Jessica Little Fu

Update Review, April 2026

Back in November, I attended an event run by the tea club at my office where they ordered a selection of desserts from a local home baker, Jessica Little Fu, to pair with the teas.  The desserts were exceptional.  Truly, exceptional.  Flawless execution, complex and interesting flavors, everything.  My mind was blown.  And I lamented the fact that this was not a very accessible option to get to try more things from again, and she only does catering and some pop-ups.

And then the host of the tea club ordered from her again, about 6 months later.  To say I was excited when I saw the placards introducing the lineup was an understatement.  I couldn't wait to try more items from this clearly extremely talented baker.  And the best part?  Our host had selected all new items (one was a different flavor of something we had before, but the rest were all new), including two cakes, and one pie, 5 items total.

And again.  Just, wow.  Seriously, seek this baker out any chance you get!

Strawberry Daifuku.

"Ichigo Farms Albion strawberry wrapped in white bean paste and house made mochi."

In the interests of picking my first two choices only to be polite, I skipped the daifuku initially.  It was the simplest of all the items after all.

When I returned for a second pass, after everyone had their initial fill, alas, they were all gone.  I really was interested to try it, the white bean paste in particular sounded unique, but, everyone else grabbed them.  Alas.

Strawberry Mochi Mousse Cake.

"Mochi, strawberry mousse, roasted strawberries, whipped cream and vanilla chiffon."

The one item that was a slight repeat from the previous event was the mochi mousse cake, however this time it was strawberry.  I skipped this my initial pass too, since I had something similar before, but I was thrilled when there was a tiny piece left when I went back for my second round.  When I had it last time in passionfruit form I was blown away by the passionfruit mousse, and I was curious how the more common strawberry would compare.

It was a delicious creation yet again.  The soft pliable mochi wrapping it, the flavorful insanely fluffy mousse ... yep, no words.  The flavor was a bit more "boring" compared to the passionfruit, but I still really quite enjoyed it, and gladly would have another and another and another of these.  I need more homemade mochi wrapped cream items in my life!  4.5/5.  My favorite of the items I tried.

Yuzu Blueberry Meringue Pie.

"Flaky butter pie shell filled with blueberry compote, yuzu curd and torched meringue and makrut lime leaf whipped cream."

I also skipped the pie offering, yuzu blueberry meringue, in my first venture up to the dessert table, even though I had *adored* the pie we had last time (black sesame banana cream pie), and in particular I adored the crust, but I tend to not like lemon/citrus curd and again, wanted to be polite and not take everything, even though I still loved the sound of the blueberry, the meringue, and the crust.  And honestly, if any baker was going to have me like a citrus curd, it could very well be her!

Alas, when I went back, this pie was also gone, except for a shard of crust.  I did snag that shard of crust, and it was just as flawless as last time: soooo crispy, soooo flaky, soooo buttery, just, perfect.  Five star crust, but I can't review the rest.  What I had though, was my second favorite bite.

Pineapple Earl Grey Cake.

"Three layers of vanilla chiffon, earl grey white chocolate whipped ganache, pineapple lemongrass curd."

The cakes were where I focused initially. The first cake was the tea inspired offering, perfect for the event, with earl grey and a fascinating sounding pineapple lemongrass curd.  The decoration was extremely classy, it gave wedding adjacent vibes. 

Pineapple Early Grey Cake: Inside.

The layers were well constructed, with light simple vanilla chiffon, all equal size layers, with an appropriate ratio of the earl grey white chocolate ganache, and thin layers of the curd.

The chiffon was again just soooo light and truly what chiffon should be, although still not a favorite cake style for me.  The cake needed a base though, and any other style of cake would be too heavy for these fillings, so, it makes sense.

The earl grey white chocolate ganache was thick, rich, and had enough earl grey to taste it, but it wasn't overly strong.  The sweetness level was low for white chocolate that is so often overly sweet, but still sweeter than many Asian style desserts.  The curd was slightly tangy, slightly tropical.

It was all well made, delicate flavors, that worked well together, but none are flavors I necessarily gravitate towards, so it didn't wow me.  3.5/5 because I can appreciate how well done it was, even if it wasn't the item for me.  My least favorite, only due to preferences.

Black Sesame Strawberry Cake.

"Three layers of vanilla chiffon, black sesame pastry cream, strawberries, roasted strawberries and whipped cream."

And lastly, the one I was most excited for, the black sesame strawberry cake!  I was excited for every single element of this.

It too was beautifully decorated, with gold shimmer for a touch a class, and brilliantly juicy strawberries that drew me in immediately.

Black Sesame Strawberry Cake: Inside.

The layers of this were expertly crafted as well: even layers of cake, plentiful black sesame cream and whipped cream, large hunks of berries embedded within.

The cake was essentially the same, light, the right style for this kind of cake, but not my preferred kind of cake.  The berries were perfectly ripe and vibrant.  Eating these made me lament a bit more than I missed out on the strawberry daifuku.  The whipped cream was fresh and not overly sweetened.  These are all simple elements, but, done exactly right.

And then of course, the black sesame pastry cream!  It reminded me of the black sesame mousseline from the black sesame banana cream pie, just a bit less firm, which makes sense for a cake filling compared to a pie filling that needed to retain structure for slices.  It was delightfully nutty, and a great combination with the berries.  So put it all together?  Yep, no edits really.  5/5 execution, 4.5/5 for my own enjoyment.

Original Review, December 2025

It is rare for me to really be impressed with a baked good or dessert these days.  I was spoiled by years of having an ex-Michelin star pastry chef creating nightly desserts for my group at work (and a succession of equally talented pastry chefs before/after that) and by having a couple years of doing extensive fine dining.  That is all in my past, but more recently, I've spent my last three summers in New York City, where I've made eating top notch pastries and baked goods a priority.  So most things I encounter in everyday life in San Francisco just don't really wow me.  Sure, there are some that stand out (e.g. yes, Arsicault), but most, even if good, I'm not like "ZOMG" about.

So I had no expectations when I recently attended a tea and dessert event featuring a popup vendor I'd never heard of: Jessica Little Fu.  Let me tell you: um, you should pay attention to this pastry chef.

Jessica Little Fu is a pastry chef and baking instructor, and hails from a background working at the Michelin starred restaurants State Bird Provisions and The Progress (and later, Stonehill Matcha).  She now sells at popups, and special orders from her website.  I know little else about her, besides that, well, she's crazy talented.  

"Today, I can be found at occasional pop ups around the bay area, working on passion projects and teaching what I have learned to baking enthusiasts. My pastries showcase California seasonal produce and often have a touch of Chinese pastry nostalgia."

She's sorta low profile, just doing her thing it seems.  Her work features a lot of Asian flavor profiles, but modern unique creations, with high level of mastery of technique.  She incorporates a lot creams, fruits, cakes, and flavored whipped creams.  Mmm, all things I love.

Our event had 6 items: 1 sheet cake, 2 types of pie, 2 kinds of panna cotta, and one individual sized cake/mousse.  I read through the menu with my eyes getting wider and wider.  I wanted them all.  As a first pass, I selected my top two choices, but when it was clear that there was plenty, and that most people were loading up platters and taking some home, I returned to get more.  In the end, I had 5 of the 6 items, and all were ... flawless?  To say I was impressed is an understatement.

Black Sesame Banana Cream Pie.

"A pie filled with layers of silky black sesame mousseline, malted milk sweet cream and bananas encased in a flaky pie crust with a thin layer of milk chocolate."

The one I went straight for, my first pick to try, was the black sesame banana cream pie.  I love banana cream pie.  I adore black sesame.  This sounded, well, perfect.  I loved that it came pre-sliced into 8 very large slices.  I also loved that other event attendees didn't seem inclined to try to cut them in pieces, so taking a full slice seemed appropriate.

Black Sesame Banana Cream Pie: Close up.

"Flaky butter pie shell brushed with milk chocolate and filled with black sesame mousseline, bananas and malted milk whipped cream."

The pie was a stunning 3 layers of bananas and black sesame mousseline, plus a very generous layer of the malted milk whipped cream, all sprinkled with some black sesame seeds.  I was impressed with the structural integrity as I took a slice.

The crust was everything I want in a crust: super crispy, super flaky, high butter, fantastic.  I suspect the light layer of milk chocolate lining it helped keep it crisp against the filling.  The crust alone had me impressed.

But this pie kept on giving.  It was loaded with bananas, fresh, ripe, not too mushy.  Very strong banana focus, as you can see visually as well.  The bananas were enrobed in the glorious black sesame mousseline.  It was creamy, rich, and sophisticatedly nutty.  As someone who grew up eating a lot of bananas with peanut butter as a snack, this immediately worked for me, and just felt like a grown up spin on a flavor profile that sparked comfort and nostalgia.  And then, the very generous layer of whipped cream on top, which was not just any old whipped cream, but, malted milk whipped cream.  It had just that extra touch of depth and again, sophistication, that felt both familiar and a bit upscale all at once.

Put it all together and you have a very unique and complex spin on what is otherwise a fairly basic nostalgic comfort food pie (banana cream) and childhood snack (nut butter on bananas), melded together into a showstopper.  There is literally nothing I'd suggest be done differently with this, the flavors, textures, and technique just all were top notch.  4.5/5, tied for first place for me in favorites.

Passion Fruit Mochi Mousse Cake.

"Mochi, passion fruit mousse, strawberry sauce, whipped cream and vanilla chiffon."

My second pick when honing in on selecting just two to try to start was the mochi mousse cake.  It was certainly the most unique looking, and I was fascinated by what it might be like inside as well.  The mochi blanket embracing it was so soft and pliable, and really quite pleasant to eat, just a subtle rice taste.

Passion Fruit Mochi Mousse Cake: Inside.

And then, within.  The base was a very light vanilla chiffon.  It was an uninteresting component of the desert, and I'd prefer some other kind of base, but there was nothing wrong with it, and its plainness did offset the intensity of the other elements.

The majority of this was a stunner, a sensational passion fruit mousse.  It was fluffy and creamy, fruity and tropical, slightly sweet and slightly tart, and studded with sooo many passion fruit seeds for lots of crunch.  It never seemed too heavy nor too sweet, and had just the right level of intensity, all from real passionfruit, no fake taste to it.  I adored the mousse.

The whipped cream was a minor component on top, and was nice to balance the mousse a little, but the mousse was so good I barely felt it needed it.  The strawberry sauce turned out to be just that dot on top, none within, so it added a sweet additional fruity burst, but then was gone. 

Overall, such a unique item, and it did all work together well, but I almost think I would have enjoyed it more if it was just mochi filled with passion fruit mousse.  Still, I devoured it, and would get another in a heartbeat. Strong 4/5, the passion fruit mousse though was an easy 5/5.  My second favorite item.

Chestnut Oolong Cake.

"Three layers of vanilla chiffon, Phoenix Honey Orchid oolong tea pastry cream, chestnut whipped cream."

After securing my top two choices, I moved on to take a look at the large format cake.  The cake looked slightly more homemade than professional (obviously by a talented home baker, but it didn't scream out professional at first glance), and at first I thought this might be a different source than the other items.  But then I saw the description, and saw how it fit right in.

While the cake and oolong components, and the less polished look of it didn't quite draw me in, the mention of chestnut is all it took for me to slice off a small piece, to at least give it a try.

Chestnut Oolong Cake: Close up.

The cake had three very equal layers of chiffon, and what seemed to be the same filling (albeit studded with chestnuts) and frosting.  I had somewhat expected the inside to be the oolong tea pastry cream, and outside to be the chestnut whipped cream.

I often comment on how chiffon cake is my least favorite style of cake (I may adore Asian flavors and desserts from around the world, but, American style dense butter cake is still my preferred cake, chiffon, sponge, genoise ... eh).  However this was moist and light as air, and really did seem appropriate with the delicate flavors of the oolong pastry cream.  This was actually the first bite of anything I had (before the previous items), and I was immediately impressed.

Then, the pastry cream / whipped cream.  Light and fluffy.  There was a mild hint of tea that lingered on the finish, but it was very mild, as you'd expect from oolong.  The filling within the layers of cake was studded with little bits of chestnut.  At first I thought they were red bean actually, as the taste and size of the bits immediately connected in my brain as red bean, but actually, this was the chestnut.  It was more ... nutty? Legume-like? than I expected.  It was quite savory, and the pastry cream/whipped cream wasn't very sweetened either, so this really was not a sweet dessert.

Overall this was my least favorite of the items I tried, as I prefer things a bit sweeter, I prefer non-chiffon cake, and I'm not excited about oolong, but it was still a very good cake.  4/5 on execution really.

Hojicha Dulcey Cream Pie.

"Cocoa cookie crumb crust filled with hojicha dulcey chocolate cremeux and caramel whipped cream."

In my initial priority stack rank of items to try, I had this near the middle of the pack, after the cake.  I adore dulcey chocolate, but I'm not really a tea lover (I don't mind it, just, not my top choice of flavor to go for), and the cocoa cookie crumb crust seemed less interesting than the elements of the other desserts.  I still was curious to try it though, given how successful everything else was, so when there was still a bunch of slices of this left, I broke the mold of taking full slices and actually cut one in half, so I could just try it, but not take a full slice (which, totally mangled it, alas).

The cocoa cookie crust was actually pretty good.  Crispy, compressed, deep cocoa flavor, slightly bitter in a good way.  It was a nice thickness to really taste the cocoa, but not too thick to easily break through with a fork.  But as I expected, it just wasn't all that exciting to me on its own (but, I also hate Oreos, so, consider that fact).  When you combined it with the  caramel whipped cream on top though ... brilliant!  There was no denying the fact that it was caramel, so sweet, so intense.  I loved it, and it did indeed go well with that crust, in a way that elevated both elements when consumed together.  I would be happy with just this crust and topping as a pie!

But there was more.  The main body of the pie was actually the hojicha dulcey chocolate cremeux.  Oh, wow.  For all the lack of intensity in the oolong pastry cream in the cake, this one had in spades.  The tea flavor was strong, and really kept drawing me back in.  It was bitter but tempered by the dulcey which gave a hint of caramely sweetness (and of course, it was balanced out with the crust/whip as well if you ate it all together).  The consistency of it was remarkable too - soooo smooth.  It was quite thick, far thicker than the passion fruit mousse, the oolong pastry cream, or the black sesame mousseline, yet velvety smooth.  It really was exceptional, and I found myself wanting more and more of it.

I ended up liking this quite a bit, and would have easily consumed a full slice (perhaps saving half for the next day).  I actually preferred the crust/whip as one dessert, and this cremeux as its own thing, as I felt the flavors were allowed to shine a bit more that way, but, such a surprise hit for me.  Shockingly tied for first place. 4.5/5.

Elderflower Panna Cotta.

"St Germaine panna cotta with fresh berries and passion fruit."

And finally, the last item I grabbed, a panna cotta.  This may come as a surprise that it was the last thing on my priority list, given that my blog has a label dedicated to pudding AND one exclusively for panna cotta, and I do love it, but, I actually just thought it was the least likely to impress compared to the more elaborate items.  Plus, the St. Germaine didn't draw me in.

It came topped with a few berries (raspberries, blueberries) and fresh passionfruit.  

The panna cotta was, as you may have guessed by now, executed flawlessly.  Well set.  Thick.  Rich.  Smooth.  Fresh cream taste, mildly sweet.  The vibrant fruit on top, particularly the passion fruit, offset the slight plainness of the base panna cotta.  As for the St. Germaine, I'll admit I didn't taste it.  But it really was a fantastic panna cotta nonetheless.  If I had one note it is that I would have preferred some additional flavoring, be it the St. Germaine or something like buttermilk, but still, this was very, very good.

This really was textbook execution of panna cotta, you can tell the pastry chef is a master of her craft from this simple dish alone.  4/5.  My third pick, only because the others were more interesting, but, yeah, flawless.

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Dickson's Farmstand & Meats

I don't seek out things like butcher shops.  And yet, here I am, reviewing a butcher shop / restuarant.

"Dickson's Farmstand is a neighborhood butcher shop in Chelsea Market offering artisanal meats and house-made charcuterie. Our beef, pork, lamb, and poultry are sourced from small, family farms in upstate New York that are carefully handpicked for their humanely-raised, high-quality animals. We proudly share with you the stories of our farmers and their methods."

Dickson's is located across the street from my office, in Chelsea Market, so a very convenient location that I walk by every day.  That alone wasn't enough for me to give them a second glance though really.  I only paid attention when they actually brought them *into* our office, for a special lunch catered event.  If you do visit the actual shop though, they have a full service butcher counter with all the expected meats, plus grocery items, and a restaurant serving lunch and dinner.

Menu.

For our event, we had a very limited menu: the choice of a housemade hot dog or bbq star fruit (which, I'll admit, sounded mildly interesting), both of which just came with packaged chips.

The regular business has a much larger menu, with burgers, sandwiches, sausages, hot dogs, bbq items like ribs, pulled pork, and brisket, fried or roast chicken, steaks, and various sides including fries, mac and cheese, cole slaw, and other veggies.  I was sad they didn't at least include the cole slaw with our menu.

Hot Dog Toppings (in-store),

In the store you will find all the standard hot dog toppings, including crowd pleasers like chili and cheese sauce, or bacon, along with traditional choices like sauerkraut, chopped onions, and the like.

Housemade Hot Dog ($7)
w/ sweet pepper relish (+$1.25), kewpie mayo (+$0.25),
krispy onions (+$1.50).

"Beef and pork hot dog smoked over hickory & apple wood, topped with krispy onions, kewpie mayo, and sweet pepper relish, served on a Martin's potato bun."

Since this was a popup special event, we were not able to pick our own toppings, but I still liked the sound of the selection made for us, at least, I was definitely a fan of the Kewpie and "krispy onions", which the menu revealed are just fried shallots.  The toppings came very evenly, and generously, applied.

The hotdog was a slightly bigger than average length, delightfully longer than the bun (in a good way, that made eating that first bite a bit extra fun).  The casing had a wonderful snap, the dog was juicy.  You could tell it wasn't just generic processed meat, it had tons of flavor, almost more akin to a sausage really.  It was a blend of beef and heritage pork, and neither dominated, plus plenty of spices including smoky paprika.  It had a much higher level of smokiness than a hotdog usually does, again, akin to a sausage.  Really, just a high quality product, but it might not satisfy say a picky child who has a specific notion of what a hotdog is.  Think, thin sausage that is less granular texture, or flavor of a sausage, format of a hotdog.  I liked it, but again, not quite a standard hot dog.  4/5 hotdog.

The bun was soft, fresh, and what you'd expect from a Martin's bun if you've had them before.  A slightly sweeter, more robust flavor than your standard bun, and certainly more yellow.  It worked here, matching the slightly elevated style of the dog itself.

And then of course the toppings.  I adore Kewpie, I adore fried shallots, so, those were great just in general, although I'm not entirely sure they are what I'd pick in the future for a custom dog.  I did also want ketchup and mustard, call me traditional.  The sweet pepper relish was the only miss for me, but I can be pretty fickle about both relish and sweet peppers, so, not a surprise.  It was also heavy on the tomatillos.  It was nicely chunky, just a bit too tart for me.

If purchased at the shop, this would be $8.50 with this topping set.

Overall, I enjoyed this, and I'd consider getting another, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.  3.5/5.

BBQ Star Fruit.

"Star fruit topped with BBQ sauce and coleslaw, served on a Martin's potato bun."

The vegetarian offering was the same bun (Martin's potato), but this time stuffed with ... bbq star fruit.  I can't say I've encountered that before.  I've seen plenty of jackfruit in place of meat before (my office cafes in SF LOVED jackfruit as a vegetarian sub), but I've not seen star fruit used before.  But I love bbq, and I love slaw, so, why not? 

The answer, at least for me, is because it is way too sweet.  The texture was quasi-interesting, but, wow, it was so sweet. The bbq sauce was a standard-ish formula of ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses.  It didn't do anything to balance out the sweetness of the star fruit.  I just really didn't care for this base component, although I can see what they were going for, a veggie pulled pork-ish sort of base.  1/5 filling.

The slaw was classic cabbage (red/green), carrot, and red onions, with mayo based dressing, that also had buttermilk for some tang, cider vinegar for acid, and horseradish for kick.  You can buy this slaw as a side at the restaurant.  I didn't really care for this either, even though I love cole slaw and everything in this sounded like the right ingredients.  It was just too tart and hard to really get a bite without the rest of the flavor from the bbq star fruit with it.  I'd try it again separate, but, I didn't enjoy it here.

I don't think this dish is served at their regular store, and was an offering they did to accommodate vegetarians at our office.

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United Airlines, SFO-EWR, Business Class

Two flights, just a few weeks apart (<1 month), and pretty different experiences across the board.

Flight #1: April 2026

Details:
Flight: UA 2480

Scheduled: 1:00pm (local time) - 9:35pm (local time)

Actual: 1:04pm (push back) 1:25pm (take off)

Aircraft: 787-9 

Seat 5A

SFO-EWR, business class.  Regularly priced at $4k each way, which just ... blows my mind.  But it is United's premium transcon route (SFO-EWR and LAX-EWR) and the cabin is always full, so ... people must pay it.  I used my precious miles to secure a seat for 80k points, far more than I want to spend on a domestic flight, but, seemed well worth it.  I also of course selected a flight time that would be a regular full Polaris cabin with 1-2-1 layout, and secured 3A, my favorite seat (secluded window seat, side table on my dominant side, close to front but not too close).  

But two days before the flight I got the dreaded "we've needed to change your aircraft type" email, and yep, suddenly I was in a middle seat.  Yes, we had a Dreamliner for our aircraft, but, boo.  I aggressively watched the seat availability those 2 days (like, fairly obsessively), but no window seats ever opened up.  And then, 20 mins before boarding, 5A was free.  I snagged it instantly.  Yes, it was the seat with no second window, but, still, much better than my middle seat.  Oh, and I got their to find that the power and USB were not working.  Which ... was actually a problem, given the flight length and my desire to use my laptop.  The flight was 100% full, so there was no option to move somewhere with power.  I asked multiple staff members about it, and they all said there was nothing to be done (usually they at least offer to attempt to reset it - maybe that isn't a thing on the Dreamliner?).  Near the end of the flight, I was offered $200 travel credit, or 10,000 miles for it, only once I asked if there would be any compensation.

SFO had a lot of delays this day due to runway construction, wind, and well, everything.  All morning long, delays were rolling in.  Inbound aircraft held at their locations for 3.5 hours on average.  I felt fortunate that my inbound had left much earlier so was already at SFO.  The problem of course is that my flight crew was not.  We were slightly delayed in boarding while waiting for the crew.  People were remarkably efficient though, and even though 100% full, we did push back from the gate only 4 minutes late.  We sat just shy of the gate for minutes, and took off with only 21 minute taxi time, which was great given the conditions.

Besides being relatively on-time though, this flight suffered in sooo many ways: no power at my seat, no wifi (ok, it happens, but usually it at least quasi-works SOME of the time), no PDB/nuts/refills, no ice cream toppings, no second meal service.  I mean, seriously.  A few things going wrong is understandable, but this really was a pretty miserable, and expensive, flight.

Service & Amenities

Blanket, pillows.

This is a standard premium transcon route on a Dreamliner, so amenity wise, everything was expected, with nice blanket and pillow, plus small amenity kit at the seat when we boarded.  

However, service and experience wise, um, the flight was far from premium.  No PDB was offered, however we had water bottles waiting at our seats.  Pre-orders were verified while we were still on the ground, along with orders taken for those who missed out, and our drink orders.  My pre-order wasn't reflected in their system, he thought because of the seat swap.  I hoped my choice would magically still show up, as it was a pre-order only option.

There was wifi ($8, which, for a $4k seat ...), but it didn't actually function.  The worst in-flight wifi I've had in many many years, no matter the airline.  I don't mean just spotty, slow, or flaky.  They did make an announcement that they were resetting it, because clearly everyone was complaining.  It did not help.  They did not reimburse us.  It never worked well enough to load a single image, let alone a website, or even chat.  I was planning to work on the flight, and, well, not even remotely possible. Every 30 minutes or so, email would come through.  I couldn't ever send replies though.  It was just not usable.  And they charged us $8 for it.  

It was extremely cold in the cabin the entire time.  I used my blanket the entire time, and I was still quite cold.  I did eventually ask if it could be warmer, and the FA told me that many others had requested the same.  She said she had passed on the message.  It never warmed up.  

The service flow was all off.  No PDB.  No drinks served at all before the meal.  No nuts before the meal.  Meals took >1.5 hours to even start being served.  Dessert was not started being served until 3 hours in and was a disaster.  Drinks never refilled, we were all begging for refills.  The staff seemed rather scatterbrained, not attentive, and just not following the standard flow.  When I asked for a drink refill, she came back 20 minutes later, and said, "oh, you wanted something.  A drink?"  I repeated my drink order, she left, and came back again about 10 mins later asking what I wanted.  She still got it wrong.  The guy next to me asked for a diet Coke about 5 times before he got one.  I heard similar situations all around the cabin.  Lots of us asking for things, lots of things not coming.  And everything sooo slow.  I later found out that they were down 2 flight attendants for the flight (unclear if this was due to the delays and staffing shortages or a planned thing?), and that there were only 2 FAs working the entire business AND premium economy cabin.  This made much of the service flow make more sense - our meals took forever and were a one shot-deal, and they clearly streamlined everything.

Drinks

I was happy as always to have AHA sparkling water in two flavors, blueberry + pomegranate or pineapple + passionfruit (along with plain seltzer if I preferred).  I ordered this when drink orders while taken on the ground, but there was no beverage service (and again, no PBD) until meal time.  As in, not before the meal at all. There was not turbulence, the crew wasn't in their seats any length of time, etc, it seemed to entirely be due to the staffing shortage.  Drinks didn't come until actually with our meals, on the tray with everything else.  There were also no nuts or anything else to nibble on until the full meal.  I ran out of my water very quickly as I was parched, and no refills were offered.

Wine List.

"Indulge in wine carefully selected for your flight. From Napa Valley to Bordeaux and beyond, our team curates our wine lists from renowned vineyards around the world. We select wines that showcase the unique flavors of each region — so you can enjoy an old favorite or taste a new bottle of our premium wine on board."

The wine list was the standard 1 rose, 1 sparkling, 2 white, 2 reds.  Exactly the same reds I had on previous flights, so nothing particularly interesting for me.  Both I had found "fine", 3/5 stars, so, acceptable before, I assumed they'd be acceptable again.  They also had beer, basic spirits, and two premade Crafthouse Cocktails: Moonlighter Vodka Spritz or Espresso Martini.  I stuck with wine. 

Wine.

Talbott “Sleepy Hollow Vineyard” Pinot Noir, 2022

"A vibrant Pinot Noir with ripe cherry and black raspberry on the nose and stunning flavors of dark berries and peppery spice on the palate. Pairs best with chicken and vegetables."

I started with the pinot noir as I thought it would pair best with my seafood meal.  I gave it a 3/5 rating last time.  I rate it about the same this time.  It was "fine".  Light, mild, not acidic, not much tannin, basically, low key boring, but not bad.  

Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021

"A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and sage that greets the senses. Layers of vanilla and cassis are complemented by cedar on the palate. Pairs best with beef."

I had liked the cabernet more last time, 3.5/5 stars, so I moved on to it once I had finished my meal.  I again liked it considerably more than the pinot, it had a bit more going on.  I wouldn't call it a great wine, but, it was better.  So yes, again, probably 3.5/5 stars.

"Lunch"

I call this "lunch" because it was described as such, but it was served starting at 3pm in SF / 6pm in NY so I'm not quite sure what to call it (mine came around 3:30pm).

Main Meal Menu.

The main meal menu was quite similar to the one I had previously on this route nearly 2 years ago: salad + cheese (this time ricotta, not burrata), chicken, beef, fish, and one other (interestingly, no vegetarian option this time, unless you preorder a special meal, which is unfortunate for anyone with same day changes or upgrades).  The beef sirloin dish was actually identical to my previous flight.

I was pretty lukewarm on all of these dishes.  I got the beef last time because I loved the sound of the sides (sweet potato gratin! green beans!) but they were just ok.  I do love halibut, but, come on, fish on a plane.  Still, that is what I went with.  Those who didn't pre-order only could select beef/chicken/pasta.

If you are curious, for this premium transcon route, Premium Economy gets a subset of this menu: just the salad, no ricotta, just the beef, chicken, or vegetarian main dish (no fish), no ice cream sundae nor cheese plate, and interestingly, a totally different dessert.  They get a brownie fudge tart instead of lemon tart, which is just interesting to me, given that all other options are just a reduction (also, um, I'd prefer the chocolate over the lemon!). 

Tray.

As I mentioned, everything came at once.  Even the nuts.  No drinks prior to the meal.  And, then, everything: nuts, salad, appetizer, bread, main, all on one tray, all at once.  Delivered row by row, starting in the front.  I was in 5A, and didn't get my meal until 1.5 hours into the flight.  This really was a long time to go without anything, for a "premium" route (and those normal prices!).

Nuts.

Nuts were almond and cashews, with the meal.  I really would have appreciated them, and a drink, sooner.  They were not warm.

Bread.

No choice of bread was given, again, meh, this is a premium transcon!  I expect that for a regular domestic flight, but they really do market this as being more special.  I did like the cornmeal on it,  it was quasi arm, but it didn't taste fresh at all. 2/5.

Baby red oak leaf arugula salad.

"Baby red oak leaf arugula salad with mozzarella, artichokes and roasted red tomatoes."

The salad wasn't quite as described as it was not baby read oak leaf lettuce nor roamaine, and I didn't want the toppings really, but I used the lettuce base.  I just don't really care for artichokes, and the appetizer was cheese and tomatoes, so the mediocre grade mozzarella balls and sundried (not roasted as the menu said) tomatoes really didn't seem necessarily.  I would have preferred other toppings.  It came with a balsamic dressing on the side.  The lettuce was fine, but everything else was just poor menu planning really given the appetizer (and we all had the same salad and app).  Eh, 2/5.

Lemon herb ricotta.

"Lemon herb ricotta with heirloom tomato chunks, pickled serrano peppers, parmesan chive mix and red wine vinaigrette."

The appetizer was also cheese and tomatoes, but this was actually pretty good.  The ricotta was tasty, the heirloom tomato hunks large, juicy, and vibrant.  And zomg, the pickled peppers were crazy spicy.  The parmesan on top of it seemed odd though.  I combined this with the lettuce and really did enjoy my salad version with lettuce + heirlooms + ricotta.  But again, menu planner ... why the double tomato/triple cheese?  Higher 3/5 for this appetizer.

Seared Halibut.

"Seared halibut with fennel puree, heirloom cherry tomatoes, seared leeks and cioppino broth."

The main dish was a mixed bag.  The fennel puree was kinda some off putting colored goo in the base, that really seemed like baby food, and was odd to have with the broth as it just mixed in.  It did have decent fennel flavor.  The "cioppino broth" seems to just mean a light tomato broth, I don't think it had any elements of standard cioppino (e.g. other seafood).  The seared leeks tasted to me like just more fennel, I honestly thought that is what it was, and was surprised when I saw the menu said leeks.  I was kinda meh on the base/broth/toppings for this, but I don't tend to really like warm tomato dishes.

The fish though was good.  It was mild, tender, not dried out, not fishy, just, totally fine.  I was reasonably impressed with how well this came out actually.  3/5.

Even though it was freezing on board, given that I didn't want the lemon tart, I of course had to have an ice cream sundae.  Or, I planned to anyway.  The meal ended, and no desserts were mentioned nor offered.  I waited, and even once everyone had been cleared, still ... nothing.  I honestly was confused.  I finalized asked, and that is when I was told about the staffing shortage, and things made a bit more sense.  We were eventually offered dessert, described as ice cream, a cheese plate, or cake.  Cake?  Well, huh, the menu said lemon tart, but he said cake.  I double checked, and he said, "yes, cake".  I asked for a sundae, but if there were extra cake, said I'd love that too.  He said no problem.  For the sundae, I was offered hot fudge or caramel.  I asked if it was hot fudge, not just chocolate sauce, and he said yes.  I asked what other toppings they had, as he didn't mention anything else.  He said, "I think they have whipped cream, nuts, and cherries."  Interesting, as I heard the other FA offer strawberries and chocolate chips.  I asked for a little hot fudge, nuts, and whipped cream.

"Ice cream" with "Hot Fudge"

Um.  Well.  So, what I was brought was entirely melted froth with chocolate sauce.  Not just soft ice cream, entirely melted.  No whipped cream.  No nuts.  And ... chocolate sauce, not hot fudge.  He told me they had only caramel and chocolate.  Nothing else.  This still didn't explain how he coudl serve me entirely melted soup with a straight face.  Sigh.  I hate chocolate sauce, and this was ... well, not ice cream.  Boo.

Later, when I went to use the bathroom, I saw ... all the toppings.  The nuts.  The whipped cream.  The cherries.  The chocolate chips.  All there in the galley.  I think they choose to just streamline things and kept it simple with "chocolate or caramel" only, but ... why tell me they didn't load any toppings?  

"Lemon Cake".

And the "cake"?  Yes, it was the lemon tart.  The curd I didn't like as I never like lemon curd, and it had a mediocre shell.  The berries were fine.

Overall, a real let down dessert-wise, and this is something they usually do well enough (the Eli's cheesecake! The ice cream with toppings!).

Arrival Meal

The arrival meal doesn't really make any sense on this flight, given our <5 hour flight time, and the fact that the meal didn't begin until so long into the flight, let alone end.  We ended "lunch" at 4:15pm / 7:15pm, and the second meal service usually is about an hour and change before landing.  However, even though the flight was supposed to have it, and I had pre-ordered the cod fritters, they skipped this entirely due to the staffing issues and didn't tell us they were doing so.  No compensation given.  

Arrival Menu.

The arrival meal was also quite similar to when I flew this route a year ago - same exact cod fritters as the real dish.  They did change up the pasta to a cheese/meat plate, which probably better matches many people's moods at that time, with the second meal so close behind the first.  Salad remained as a light option.

Premium economy guests have the cheese or cod fritter option only, no salad.

But alas, I didn't get a chance to see if the cod fritters were better this year.

Flight #2: May 2026

Flight details:

Aircraft 787-9

Seat 9L

Departure: 10:20am (scheduled) 10:35am (push back) 11:01 (takeoff)

Arrival: 6:50pm (scheduled) (landing) (gate)

Service

Boarding was completed on time, however we had a 15 minute delay pushing back from the gate for unknown reasons.  No communication given, we were just sitting there with boarding door closed, catering loaded, bags loaded, etc.  No PDB was offered.  We then sat to the side for another 20 minutes.  No real communication.

Bumpy skies on takeoff, FAs in jump seats an extended time, seatbelt sign on for a long time, etc.  All things that added up to a pretty meh start to the flight.  2 hours into the flight, still no beverages.  Hot towels did come at one point, but they were hot in theory, not in practice.  They were barely lukewarm.  They were also not collected, just left with us at our seats for the next hour.

Our first meals were served at 1pm (where I was seated, later for others), which was 2 hours after takeoff.  Dessert came around 1:40pm.  And then ... uh, the second meal, at 3pm.  Just over an hour after the first meal ended.  I appreciate the they bothered serve it, unlike my flight the week before (when I really wanted the item I had pre-ordered too!), but, this was a bit ridiculous.

Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon, 2020 --> Louis Martini Cabernet.

Drink orders were taken, and pre-order meal selections confirmed / meal orders taken, once underway.  However drinks did not come for a very long time.  It was 12:50pm when I was finally served my first drink of sparkling water, after being on board for 3 hours and 20 minutes (!).  Also, um, I was not served the wine I also ordered.

The drink selection was identical to my last flight.  I decided to give the Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon another try, as it really should be a decent wine, even if I found it a bit meh last time.  It seems it was not loaded on the flight though (which wasn't told me, but I saw them opening cheap Louis Martini cab instead.  Booo).

It was ... fine.  My office gets this for our regular events, and it is definitely a much lower price point wine, sad to see on the Polaris branded route.

Takeoff Meal Menu.

The regular menu was highly uninspiring to me.  

The starter was feta this time instead of ricotta, which was even less appealing to me than teh pri, and came with kalamata olives, also less appealing.   The same salad I had my previous 2 flights.  Meh.

For the mains, chicken with rice and broccolini (literally, nothing I like), beef (never great on flight, sides not very interesting to me either), fish (sadly salmon, the one fish I'm not fond of, and it came with grains, meh), or vegetarian (mushroom ragout with polenta, although the FA was calling it "mushroom pasta" as she offered it to others).  The veggie one sounded maybe possibly interesting, but honestly not that great.

And so, I took a total gamble into the unknown, and ordered a special meal.  United fairly recently greatly expanded their special meal offerings (14 choices now!), and I've seen soooo many other people in my recent flights getting them, so, why not?  I was tempted by Asian Vegetarian, East Asian Vegetarian, Hindu non-Vegetarian, kosher, heck, even the kids meal.  In the end, I went for Asian Vegetarian, hoping to get some non-legume based Indian food, hopefully paneer (Asian Vegetarian seems to mostly be Indian, whereas East Asian is more stir fries with rice/noodles).  However, when the FA came to confirm my special meal, she said it was the vegan meal ... uh-h.

Interestingly, on this flight, everyone around me was asking for Tapas or Takeoff boxes, a contrast to all those other flights where people were ordering special meals.  But the overall theme was the same: no one was ordering the regular meals.

Warm Nuts.

A FA from the back noticed that we were a bit neglected and came up to help.  She came out with warm nuts right before our meals were finally served.  They were warm, lightly spices, and mostly almonds and cashews, with a token pecan or two.

Asian Vegetarian Meal #1.

"A vegetarian entrée inspired by Indian cuisine, prepared without meat, poultry, fish or eggs."

My meal was, indeed, an Indian meal, and it did, indeed, feature paneer.  I was pretty excited.  The FA who served it told me it was always a favorite of hers when someone special ordered and didn't want it / changed flight / etc.  The aroma coming off of it too - amazing!

Everything was served at once, and the meal does not include the regular salad/starter, nor the regular bread basket, nor the regular dessert, since it is all included.  Interestingly, the tray came with just a single generic packet of salt and pepper each, not their shakers, and thus no red pepper flakes, which I would have liked.  But at least I wasn't fighting with those damn shakers.  I also had a pat of fake butter (uh, why? It doesn't go with any of this), and, I assume in error, the salad dressing that goes with the regular salad. 

My platter included ...

• Starter: Pita chips w/ yogurt and spiced garbanzo beans
• Salad: Marinated cucumber/tomato/onion
• Bread: Roti
• Main: Basmati rice, two curries, paneer
• Dessert: gulab jamun 

Such a feast!  And mostly, it was quite good, although there were some shortcomings.  I was also starving by this point, as it was served at 1pm, 2 hours after takeoff (and the rows behind me were obviously even later).

Starter: Pita chip, spiced chickpeas, yogurt.

The starter was the least interesting thing on the plate to me, as I dislike garbanzos.  But they seemed nicely spiced, and the thick rich yogurt was good.  I appreciated having the yogurt to mix with things.   3.5/5 yogurt.

Soggy/floppy pita "chip".

The pita chips though, lol, they were soooo soft/soggy and flopped over when you tried to pick them up.  Zero stars for these.

Spiced Cucumber Salad.

The salad was mostly cucumber, assorted sized slices, plus a few slices of tomato and some onion.  All nicely marinated, flavorful Indian spicing.  The tomatoes in particular were quite good.  I threw this on top of my own salad greens I had with me and enjoyed.  A nice refreshing dish alongside the heavier mains.  3.5.

Roti.

Then there was the roti.  It was, um, stone cold.  I think they were supposed to warm this, but forgot?  It came wrapped in foil, so I was excited for that to hold in the warmth, but, it was stone cold, and really not enjoyable to try to eat.   I suspect the staff member working the galley wasn't familiar with what to do with this.  Or maybe it is supposed to be that way?  

Roti: Inside.

So, when served on board, cold and solid, not good.  But of course I saved it and brought it home.  It was much better warm, but more akin to a thin pita bread that was just slightly richer than normal than a real roti.  Still, it went very well with the meal, and would have been great to dip in the curries if it wasn't stone cold.  1/5 as served because it was basically frozen, but 2.5/5 otherwise.

Main: rice, palak curry, butter curry ,paneer.

The main dish was the real stunner here.  It smelt amazing, the execution was shockingly good, the portion really quite large (not even considering all the other components to the meal).

The rice I expected to push aside, as I'm not a rice person, but I had a little with the curry just to test it out to write this review and was shocked.  It was fluffy.  Fragrant.  Not clumped together.  Not dried out.  This was shockingly good rice.  Plenty of it.  Nicely warm.

Then there were two curries, a palak based one, and a creamy butter chicken/tikka masala style sauce.  Both were quite flavorful (not spicy, but spiced), served perfectly warm.  These were on par with pretty standard Indian food takeout (or TJ meals!), nothing to complain about here.  I love having multiple curries to mix together when I eat Indian food, so I loved them for including two different ones.

And then, the paneer!  Three large triangles, I was amazed by just how generous the portion was.  Spiced, and plenty flavorful without the curries, but great with them too.  Nicely bouncy.  One slice was a bit dried out, in a way I kinda liked, the other two were nicely moist.  Again, nothing to complain about here.

Overall, flavorful, lots of variety, everything worked good together.  Would I go out of my way to go to this Indian restaurant?  Nah.  But would I order takeout from them again?  Sure.  4/5 maybe, particularly given the setting.

Dessert Menu.

The dessert menu was literally identical to my last two flights, both SFO-EWR and EWR-SFO.  The same cheese plate and sundae are expected, but come on with the lemon tart.  Again, another reason I took the gamble on special meal.  I wanted nothing to do with these items (besides the whipped cream from the sundae cart), so the wildcard special meal dessert seemed no worse.  

The FA offered me any of these in addition to my special meal dessert (which often they do not do).  I asked for just whipped cream and chocolate chips from the sundae lineup (as in, no ice cream, just toppings), which made her laugh, but she was happy to do.

Dessert: Gulab Jamun.

The gulab jamun was a bit sad looking.  No syrup.  No garnish.  Two smaller-than-average balls.  I've seen other photos of this where it came as three balls, and definitely had syrup, so this was a bit lacking.  And like the roti, it too was served cold.  

That said, it was pretty ok.  Fairly generic Indian restaurant quality, by which I mean, the same frozen product that everywhere that doesn't make it in-house uses.  The balls were soft, they were sweet in the right ways.  I wish they were warm, I wish they had syrup, but, really, they were fine.  3/5 in general, probably nearly worth another star given the setting.

Whipped cream + chocolate chips.

I of course had an adorable platter of whipped cream and chocolate chips to have with it, plus my own fresh fruit, and was quite happy.

Arrival Meal Menu

The regular arrival meal options are the same salad or fruit plate that have been on my prior flights, or, pork adobo, which sounded relatively interesting to me.  But since I ordered a special meal, this applied to all meal services, so I had my mystery special meal instead.  We were offered the meal 1 hour 10 mins before landing, which was a bit amusing given that the prior meal service ended about an hour prior.  Since so many people just got snackboxes then, they actually all wanted the meal.  I didn't get a good glimpse of the pork abodo though.

Asian Vegetarian Meal #2.

My meal was ... no, your eyes are not decieving you, nearly identical to my first meal.  Lol-tastic.  Meal so nice, we served it twice!  It was the same starter, the same salad, the same curries, the same 3 big pieces of paneer, the same cold naan.  The only differences this time were that 1) it didn't have a dessert on the tray, 2) it randomly had a standard dinner roll in addition to the pita + naan + rice for carb-city, 3) it had only one pita chip not two with the appetizer,  4) the curries had a slice of cabbage on top?  I suspect the dinner roll was a mistake (something included with the other pre-arrival meals), the lack of dessert was expected as the pre-arrival meal never includes one, and perhaps my first meal was supposed to include that random slice of cabbage?

Now, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the meal, the first time.  I'd likely enjoy it again in the future.  But being served the exact same meal twice in 2 hour time span?  Uh ... yeah, it mostly made me laugh, and as someone who hates food waste, I pulled out a container I had with me and packed most of it up (on ice of course) to take home, but, lol.

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