My Year of First Class Meals
 

I've just flown my last flight of the year today. A rather humble Prague to Amsterdam on Czech Airlines. However, I have been lucky enough to sample the First Class cabins of some great airlines this year, so I thought I'd celebrate by posting some pictures of meals I've taken. And it's also an excuse to show just how bad Air France's First Class product is.


Singapore Airlines

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...8/P1010469.jpg
Rock lobster and avocado tartare, garnished with baby lettuce and cherry tomato. Appetiser on SQ321 LHR-SIN, 20th April.


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Oven-baked warm oyster with tomato salsa and coriander cheese sauce in half shell. Appetiser on SQ16 SIN-ICN, 23rd April.


http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...8/P1010542.jpg
Chilled malossol caviar, with melba toast and condiments. Appetiser on SQ16 ICN-SFO, 23rd April.


Emirates

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...8/P1030093.jpg
Mediterranean mezze, which includes tabouleh salad, egg and anchovy mayonnaise and grilled artichoke heart. Appetiser on EK763 DXB-JNB, 3rd December.


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Grilled lamb cutlets with minted gravy, served with fine green beans, turned roast potatoes, pumpkin and cherry tomatoes. Main course on EK763 DXB-JNB, 3rd December.


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Avocado, mango and lobster with a spicy cocktail sauce. Snack on EK763 DXB-JNB, 3rd December.


Lufthansa

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...8/P1020106.jpg
Filet of beef with brandy flavoured green peppercorn jus, gratin potato, grilled tomato filled with garlic polenta and green beans. Main course on LH711 NRT-FRA, 16th June.


Swiss

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Balik salmon with seafood and vegetarian platter. Appetiser on LX289 JNB-ZRH, 5th December.


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Fillet of beef in a mushroom sauce with broccoli florets, grilled carrots and saffron basmati rice. Note the glass of 1995 Chateau La Tour. Main course on LX289 JNB-ZRH, 5th December.


And finally. I'll save the best until last.

Air France

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...s/P1020041.jpg
Some kind of meat covered in dried sauce. Main course on AF276 CDG-NRT, 13th June.

What a great idea!
Thanks for the wonderful pics - well done.
Interesting is that the "Air France" F meal, coming from the one country that should be able to give a great impression with their cuisine, looks horrific! That is really one sad entree, and look at that economy class excuse for a salad! They should be ashamed to call that French anything!
You have really set up a good contrast with all the wonderful examples, then that scary AF meal.
The rest are GREAT, especially the lobster on Emirates.

Hehe, great idea for a trip report thread. Let no opportunity to criticize the miserable food on AF go unwasted!

To be fair, I have always found the AF food pretty good. However, on my most recent trip from CDG/LAX, the food was horrible. I believe that the mystery meat covered in sauce in AF was the uncuttable lamb. This looks exactly like the entree we were served about 10 hours into our 11-1/2 hour flight. The FA's said it was lamb, but I have no idea, really, as it was impossible to cut. The best part of the meal service was the Haagen Daz ice cream bars in the galley.:)

Oh my, that AF meal is scary! Did you complain? I am suprised they were not too embarrased to even 'plate' that excuse for a F meal!

Shame AF!

AG :-:

My husband I both complained and the mystery meat was replaced by a vegetarian meal. IIRC, it was a big chewy piece of braised fennel:td:

Fantastic!
 

This is great! I really enjoyed seeing those pictures! Thank you!

I agree with the others; this is a wonderful idea, and will keep it in mind for the future as something to do.

I'd say Emirates' Grilled lamb cutlets look tasty, as does the Avocado, mango and lobster with a spicy cocktail sauce.
Lufthansa's Filet of beef is presented very nicely as well, and looks appetizing.
And Air France: yikes!! It looks horrid!

But I did enjoy the photos... thank you for sharing them! ^

No I didn't but I really should have. The reason I didn't was:

1) I was the only person in F on that flight and had already built up a rapport with the stewardess who was solely serving me. I am British too so we don't complain. :D

2) I had just flown IAH-CDG in F and didn't get much sleep so I was therefore very tired. I just wanted to sleep and I wasn't that hungry either.

Wow. What an offering from the country that supposedly is a leader in the culinary arts.

Even the salt and pepper shakers are tacky compared to the other airlines. Also the butter is served up in the plastic tub? :eek:

Great report. I COMPLETELY agree about AF... I did a F trip from LAX-LHR on AF and the entree was a dried piece of fish that I just returned.. The IFE was an absolute joke as well.. But the seats were quite comfortable..

Thanks for biggin' up my pictures man. I is well happy.

One thing I noted from my Air France flight in F was that I was the only passenger and the sole stewardess who was looking after me said she had never been in the F cabin before. Clearly then she wasn't trained properly for L'Espace Premiere, which explains the food. It shows just how much AF value their F passengers if the purser has decided to reallocate the crew.

Thanks for that. I love these different twists on Trip Reports. Now, would you mind next year doing the same but focusing on vegetarian meals. :D <j/k>

I enjoyed seeing those pictures! Thanks ! ^

and now I am hungry. :D

?

I burst out laughing at the "best for last" grand finale. Well played, sir. Well played.

Haha.. Well.. I was gutted about AF raising the mileage threshold for first class redemptions, but perhaps they are just saving us.. seriously.. that was awful - I could make better at home.

Excellent pictures Mofomat! Do you need someone to carry your bags on your next trip?

If that is AF First.....I would hate to see their economy meals...

I'm glad that I don't fly AF anymore..a few short years ago the food was quite good in F. looks like UA domestic F now. ew.

whoah....
 

Oh... I'm sorry.... Was the photo of that Air France meal taken about six to eight hours after you had eaten it? :D
Egads! :eek::eek::eek:

Perhaps since you were the only person in F, they played it cheap and brought you something from C????? :confused:
Other photos looked fantastic!
That lobster..... mmmmmmm.....

Unfortunately, AF F food is basically the same as J anyway.

I would just love to know what was originally posted here! :D

"Irish Pork" ;)

The AF meal doesn't look that bad to me.

Certainly better than this:

http://www.airlinemeals.net/images/m...irlines610.jpg

(UA, EWR-LAX, 2 Oct 2004)

But that's not First Class is it?

No, but IMO, the AF "beef" doesn't look bad for a int'l F-class meal--at least it looks better than the lamb I had in LH F...

AF has now a very very bad catering, due to the fact that they are making economies. For example, I flew with them on the CDG-ATH route last summer. The food was so bad that I nearly jerked as we were landing :( ...I thought it was a mistake. But no : the return trip catering was equally as bad. My family took some flights with them, same thing again ! Even OA's catering was much better ! AF improve your food and service, otherwise people will go elsewhere...

I believe the Air France meal is langue de vache (cow tongue) :eek:

That UA meal beggars belief. I wouldn't feed that to a dog.

It looks like somebody already has. :eek:

LOL! :D

I concur.

Wicked pictures mofo. ^

Was that United meal actually served in first class? Or is that photo (I hope) a joke?

Nice report indeed. Unfortunately, I can confirm that F class food and wines on AF are mediocre. On the JFK-CDG flights, that I have taken numerous times, there is no selection for main dish, only beef filet (and you are out of luck if it is badly overcooked) or some veggie pasta. For appetizers two microspcopic pieces, no choice. For cheese, a prepared plate. Better on desserts, and the FAs feast on it.

I'll have the rock lobster...

Job well done.

Great pics. Im getting hungry. Did you drop the meat dish on the AF flight or ?? I see splashes to the left :)

I thought that too originally but if you look closely they are the just bread crumbs!

Thanks to the OP for posting the pictures.

Sadly, the picture was not a joke.

It was a Y-class meal from EWR-SFO in 2004.

Just added to this thread to put the "repugnant" AF meal in context and for a few chuckles.

Well here is my best meal in the air for the year..
Luftie F

http://hyves.nl/index.php?l1=ut&l2=p...ia_secret=4BPP

If you consider that some of the long haul international F fares cost $12K-$18K -- they should certainly spend $100 a plate to attract this revenue. And given that most F award travel is soon going to cost 2 commas in miles, even the people that redeem F seats have "paid" for the privilege one way or another... Granted, I've never flown international F, so to me the meals look pretty damn good, considering the grub you get these days. But if I had paid that airfare, I would expect food to match.