monday evening hence the flight lunch
you are free to eat what you want. I have photos of sufficient quality for all the dishes now
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 12:27 pm
  #363  
 
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Originally Posted by KARFA
you are free to eat what you want. I have photos of sufficient quality for all the dishes now
too kind, too kind.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 12:28 pm
  #364  
 
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The menu of the CCR is best described as aspiring to be Marks and Spencer 'Dine in Deal' standard. A few years ago, I'd have described it as aiming to be microwave bistro quality. It's worse now. To sum up how bad it is I'd point to one item: the 'Linda McCartney Rosemary and Red Onion Sausage'. They can't even source a decent vegetarian sausage. They offer vegan food on non breakfast menus as a lowest common denominator cost cutting exercise. British Airways do this with in-flight meals too. Vegetarians given little choice. Why do they bother asking for customers preferences? I don't expect great food at BA lounges or on planes. I do expect not to be insulted with terrible service and menus designed by the terminally clueless.

PS: The new piano Karaoki - what were they thinking? Same with the tacky not whacky new furniture choices. British Airways can't do first class. They are an embarrassment as a national airline.

Last edited by AnaTravel; Sep 8, 2018 at 2:39 pm
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 1:18 pm
  #365  
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Originally Posted by AnaTravel
The menu is the CCR is best described as aspiring to be Marks and Spencer 'Dine in Deal' standard. A few years ago, I'd have described it as aiming to be microwave bistro quality. It's worse now. To sum up how bad it is I'd point to one item: the 'Linda McCartney Rosemary and Red Onion Sausage'. They can't even source a decent vegetarian sausage. They offer vegan food on non breakfast menus as a lowest common denominator cost cutting exercise. British Airways do this with in-flight meals too. Vegetarians given little choice. Why do they bother asking for customers preferences? I don't expect great food at BA lounges or on planes. I do expect not to be insulted with terrible service and menus designed by the terminally clueless.

PS: The new piano Karaoki - what were they thinking? Same with the tacky not whacky new furniture choices. British Airways can't do first class. They are an embarrassment as a national airline.
While the CCR doesn't offer Michelin starred dining nor the quality offered in certain airline lounges elsewhere, generally speaking it offers a reasonable dining experience with tasty and enjoyable food. Honestly, I would focus on inconsistency of service rather than food quality as the single biggest area for improvement. It sounds like your complaint is really focused on vegetarian options?
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 2:59 pm
  #366  
 
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In terms of food quality the CCR is a reasonable dining experience - for a Little Chef - at breakfast. What does it matter if I focused on vegetarian items above? On my last visit, no one liked the food or the service in the CCR in my party. In the surrounding booths, people were openly complaining across the aisle. I haven't seen that before. The food is not 'tasty or enjoyable' in my opinion. The menus are badly constructed and inadequate for the needs of modern day passengers. The menus are convenient for the caterers. That's the best that can be said. They can't even get a simple classic like a scone right. Stale is not a standard I accept. A toasted scone to disguise the staleness is typical of the 'ingenuity' the caterers display. My requirements needn't test a Michelin chef. Fresh food is not a lofty aspiration.

Last edited by AnaTravel; Sep 8, 2018 at 4:18 pm
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 3:02 pm
  #367  
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Originally Posted by AnaTravel
A toasted scone to disguise the staleness is typical of the 'ingenuity' the caterers display.
I agree with some of your other points and not with others, but on that specific point, did you actually get a toasted scone in the CCR?? That sounds utterly bizarre and certainly unusual.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 3:32 pm
  #368  
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Originally Posted by AnaTravel
In terms of food quality the CCR is a reasonable dining experience - for a Little Chef - at breakfast. .
Thats a laughable comparison. Having said that I used to think their Olympic breakfast was good after a couple of hours on the road
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 3:48 pm
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I must say, I wonder about the objectivity of the rave reviews of CCR food I read here. I don't have particularly refined tastes and don't often dine in fancy restaurants, but even to me the CCR food has never been that impressive. I thought I got unlucky the first time but neither the food nor the service has been better than what I'd expect in an above average restaurant during my handful of CCR visits. It's absolutely edible and very well presented but hardly exceptional in taste or quality. That I seem to be in the minority makes me wonder if I'm too simple to appreciate it or others are too biased!
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 4:13 pm
  #370  
 
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Originally Posted by orbitmic
I agree with some of your other points and not with others, but on that specific point, did you actually get a toasted scone in the CCR?? That sounds utterly bizarre and certainly unusual.
Oh yes. Traditional British toasted scones - that great national favourite. Served with stale sandwiches to complete the British Airways CCR experience. One bite was enough to realise why they had toasted this monstrosity. It was stale. It wasn't a teacake or a muffin. It was a toasted, stale scone. A first, for me, but not first class.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 4:15 pm
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Originally Posted by golfmad


Thats a laughable comparison. Having said that I used to think their Olympic breakfast was good after a couple of hours on the road
It was a little tongue in cheek
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 4:30 pm
  #372  
 
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Originally Posted by s1362083
I must say, I wonder about the objectivity of the rave reviews of CCR food I read here. I don't have particularly refined tastes and don't often dine in fancy restaurants, but even to me the CCR food has never been that impressive. I thought I got unlucky the first time but neither the food nor the service has been better than what I'd expect in an above average restaurant during my handful of CCR visits. It's absolutely edible and very well presented but hardly exceptional in taste or quality. That I seem to be in the minority makes me wonder if I'm too simple to appreciate it or others are too biased!
I haven't read many of the reviews for the CCR on this forum. Maybe I should. I accept that airport lounge food is often far from impressive. The surroundings can be very nice yet food is average. I can't pretend the emperor is wearing clothes here. Edible is a good start
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 11:40 pm
  #373  
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Originally Posted by AnaTravel
Oh yes. Traditional British toasted scones - that great national favourite. Served with stale sandwiches to complete the British Airways CCR experience. One bite was enough to realise why they had toasted this monstrosity. It was stale. It wasn't a teacake or a muffin. It was a toasted, stale scone. A first, for me, but not first class.
Tbh thats a very odd choice of food in the ccr, scones and sandwiches. Whilst they will get you some from GF, they arent on the menus in the CCR. If they were stale I am not sure why we havent heard complaints on the GF food thread recently.

Like orbitmic I am struggling to recognise some of your comments about the lounge both regarding food and service and I have a reasonable number of visits over the years to draw upon. I find the new furniture very pleasant, and the terrace seems to have been markedly improved with the new furniture and layout - albeit I dont often sit out there.

Also on the point of reviews there have been plenty both here and on the TR board, I think there have been a few of the ccr within a broader F review within the last week alone, and of course there are always comments on this thread as well.

Last edited by KARFA; Sep 8, 2018 at 11:54 pm
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Old Sep 9, 2018, 1:44 am
  #374  
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The toasted scone is a bit of a mystery. The GF scones would barely survived being sliced up for the toaster, they are too crumbly. I thought I was the only one to order scones in the CCR, they aren't on the menu, but they do tend to warm them up (or zap them? I don't actually know) unless you ask them not to do so. The scones are delivered within 24 hours of consumption, and often a lot less, there is very little storage room for food in T5, almost everything consumed anywhere in T5 is done on a JIT basis, so it's difficult to see how it could get stale.
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Old Sep 9, 2018, 1:48 am
  #375  
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I'll make this a (relatively! ) quick one - to be honest, I'd rather this thread remained about the menu descriptions/recommendations without going too OT. Personally, I find the CCR food pleasant if not particularly inspiring. There is also a constraint which is that unfortunately BA are not allowed to cook on site in certain ways (open flames etc), which effect one decidedly notices particularly in some of the dishes.

I have been one to complain about the switch from prepared starters to plated starters a while ago. With minor exceptions (such as the mushroom tart mentioned a few posts above mine), the vast majority of starters are now merely plated and that really is a shame in my opinion. It didn't use to be the case at the start of the new lounge catering (despite all the complaints that came with it). The scallop is the one major exception and is really nice when it comes (though a single scallop feels a bit silly and they are not allowed to give you double portions on one plate, just let you order multiple plates which is absurd somehow).

Mains vary from mediocre to good. I usually find the pasta dishes pleasant (really enjoyed the pea tortellini of this spring. Fish pasta is usually nice but I like those rotations less because they mean no "real" fish dish which I much prefer and are often my favourite mains). The meats are hit and miss. The focus on "pulled" meats, whilst convenient for the kitchen, is a constant disappointment on the plate in my view. On the other hand, the steak is nice, I enjoy the Sunday roast despite it being average, and the duck and chicken dishes are usually fine.

Cheese does not change often enough for my taste (as I tend to order cheese frequently) though I love the fruity crackers, but the desserts are consistently what they do best (though again, they are typically just plated which probably explains).

I'm in the CCR almost weekly on average, and sometimes 2 or 3 times in a given week so things undoubtedly become repetitive and I wish BA would introduce something like daily specials or something like that. At the same time, I recognise that my frequent presence gets me very pleasant service which I know some of the less frequent users of the CCR say they do not always get. I recognise that my situation is biased by the fact most if not all staff know and recognise me, but I must say that they are always really nice to me.

My main complaint would be that on the whole, what the CCR serves is is not intuitively what I "want" to eat. I contrast that with the QF F lounges in SYD/MEL which invariably have menus with things that I actually really fancy - especially their raw fish dishes and a lot of lighter and perhaps more "modern" recipes with a twist or a mastered yet symbolic surprising element. Personally, I wish the BA CCR menus were more like the QF ones but I accept that this may be a question of taste, and maybe genuine fusion and innovation are now deeply part of the Australian culinary DNA but not quite as much in the British one. The AF P lounge also produces incredible menus where I'd happily order pretty much any single dish - from the most deceptively humble (their take on mac and cheese - coquillettes with comte, country ham, and black truffle is truly exceptional) to the most luxurious (butter poached wild blue lobster from Britanny. Say no more). However, that really is the quality of a Michelin starred restaurant with an actual kitchen brigade trained in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world (Ducasse has multiple 3* restaurants in various cities), so I accept that this is not what BA is aiming to do/compete with and I can't blame them for not doing it.

What AF and QF have in common is that their F lounge menus are designed by prestigious chefs (Alain Ducasse for AF and Neil Perry for QF). Now, to an extent, I tend to be a bit sceptical of Chef partnerships for airlines as sometimes, their recipes, however well intended, flop when served in the air with the severe constraints of food that can only be reheated in convection ovens and tastebuds that are less perceptive than when there is more oxygen in the air, and technically complex plating which look a mess when even well trained cabin crew try to reproduce them. However, there is a strong argument in favour of it for lounge food which is served on the ground (ie good eating conditions) and with decently equipped kitchens. If BA ever wanted to invest in this, I'm sure that things could change tremendously, and my understanding is that contrary to what we often think, those contracts do not actually tend to run into vast amounts as the chefs are basically only hired as consultants (and dare I say as "names" that can be used for PR purposes).

In the meantime, whilst I am rarely wowed by CCR food, I do consider myself lucky to have access to that food offering on all of my T5 flights, and quite frankly, whilst, as I said, I could think of many things that I would like better, CCR food is not, in my view, the worst part of the BA F product by any stretch of the imagination (the rest of the ground experience notably transfers with very poor transit security or even the showers would be much more lacking in my view). If anything, I like it quite a bit better than the lounge food of one of my two favourite F experiences aka JL F (food onboard = magic, food in the lounges = totally underwhelming) and a few others that I am not particularly keen on.

Last edited by orbitmic; Sep 9, 2018 at 4:01 am
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