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If you could design United's premium cabin food-- what would the menu be?

If you could design United's premium cabin food-- what would the menu be?

Old Nov 18, 2018, 4:54 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by catocony
If they start putting Indian food on flights, they are going to have to deal with passengers upset with smell, or the unhappy person who can't stomach it who has a choice of it or whatever is in economy if they're the last to order. The same would go for some other Asian fare as well.
Count me as one of the strong opponents to increasing the amount/frequency of Indian cuisine on airplanes. The smell of curry permeates everything. It doesn't make me sick - it just smells bad. I usually fly DL, but it doesn't matter what carrier you're on - 15 minutes after the meal service ends on a TATL where any sort of curry dish was served, the whole cabin reeks to high heaven. Other non-curry dishes can be overly aromatic as well, leading to a very unpleasant experience.

It's no different than someone bringing greasy fast food onto a plane (which, to be fair, I do enjoy - just not on an airplane). Foods that are overly aromatic, regardless of cuisine, are not suitable for in-flight dining. A little more wiggle room in this department should be permissible for the premium cabins, where passengers have a little more space between them and the next passenger, but in cattle class, anything that smells should be tossed out into the jetway before closing the cabin door.

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Old Nov 18, 2018, 5:24 pm
  #17  
 
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While I know that most FTers wouldn't be caught dead in the Y cabin, but as one who typically flies TATL in Y, you guys up front might be surprised to learn that by far the best standard dinner entree option in Y is the Indian vegetarian -- rather than the meat or the pasta options. I always get it, as do the more savvy Y travelers. (Ask a FA if you don't believe me.) And I have never seen anyone storming back from J to complain about the reeks from steerage. So on the occasions that I get to enjoy J, I wouldn't be unhappy at all to have a good Indian option.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 6:17 pm
  #18  
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I'm a great fan of all Asian cuisines (particularly Burmese and Cambodian), but I know others are not. A good mix of spicy and non-spicy would be nice, though I've never seen anything remotely spicy on any airline, so I'm not holding my breath on that.

The most important thing is choice. And the ability to pre-order would be great.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 6:18 pm
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by seenitall
While I know that most FTers wouldn't be caught dead in the Y cabin, but as one who typically flies TATL in Y, you guys up front might be surprised to learn that by far the best standard dinner entree option in Y is the Indian vegetarian -- rather than the meat or the pasta options. I always get it, as do the more savvy Y travelers. (Ask a FA if you don't believe me.) And I have never seen anyone storming back from J to complain about the reeks from steerage. So on the occasions that I get to enjoy J, I wouldn't be unhappy at all to have a good Indian option.
I always pick the Indian vegetarian option if available. And often you have to ask for it.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 6:19 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by seenitall
While I know that most FTers wouldn't be caught dead in the Y cabin, but as one who typically flies TATL in Y, you guys up front might be surprised to learn that by far the best standard dinner entree option in Y is the Indian vegetarian -- rather than the meat or the pasta options. I always get it, as do the more savvy Y travelers. (Ask a FA if you don't believe me.) And I have never seen anyone storming back from J to complain about the reeks from steerage. So on the occasions that I get to enjoy J, I wouldn't be unhappy at all to have a good Indian option.
I fly in economy exclusively. Doesn't matter if it's the "best" entree or not - it still smells like sewage. And when the food itself smells like sewage, I don't even need to describe what the lavs smell like after meal service...
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 6:31 pm
  #21  
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Originally Posted by catocony
You can always put optional sauces/spices on something to make it to your taste. For those of us with sensitive stomachs - we're not just picky, many of us can easily get sick with a lot of spice or unfamiliar foods - it's really hard to remove spices and sauces from something. Not to mention people with allergies to certain foods. Plain is good on aircraft, unless you like sitting next to a guy who rapidly gets very gassy from something in the food or starts barfing up curry halfway over the Atlantic.
There is no comparison between food that is cooked with the proper spices and when you dump stuff on later. You still get spice covering blandness. Besides, they dont board such sauces. I suppose you could pack your own, but for a $12K ticket? And it wouldnt make it past TSA.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 6:35 pm
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by eastindywalrus
I fly in economy exclusively. Doesn't matter if it's the "best" entree or not - it still smells like sewage. And when the food itself smells like sewage, I don't even need to describe what the lavs smell like after meal service...
We get it. You dont like the smell or taste of Indian food.

Im with the other posters, it reheats well & has flavor even at 38K feet; I wouldnt hate a decent Indian option on United, its usually tasty on British Airways.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 7:54 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Im in London at least yearly and every time I eat Indian (Masala Zone on my dime, Amaya on companys), I wish UA would contract with this restaurant group to provide at least one of the lunch and dinner choices. The food is well-done and seems to me to be amenable to airline conditions. Gimme a samosa/chickpea appetizer and Id be instantly content the rest of the flight. They could provide meat and vegetarian dishes...
Originally Posted by catocony
If they start putting Indian food on flights, they are going to have to deal with passengers upset with smell, or the unhappy person who can't stomach it who has a choice of it or whatever is in economy if they're the last to order. The same would go for some other Asian fare as well.

In a perfect world all airlines would do the same as Austrian - 3-4 entree options, lots of side options, 3 soups, 8 appetizers, a half dozen desserts. Short of that, keep it simple. Better quality beef - I'm sick of short ribs - and meats that you can put sauces and spices on by request but can be served fairly plain for people who don't like the sauce/spice.
Originally Posted by eastindywalrus
Count me as one of the strong opponents to increasing the amount/frequency of Indian cuisine on airplanes. The smell of curry permeates everything. It doesn't make me sick - it just smells bad. I usually fly DL, but it doesn't matter what carrier you're on - 15 minutes after the meal service ends on a TATL where any sort of curry dish was served, the whole cabin reeks to high heaven. Other non-curry dishes can be overly aromatic as well, leading to a very unpleasant experience.

It's no different than someone bringing greasy fast food onto a plane (which, to be fair, I do enjoy - just not on an airplane). Foods that are overly aromatic, regardless of cuisine, are not suitable for in-flight dining. A little more wiggle room in this department should be permissible for the premium cabins, where passengers have a little more space between them and the next passenger, but in cattle class, anything that smells should be tossed out into the jetway before closing the cabin door.
Originally Posted by seenitall
While I know that most FTers wouldn't be caught dead in the Y cabin, but as one who typically flies TATL in Y, you guys up front might be surprised to learn that by far the best standard dinner entree option in Y is the Indian vegetarian -- rather than the meat or the pasta options. I always get it, as do the more savvy Y travelers. (Ask a FA if you don't believe me.) And I have never seen anyone storming back from J to complain about the reeks from steerage. So on the occasions that I get to enjoy J, I wouldn't be unhappy at all to have a good Indian option.
Originally Posted by cranky1K
I always pick the Indian vegetarian option if available. And often you have to ask for it.
As much as I enjoy good Indian food, I'm on the side of those who disagree with having it in an enclosed airspace like a plane for flights longer and 2.5 hours. While I don't agree that it smells like sewage, Indian food often has a strong pervasive smell and you can't just spray Febreeze to get rid of it afterward. No other cuisine I know of has such overpowering smells. I once looked at a house (for sale) that positively reeked of Indian or Pakistani cooking, so badly it had permeated the carpet and even the paint. United doesn't need to deal with that on the planes.


Originally Posted by spin88
(1) a real large salad, with real "premium" things like Olives, artichokes, feta cheese, hearts of palm, dried or fresh berries, perhaps asparagus or another vegetable (I know would upset the ghost of Smisik) and fresh good bread. E.g. was just on SAS and their bread on inter-European flights was 5x better than the crap that UA serves. Good solid, with fresh butter. And oh, no chopped head or romaine lettuces, use real leafy greens.
Agreed. While I can see offering an option to the standard ice cream, I wouldn't ever replace the ice cream. I WOULD look at upgrading it and making it truly a signature item.

Originally Posted by HNLbasedFlyer
If it were me, I'd stick with US dining options:

Cheeseburgers, Sub Sandwiches, Chicken sandwiches, pizza, pasta, hot dogs, various rice dishes - you can gourmet it up with Guacamole, bacon, various sides, etc....

If they could pull that off I might actually look forward to airline food.
I'd make the cheeseburgers, pizza, chicken sandwiches standard fare for Y (and in sufficient quantities that J can plan on ordering some if they want). I do think J should be more upscale than cheeseburgers, pizza, or sub sandwiches.

Originally Posted by HNLbasedFlyer
There hasn't been "fine dining" on US air carriers in nearly 20 years - an entire generation of fliers post 9/11 are used to mediocre food.

I'd also argue my Singapore flight in biz and Eva in Biz earlier this certainly wasn't "fine dining", I'd rather describe it as, good for airline food. Much like going to a Mexican restaurant on Oahu - none are great, and at best, you get - its good Mexican for Hawaii.
The Mexican restaurant out at Waimanalo (Bueno Nalo?) used to be good Mexican, not just for Hawaii, otherwise I agree with you. In fairness to you, I don't think it's there anymore.

If I were redesigning the menu, aside from having enough items to rotate monthly and still provide a good selection (as well as allowing pre-ordering), I'd be looking at items like

Gnocchi with vegan-friendly marinara (but with option of adding some Sicilian sausage for the non-vegans)
Grilled vegetables and rice pilaf (or saffron rice) with choice of flavorants (herbed butter, balsamic vinegar & olive oil, lemon vinaigrette, or a parmsan & black pepper sprinkle)
Chicken Marsala
Beef medallions with mushrooms in a port wine sauce
Broiled chicken with rotating sauces (peri-peri one month, sesame-ginger another month, Thai sweet chili the next, etc.)
Butter chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala could probably be offered without the smell overpowering the cabin but I'm not sure.
Saag paneer could definitely be offered but I've already had airline saag paneer and wasn't impressed.
Pork green chili
Shrimp Vera Cruz
Chicken Mole
Thai minced pork with basil
bi bim bap

I like the idea of a thali but a proper thali probably wouldn't work with the preplating and FA reductions they're going through.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 8:20 pm
  #24  
 
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lievre a la royale. but I think UA is now moving to align with AA in terms of premium cabin dining, or at least that's what I've been told, so hamburger au fromage is a more likely option in the future I guess.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 8:41 pm
  #25  
 
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other than lobster thermidor? i'll echo prior comments that keeping it simple is probably the way to go, and then maybe jazz it up with sides. example: a great mac and cheese, and maybe have the option to add lobster. risotto with the option of mushrooms or bacon.

i'm salivating at many of the lists others are providing, but don't forget that (a) the onboard ovens aren't ideal for warming up many foods, and (b) the FAs prepping the food aren't chefs. that eliminates many of my favorite dishes. i love shellfish, but the best bomster scallops will be disappointing at 38k feet because they can't be prepped properly.

two more general ideas: (1) continue to improve the drink selection, and make advertised items available more consistently, and (2) have an option to pre-order your meal.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 8:48 pm
  #26  
 
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The next question for all those choosing to upscale the food, how much extra on the ticket price are you willing to stomach
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 8:58 pm
  #27  
 
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Vegemite and cheese on a fresh bread roll and a snag sanga with tomato sauce (hold the grllled onions).
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 9:19 pm
  #28  
 
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Agree with simplicity....

bring on hamburgers, hot dogs, and here's one:

taco bar.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 9:31 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by ExplorerWannabe
I once looked at a house (for sale) that positively reeked of Indian or Pakistani cooking
If you like it, it's an aroma. If you hate it, it reeks. I get queasy at the smell of hot tea or oatmeal, but I don't expect any airline to cater to my specific distastes.
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Old Nov 18, 2018, 10:02 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by Jimmie Jet
Hamburgers, simple hamburgers. Its airplane food kinda like hospital food

Great idea. I have spent way too much time in hospitals and on United flights and in both cases the food is pretty terrible. Lets just make it simple and taste decent. Maybe make a deal with In and Out?
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