How do I get afternoon tea in First?
Mar 27, 2024, 7:12 am
#61
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,803
Exactly - Couscous is to France very much what Curry is to the UK and indeed consistently ranks as the no1 spot in the French people's list of favourite dishes (and no, that's not primarily due to people of North African origin themselves). Vietnames nems/ "rouleaux de printemps" also consistently rank high up in the national list of favourite and frequently eaten dishes. Obviously, comparisons are difficult (for instance ready meals are central to supermarket business in the UK and totally marginal in France), but looking more at restaurants, recipes people look up and take away those are most decidedly success stories.
As it's very hard to make curry haute.
JAL does include Curry in their F menus, but only as a snack. And they have to thrown in some origin-specific Wagyu (Miyazaki Wagyu) to make it a sufficiently presentable offering:
https://www.jal.co.jp/inter/service/...405.pdf#page=7
https://www.jal.co.jp/inter/service/...405.pdf#page=7
Back to the BA afternoon tea situation, BA has not made any similar effort to upscale their offering to levels similar to JAL. I don't think they're alone though - with QF, the further up front I sit, the more I experience expectation shortfall with their meals.
Mar 27, 2024, 8:00 am
#63
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 3,926
And on a related topic, associated with afternoon tea, what about sandwiches in the lounges?
I like sandwiches and frequently enjoy some in a lounge yet they do receive harsh comment here from time to time. Bring them on! More flavours and variety needed. I was disappointed with a Tom Kerridge sandwich I ordered in Y once, no better than the Tesco Finest equivalent and a tiny bit more expensive. Poor old Tom, labouring away to make it and missing the mark.
A few days ago I had three little sandwiches on a QR flight that were great; it was afternoon tea without everything except the sandwiches requested. Great.
I like sandwiches and frequently enjoy some in a lounge yet they do receive harsh comment here from time to time. Bring them on! More flavours and variety needed. I was disappointed with a Tom Kerridge sandwich I ordered in Y once, no better than the Tesco Finest equivalent and a tiny bit more expensive. Poor old Tom, labouring away to make it and missing the mark.
A few days ago I had three little sandwiches on a QR flight that were great; it was afternoon tea without everything except the sandwiches requested. Great.
Mar 27, 2024, 8:18 am
#65
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, U.K.
Programs: bmi British Midland International Diamond Club
Posts: 3,370
Shocked at how the clotted cream is served in First in some of the photos. Is it too difficult for BA to train staff to serve it in the shape of a quenelle? These things matter in First Class you know.
Mar 27, 2024, 8:48 am
#66
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA GGLfL, WoH Lifetime Globalist, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 711
Mar 27, 2024, 2:01 pm
#68
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Devon, UK
Programs: VS Silver; Matmid Silver, BA Bronze; Accor Plat.
Posts: 961
No! Rocher in First class...Quenelle in Club.....serve from the left, take from the right....you need to remember how to do silver service
Mar 27, 2024, 3:24 pm
#69
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA Exec Club, Flying Blue
Posts: 641
It looks better than it tastes. It's ok. I had two scones, left one. They weren't anything special. It's not even a patch on anything you'd get fresh from a decent London hotel. Also, I was still fairly full from the big lunch as afternoon tea was served less than 3 hours later! Those east coast flights go real quick and they have to fit in two services in 7 hours.
Used to be good though, a couple of years ago. I suspect the current ones are longlife
Mar 27, 2024, 3:29 pm
#70
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,227
You could say the same, word for word, about a Full English Breakfast.
Apr 3, 2024, 7:27 pm
#72
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: IAD
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 348
The first time I had Afternoon Tea was at the insistence of my wife. We were staying at the Emirates Palace in Dubai and she was quite firm.
Well, yes, I was impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But I fear that pretty much spoiled the chances here for any BA offering.
For the record, she was there for business and I was just the luggage carrier
Once the conference was no longer paying for the hotel room, we decamped to a much more reasonable place to stay.
Well, yes, I was impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But I fear that pretty much spoiled the chances here for any BA offering.
For the record, she was there for business and I was just the luggage carrier
Once the conference was no longer paying for the hotel room, we decamped to a much more reasonable place to stay.