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

So if you could design their menu what would be on it?

I would simplify it-- I hate their weird cold duck or fish "appetizer" I'd get rid of that and make the salad something simple like a Cesar salad. I feel like this is one area they just go too "fancy" and it just doesn't work.

I would get rid of the steak-- they just don't do it well. I'd replace it with a nice comfort food option like pasta and meatballs.

I would also only have mushrooms in a max of 1 entree option-- often mushrooms are in 2-3 of the choices and I don't eat mushrooms or fish-- so this often leaves me in a bit of a fight with the FA over "my second choice"

oh and I'd be able to pre-order from a larger selection of food.

\rant after a 16 hour flight with meh food

I would also have the Spicy Chicken Noodles they serve on EWR-HKG

(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.

(2) focus on dishes that (since UA is going to pre-plating) that when they re head don't throw off liquid. Sauces are good, as are spices. Interesting pasta or as others have said indian foods (chicken or lamb with a korma or similar sauce) work well, or another meat with a sauce that adds flavor (e.g. I recently had very good lamb with a sauce on DL). UA does not have a brand for the expensive quality ingredients (caviar, smoked salmon, lobster) so ought to just focus on having a large enough size along with flavors that taste good without adding tons of salt, in a high altitude environment.

(3) then offer fruit and cheese.

(4) then offer something other than ice cream.....

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.

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.

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.

A thali is a preplated meal with multiple dishes (technically, it's the plattter on which the meal is served). It's not limited to street food.

I'd actually ask for less food. There is way too much food served IMO; in particular, I think the salad should be downsized. I would also like there to be some variety in the breakfast omelet that is served on arrival (especially on TATL flights).

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.

Yes, you are correct, it is a thali, but the food that is plated in the photo is Masala Zone's take on street food. And delicious...