MXP-EWR
UA18
Boeing 777-200
Meal: lunch, snack

Menu

Appetizer and salad - shrimp was ok but it was definitely not "sauteed", they were more like cocktail shrimp

Main - salmon, it was ok, bland and healthy. It was also missing the artichoke tomato salsa

Sundae - hard as rock. The other dessert was chocolate cake.

Pre-arrival meal - paneer, it was way too salty. The chocolate cookie was also very hard and dry


Flight was full in all cabins.

Overall this flight was below average. Food was nothing spectacular. The crew serving my side was very disinterested. The crew was just interested in completing their tasks and not really providing any friendly service. The meal was wrapped up in 1h30min, despite a brief pause due to turbulence. Which explains why the sundae was still frozen solid.

While serving drinks, I asked for a red wine. The FA didn't ask me which, started to pour the French one until I said I wanted the Californian red wine. To which I later found out they were still serving Aperture wine. Later, I went to snoop around the aft business galley to see if they had Mascot in stock but the FA looked grumpy or annoyed that I was looking around. Finally, I went to the forward galley and spotted the Mascot wine. There, a lovely FA was proactive and offered it. She even said it was a new wine. I dunno why I got a grumpy and uninterested set of FA.

It's definitely a YMMV.

SFO to NRT a few days ago. I didn't want to eat at take off so asked them to hold my meal. They cooked it when I requested about 4.5 hours into the flight and this is what I received. I tried two individual gnudi just to make sure, but did find them heavy. I honestly didn't mind that the cream wasn't all over them, but clearly the presentation was different from what's been shared up-thread.

I did order the grilled cheese at the same time just in case, so ate that, and a banana from the snack cart, instead.

Sorry, what is that a photo of? It doesn't look like anything you have mentioned...

I think that's the Gnudi.... but overcooked and deconstructed

Chavala is correct. That is the gnudi that I received. The flight attendant didn't separate each gnudi from the 'group' it was in and also didn't pour the sauce over it. I don't think presentation would have helped, for me, the taste/texture in this case.

Does anyone at United actually do a spot check or audit of the catering as it is actually served onboard? Or do they rely simply on "feedback"? I know they do taste tests provided by the caterers but that is usually done up to restaurant quality and is not an accurate representation of the onboard product.

Menus for February have hit, a few things I see that may be interesting as additions

Appetizers

• Balik smoked salmon with cucumber, edamame puree and ponzu sauce

Entrees

• Braised lamb shank with creamy polenta, green beans and herb tomato sauce
• Ricotta agnolotti with lemon parmesan brodo, crispy leeks and pine-nut gremolata
• Seared salmon with spring pea puree, pancetta and braised romaine, roasted carrots and chanterelle mushrooms
• Gremolata crusted barramundi with farro risotto, grilled asparagus and truffle butter
• Singaporean laksa with beehoon noodles, prawns, beansprouts, sambal sauce, tau pok, fried fish cake and hard boiled eggs (this I'm leery of)
• Hong Kong style curry beef rice with steamed broccoli, red peppers and fried shallots
• Prawn and kingclip curry with basmati rice, carrot spaghetti, toasted coconut and coriander

Mid-flight

• Lamb rosemary pie
• Pumpkin ginger soup
• Shrimp tom yum fried rice with kailan
• Maxwell Street Hawker inspired Hainan chicken and rice with bok choy, soy sauce and carrot flower
• Marinated kaofu fungus bamboo with Sichuan cucumber salad and white sesame

Arrival

• Tuscan kale, romaine and radicchio salad with oven roasted red tomatoes, grated parmesan and creamy roasted garlic dressing (this sounds excellent, love an entree sized salad)
• Taiwan mazesoba with teriyaki chicken, nikumiso pork and shiitake mushroom

Wine

• Cristom (Oregon) Mt. Jefferson Cuvee - Cristom is one of my favorite Oregon wine producers, and while this is their introductory offering, it's always a solid cuvee
• Penfolds “Bin 311” Chardonnay - this is a great mid-level addition on Australia flights
• The mascot seems to be on even more flights now (excellent!)

Other

• Japanese meal continues to be detailed which is nice.
  • Starter - A curated sampling of Japanese appetizers Scallop and apple salad, braised shrimp, squash and cream cheese cha-kin ball and lotus root chip
  • Entree - Enjoy a distinct appetizer course of jumbo scallops and a kobacha squash cha-kin ball, followed by main entrée miso-glazed roasted chicken with shiitake mushrooms, shishito peppers, and gin-an sauce. Served with a Nishiki green pea pilaf side and a delicate Osumashi broth with crab dumpling and Japanese pickles.
  • Arrival - Japanese Dining Experience Teriyaki glazed yellowtail with sansho pepper, happo kabocha pumpkin, blanched broccolini, blistered tomatoes and lemon slice served with black sesame rice, Japanese pickles and crab dumpling clear soup.
• Selections out of India seem much more local than I remember seeing
  • ​​​​​​​Palak paneer with jeera rice and gobhi adraki spinach gravy with cottage cheese, cumin flavoured rice and spiced cauliflower infused with ginger
  • Dahi bhalla with yogurt crispy fried lentil dumplings served in a cool yogurt, garnished with mint chutney and sweet chutney
  • Dessert - Angoori rasmalai Bengali delicacy of spongy cheese dumplings cooked in sugar syrup and then soaked in creamy cardamom milk
  • Delhi style veg sabzi with paneer, laccha paratha, green peas paneer tikki and tomato kalonji chutney curry with fresh vegetables, cottage cheese and tomato sauce, Indian flatbread, green peas and cottage cheese patties, and tomato onion seed chutney

I was also on UA18 on 1/13/2026. My wife's sundae was rock hard but mine was fine. The chicken was tiny. My wife had the salmon and the salsa was there.

Prelanding pasta. Although its catered in Italy, it's not the same.

Great sundae.

Great sundae with a great movie.

Chicken was great but small.

Fish was not bad.

Salads are fresh.

Even if it's good (and I'm sure it'll be under-spiced), that is one very messy dish to serve on a plane!
I remember a disastrous incident I has at the old SFO SQ Club years ago. Let's just say it was a good thing I packed a change of clothes in my carry-on.

So that's what the salmon looks like with the salsa sauce.... I dunno how or why the FA did not add it to mine.

Mine had the salsa, the taste was very strongly artichokey!

Lord almighty...

Had the beef filet LHR - IAH. It was pretty good. (Finally!)

For EWR-JNB Jan. 19 the dinner menu is pictured -- any recommendations? Am scared of the gnudi and haven't had good luck with beef tenderloin (usually dry and overcooked) or chicken (ditto) so am thinking maybe the sea bass but wondered if anyone here has tried it.

They're pushing gnudi everywhere.