Base Culture

Desserts.  Baked goods. As you know, if you read my blog regularly, these are things I eat far too much of.  I'm the type that ends every meal with a dessert.  Lunch and dinner.  Um, sometimes breakfast.  And usually I go for fresh, not packaged, desserts, but sometimes, you want something convenient.  And, hey, perhaps a bit healthier?  Enter Base Culture, a brand of healthier baked goods.

"Gluten free, grain free breads, baked goods, and nut butters that are deliciously clean.
Craving doesn't have to be complicated. That's why we focus on turning simple ingredients into nourishment that's nom-nom delicious."

I'll admit I almost didn't try just based on the gluten-free aspect, as, well, gluten free baked goods generally are not very good.   But still, I wanted to give them a chance.

Base Culture makes several product lines, but I focused on the most indulgent: the brownies.  Brownies come in either cashew or almond butter, or you can opt for the hybrid chocolate chip brookie.  They also make breads, breakfast bars, and nut butters.  They are rather high maintenance items, requiring refrigeration or freezing, not shelf stable.

Almond Butter Brownie.

"Enjoy an indulgent brownie made with only clean ingredients. Our Almond Butter Brownie is made with cocoa and drizzled with our own almond butter. "

Ok, a healthy brownie?  I know, but it did sound decent.  And the top had a nice shine.

Wow, this … this was not good.  It was dry, very very.  Not dense, not moist.  Just, dry.

The part with the almond butter swirl obviously tasted like almond butter, but, actually, the entire thing did too.  Even the parts that looked more like a traditional chocolate brownie still just tasted like almond butter.  You couldn’t get around the almond butter taste.

Maybe if you like almond butter goods, and don't want an actual brownie, you'd like this?  But, wow, not for me. *.

Read More...

Wolferman's

Wolferman's is a "bakery", generally known for gift baskets and mail-order delivery of baked goods.  Some of their gift packages are also sold at larger department stores like Macy's, and are also distributed through Harry & David's.

They make just about every kind of bread product you can imagine, mostly breakfast items like bagels, scones, muffins, english muffins, tea breads, and coffee cakes, along with all your standard breakfast pastries like croissants, both sweet and savory.  And of course they have desserts, including pies, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and more.

All of the above can be made into elaborate towers and whatnot for any occasion, with other gourmet pantry items like jams, teas, and baking mixes thrown in.

I haven't ever ordered myself from Wolferman's, but, my aunt sends my family a box every year, so I've tried many items.

I'm always excited ... but it took a long time to find a product that I thought was good.  Finally, in 2020 ...  I was pleasantly surprised.  Finally, a real, legit, hit.

English Muffins

"Wolferman's® English muffins come in a wonderful variety of flavors and styles. Among our most popular types are our super-thick signature muffins. They are more substantial English muffins than you will find elsewhere. For a delicious and satisfying breakfast or brunch treat or snack, top them with one of our gourmet fruit preserves, indulgent butters, and other fabulous toppings. And our world-famous, super-thick signature English muffins come in a variety of delectable flavors. Each is hand-selected to be uniquely satisfying."

I think the English muffins are Wolferman's signature product, available in an incredible array of flavors, in regular size, mini, and even gluten-free.  They also make more traditional crumpets.

They arrive fresh, but are easily frozen, so my mom often has a stash in her freezer.  They are much larger than standard english muffins.  

Flavors range from fairly standard choices like their 1910 "Original Recipe", cinnamon raisin, sourdough, and multi-grain, to more interesting options like blueberry, cranberry citrus, and even cherry blossom.

I've tried a few over the years, and have always been impressed with how lofty they are and how defined the nooks and crannies are.  Nothing like Thomas english muffins!

Sweet Rolls

For years, my aunt always sent boxes of sweet rolls, like classic cinnamon rolls and decadent nutty sticky buns at Christmas time.  I was always excited, except, well, my mom makes really, really, really good sticky buns, and they are always part of her Christmas baking agenda.  And I always indulge in many, many sticky buns, as she always makes me my own unbaked ones, frozen in small batches, for me to pop in oven whenever I want.

The Wolferman's ones just can't measure up to my mom's versions, made from a King Arthur flour recipe that we had tuned over the years, made fresh nearly every morning I am there.  That said, they do look really impressive so I finally tried them, the first time, opting to bake them up for an event I was attending, when I needed a last minute item to contribute (my mom had entirely snubbed these, not even wanting to try!).  I've had a few other times since, always drawn in by how good they *look*.

I've also tried the Nutty Sticky Buns, but they don't come with icing, and directly compete with my mom's versions, so after taking a few bites, realizing the dough was the same dried out style as the regular ones, I quickly left these for others. But finally, finally I found some I liked ...

[ No Photo ] 

Classic Cinnamon Rolls. 

"Enjoy homemade flavor in a fraction of the time. Handcrafted in our own bakery, we put a thick layer of cinnamon filling between soft dough and get them ready for reheating in the oven. These six rolls come with a generous amount of icing to drizzle on top."

Starting with the classics, which I somehow failed to take a photo of. Doh!

Warmed up, I think they look, and smell, great. I love that you can drizzle the icing on top yourself.

Although they look great, but, the dough isn't ever as good as it looks, and tastes dried out. I do appreciate the plentiful cinnamon goo layers, and the icing is sweet and tasty. And since it comes on the side, I can drizzle just as much as I want on mine, and leave a few un-iced for those who don't like it, thus, getting even more for me.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls. $24.99.

"Add a little sweetness to your morning spread with these scrumptious rolls. Classic cinnamon roll dough is topped with a delicious maple glaze for a soft, gooey treat that is simply irresistible. Simply reheat in your own oven for homemade flavor in a fraction of the time."

This year's selection was a single item: cinnamon rolls.  But not the same lackluster regular cinnamon rolls I've had before from Wolferman's - these were maple glazed.  They came pre-glazed.  I was still skeptical, particularly with the glaze already on, icing cinnamon rolls after baking is more standard ...

The tray contained 6 massive rolls - 1lb, 13oz for just 6 rolls! And yes, the nutrition facts confirmed: each one, 570 calories and 63g sugar!  You could certainly cut them in half if incorporating into a brunch spread.

We didn't do a Christmas brunch this year however (#covid), nor did we do a get together of any kind, so, baking the full tray at once didn't make sense.  Had I wanted to, instructions were simple: remove plastic wrap, cover with aluminum, bake for 10-15 if from fridge, 20-25 from frozen.  

I stashed them in the freezer, not particularly impressed with the visuals either.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls: Unwrapped.

I opted to try one myself one afternoon, a la mode, for dessert.  Once unwrapped, they did look a touch better, although I strategically took a center roll, as it had more icing, the icing wasn't as nicely distributed to the edge rolls well.

I took only half, to give these a try.  Threw into the toaster oven, covered with foil, for ... I dunno, 15 mins?  The rest went back in freezer.

Maple Cinnamon Roll: Cross Section.

Here you can see it, baked.

It was actually really good.  For once, the dough lived up - I did add some water in while baking, tinted with foil to keep moist, but I'm not 100% sure that is necessary.  The dough was sweet, puffy, not dried out, nicely risen.  Not amazing, but good.

Between layers of dough, cinnamon filling, sweet, plenty of it. 

The base cinnamon roll was good, no question.

They came pre-glazed with maple glaze.  This is really what made the rolls.  It was soooo sweet, sooooo sticky, and just really transformed a good cinnamon roll into a wonderful one.  Having them pre-iced was a bit odd, since usually you ice after they bake, and it did melt in quite a bit, and it certainly wasn't well distributed, the edge pieces missing out, but of course I went for a middle one.  It did mostly ooze off, but, I still liked it quite a bit.

I added maple ice cream on top, which was a wonderful pairing.  I really loved the warm moist sweet roll, the sticky glaze, and the complimentary cold ice cream.  I had the second half the next day warmed with vanilla ice cream and some Cool Whip, which also worked fine, the double maple not actually required.

I think without ice cream or whipped cream they would make a fine breakfast/brunch item, although, quite sweet with that glaze.

***+ ... maaaaybe **** actually.  I, um, gladly didn't mention to anyone else how good they were, opting to just bake them off one at a time for myself.

Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls. $39.99.

"A tree shape with 10 classic cinnamon rolls, 8 tubes of icing, and sprinkles."

The next year's Wolferman's gift from my aunt was perfect for pulling out at our Christmas morning brunch: cinnamon rolls, but arranged like a tree, and complete with DIY icing AND Christmas sprinkles.  It meant that those that didn't want sweet things early in the morning could have an un-iced roll, and the kids (and kids at heart!) could load their rolls with icing and sprinkles and have fun decorating.  A winning item, all around.

Classic Cinnamon Roll: Iced.

The rolls were ... fine.  They tasted highly processed, and the dough was a bit dry, but the cinnamon flavor was good, and the taste was very "classic" if you know what I mean.  They tasted like a generic cinnamon roll should, and could easily have come from any mall food court.  I kinda liked them more just cold direct from freezer than warmed up, which I know sounds really odd.

The icing, also fine.  Sweet.  It melted on nicely when applied to a hot roll.  I had to laugh at the 10 rolls and 8 tubes of icing, which, although it was plenty, seemed like an odd packaging choice.  

So, overall, nothing extraordinary here, but not bad.  Not really an appropriate breakfast item, but, warmed up with icing and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I was happy enough to have one for dessert.

***.

Kringle Wreaths

"Watch faces light up at your next brunch when you serve a trio of delectable Kringle wreaths. Based on a traditional Danish holiday treat, each of these pastries features a flavorful, flaky crust and sweet filling. This exclusive delight includes one Kringle pastry filled with velvety vanilla crème that is delightful served cold, one filled with pecan, and one made with tart granny smith apples and a hint of cinnamon, both of which are delicious when warmed. All three are drizzled with icing."

Kringle.  Not an item I was familiar with until a couple years ago when I had the almond marzipan version from Trader Joe's, and loved it.  Kringle is a traditional danish pastry, basically, uh, a large oval ring shaped pastry, made with layers of danish dough, usually filled with something, and iced.  I'm not sure why they aren't more popular, but popularity in the US seems highly regionalized.

Wolferman's makes kringle in a variety of flavors, ranging from fruity raspberry to nutty options like pecan to decadent cream filled.  They have seasonal specialties like a pumpkin creme version with streusel topping and caramel icing, or a holiday cranberry one.  Most come topped with icing, although a few have chocolate fudge topping.

The first time I had these, we received the "Kringle Wreath Trio", with a chocolate glazed cream filed eclair, iced apple cinnamon, and pecan praline versions.  The next time, it was a duo, with a raspberry iced version, and the pecan praline again.

Packaging.

The kringles arrived on cardboard trays, wrapped in plastic wrap, and then wrapped in paper wrapping.  They were not frozen, but the package let us know that we should freeze if we weren't using right away.

Chocolate Eclair Kringle.

The first one we tried was the chocolate eclair, basically a hybrid between an eclair or Boston cream donut with a danish, with chocolate fudge icing and cream filling.  The icing didn't look great, clearly a bit worse for the wear from shipping, but, the icing was chocolatey, about like you'd find on any Boston cream donut.

Chocolate Eclair Kringle: Inside.

Inside we expected to find a generous filling of the promised "velvety vanilla crème", but instead it was more like a thin layer between each fold of pastry dough.  No cream came oozing out, no custard was really found, but, the layers clearly had something else between them keeping them moist.

My mother turned her nose up at it pretty quickly, saying it tasted packaged and fake, but my father and I both found it enjoyable enough, for what it was.  Clearly not fresh flaky pastry, but, the dough wasn't stale nor dry, it was sugary, and satisfying in its own way.

Apple Cinnamon.

Next up we had the apple cinnamon filled one, topped with regular white sweet icing.

Apple Cinnamon: Inside.

The apple filling was nicely spiced and worked well with the danish pastry, as did the icing.  Basically, just a big danish, and not a fancy fresh one, about like what you'd get at pretty much any generic coffee shop, but, that has its place.

Better warm, and certainly more of a breakfast item than dessert.

Raspberry.

The raspberry version was another iced creation.  We had learned by this point to warm the kringle in the oven for best results.

This was my favorite yet.  Again, it doesn't taste homemade, it doesn't taste fresh, it isn't fancy.  But it is satisfying in the same way that Cinnabon is, in the same way that a toaster strudel is.  The pastry is buttery and rich, the glaze sweet, and the filling sweet and fruity.

It was a crowd pleaser, even though my mother again turned her nose up at it (literally).  I think she was offended I was serving it alongside her plethora of fresh baked goods, and even more offended when most people raved about it.  Oops.

I would gladly have this one again, warmed up, alongside a morning coffee, or even as part of a dessert spread.  Sorry mom ...

Pecan.

I know I tried the pecan one too, but alas, I lost my notes :(

Read More...

Pina, Sydney

In May 2020, a very popular Potts Point cafe, Room Ten, hosted a pop-up called Pina.  Apparently it was even more successful than Room Ten.  The owners, a husband and wife team, found a way to make it permanent, taking up residence in a space just across the lane from Room Ten.  It has been a success ever since.

I didn't know any of that though when I visited Pina.  In fact, I didn't even pick the destination.  When a friend suggested meeting for brunch on a Monday morning, I quickly proposed my list of favorites: Three Williams, Devon Cafe, Auvers Cafe, Cuckoo Callay, even Bills.  I suggested a few I hadn't yet been to yet as well, that were on my "list" of places to check out.  He however came back with a wildcard: Pina.  Pina wasn't even on my radar, I knew nothing about it, and, to be honest, the menu didn't really call out.  But he had been there the day before, and said it was so good he wanted to return, and even get the same thing again.  I voiced my skepticism, it was my last day in Sydney after all, and I wanted it to be a good one, but, eventually I caved and took his word, after all, he had also recommended Cafe Paci, and I really enjoyed that a few days prior. 

So, to Pina I went, still slightly apprehensive.  Spoiler: I'm glad I went, and I'll certainly return next time in Sydney.

Storefront

Pina is located on a small lane, right across from Room 10.  The place is pretty tiny, with just a handful of seats both inside and out.  I arrived first, and was greeted by a host who offered to get me on the waiting list.  The wait was only about 10 minutes at 11am, not so bad.  

We were seated at a counter inside, facing a wall.  Perhaps not much ambiance, but, hey, it was a breakfast joint, and the outside tables definitely had some laneway charm.

Service was typical Sydney cafe - our orders were quickly taken, but we were never checked in on, and had to go up to a register to pay.  I didn't mind, but, certainly not a place where you'll be paid much attention to.

Menu.

The menu at Pina is all day brunch, with a variety of egg and toast based dishes for those who want something breakfast-y, and sandwiches and salads for the lunchy.  The offerings aren't generic though - yes, they do have avocado toast and a basic bacon and egg roll, but, they also have savory chickpea pancakes with either smoked trout, creme fraiche, etc or porcini mushroom cream, soft boiled egg, etc.  They have a giant sweet sourdough pancake, with instructions that its best to be shared, after a meal, as a dessert.  Even the breakfast porridge sounds pretty good, with fig, chestnut cream, strawberries, and hazelnut.

If I had just been picking based on the menu, any of those fascinating pancakes, sweet or savory, or the porridge would certainly be what I ordered.  But, there is one dish that folks just rave about, and is all over Instagram ... the scrambled eggs.  Yes, the scrambled eggs.  I'm not even that much of an egg person, and certainly not a scrambled egg person, but you see, those eggs were why we were there.  More on this soon.

The menu also allows you to add on a variety of goodies to any dish, like halloumi, wagyu pastrami, charred miso cabbage, and more.  The menu really is pretty extensive and unique.  Sydney really does brunch so very well.

Long Black, Decaf. $3.50 + $0.50 (decaf surcharge).

Pina uses Mecca coffee, which is generally regarded as some of the best in Sydney, but I've never really cared for their decaf.

This was no different - I don't blame the barista, I just don't think Mecca's decaf is a style I like.  High acid, very sour tasting.  The long black was also very strong, I believe two shots for the small size.  I suspect I would have liked it more if I had asked for extra hot water and balanced it out a bit, but, I didn't bother.   I would not get coffee, at least decaf, here again.

**+.

Scrambled Eggs & Toast. $20.

So, behold, the scrambled eggs.  Available as just a side, or as a meal with toast.  I opted for the later, as I had seen photos of the toast, and it did look great.  Plus, as it was approaching lunch time, I wanted more than just eggs to eat.

Starting with the toast - it was high quality.  Nicely crusty bread, perfectly toasted, good crumb structure inside.  I loved the thick cut slice.  It was NOT sourdough (yay!).  That said, as good as the toast was, I didn't find myself really wanting it.  It turns out, that large pile of eggs was more than enough for me, and although I had a few bites composed with the eggs on toast, I adored the eggs/chili oil so much, I didn't want to "dilute' them with the toast.  If I were to return to Pina and get this dish, I'd opt for just the side of eggs with chili oil, not the toast.  If it was breakfast time though, I can definitely imagine enjoying the toast more, just with spreads. ***+ toast.

Now, those eggs.  Ok, if you are going to go out for scrambled eggs, they really must be great, and, honestly, they don't get much better than this.  They were as silky smooth as they looked in all the photos I had seen, no rubbery or tough consistency.  Very moist, no dried out edges, no dried out bits to be found.  They tasted like, well, real eggs, no powder obviously.  They were clearly enriched with likely copious amounts of butter and cream, and were drizzled with oil.  Clearly not healthy eggs, but, basically as good as they are going to get.  I appreciated the chives on top for a bit of flavor.  I did wish for a touch more pepper, as I just really love pepper on my eggs, and none was available on the table.  That said, it might have clashed with the chili oil.  Because, now I am getting to the good part.  The eggs alone though, ****.

The chili oil.  OMG.  My dining companion had been to Pina before, and when his dish was set down in front of him, he immediately used all the chili oil on his eggs, distributing it well.  I'm not going to say I judged him, but, I thought, "wow, that's a lot of condiment on those eggs you proclaim are so good ...".  I had my first bite with just a little, and very quickly I found that I too had used my entire, generously sized, bowl of chili oil.  Every last bit.  I could have used more.  It was that good.

I'll admit, before I tried it, I thought "Yeah, yeah, yeah, chili crisp/crunch/oil, it is good stuff, but this is a lot of hype, probably just people not as familiar with it", yadda yadda.  I have a jar of chili crisp on my counter at home, I use it regularly.  This is not new nor novel to me.  But ... well, Pina's version did blow me away.  I think it is the best I've ever had.  Only lightly spicy, but an overall flavor explosion, definitely lots of garlic.  What made it unique was an underlying sweetness too - which made it, in my eyes, absolutely perfect to go with the eggs.  I often drizzle maple syrup on my eggs, so this was the compliment I was looking for.  I think this chili oil may not work as well for dumplings due to that slight sweetness, but, paired with the eggs, wowzer. *****.  Yes, perfect *****.

If you like scrambled eggs, and you like chili oil, or honestly, even if you don't like chili oil, this dish is worth trying.  It is likely the most I've enjoyed scrambled eggs in years (the only other very memorable great scrambled eggs I've had were at Bills about ... 12? years ago, and they were phenomenal).  I did find that about 3/4 of the way through I was getting a bit sick of eggs ... but damn, I wanted to keep eating to enjoy more of the chili oil.  I think in the future I'd get this dish and one other (the pancake perhaps? The porridge? So many options) and go with a companion who wanted to split both.  The dish overall, definitely ****.

You can buy the chili oil by the jar, to take home, for $30, which I probably would have done, had I realized it at the time.

Read More...

Air New Zealand, NZ 104, SYD-AKL, Business Premier (February 2018, July 2018, February 2019, March 2019, October 2019 Flights)

In 2018-2020, I traveled frequently to Sydney for business (yay!), and as such, I've flown the exact route many times.  This review covers my 2018 trips in February and July, my 2019 trips (February, March, October), and, my return finally in August 2022.

NZ 104, August 2022

Flight Details:

• Flight: NZ 104, Sydney to Auckland
• Departure: 11:50am (scheduled) 12:23pm (actual)
• Class: Business Premier
• Aircraft: 787-900
• Seat: 2A

I've reviewed this route and flight many times (below), so I'll leave off all the generic details.  Same seat, reasonable flight crew, etc.  Our departure was a bit late due to delayed boarding due to some kind of catering issue.

Menu.

The menu was the same format as always: choice of two starters, three mains, two desserts (or cheese).  If you are vegetarian, you must pre-order as the mains do not include a generic pasta option like most airlines.

To Begin

• Manuka smoked free range chicken, freekah, and cranberry tabouli, walnut aioli.
• Marinated bocconcini with cherry tomato salsa and capers

From the Bakery

• Turkish loaf, ancient grain rolls, garlic bread offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

Mains

• Balsamic braised lamb with cannellini beans, carrots thyme and orange, black olive dressing.
• Pan fried snapper with lemon butter, New Zealand asparagus and new potato with pesto, rocket.
• Roasted chicken breast with smoked tomato sauce, rosemary fried potatoes, spinach.

To Finish

• Vanilla bean ice cream with coconut brittle crumble, and blackberry compote.
• Caramel panna cotta with sesame crumble, macerated strawberries.
• Fine New Zealand cheese served with quince paste and cracker selection.

I usually love the starters on Air New Zealand flights, usually featuring smoked fish, but this time, they had smoked chicken, and the other was just mozzarella cheese.  Meh.  Starters as always were served from the cart once underway, along with the bread basket.

My choice of main was easy though, as I hate both lamb and chicken, and do like seafood.  Snapper, it was.  Orders for mains were taken before we took off.

The dessert though ... now this was hard.  I generally really quite enjoy their ice cream, a brand that is quite good, and usually an interesting flavor.  However, just plain vanilla?  It did have great sounding toppings though, so I was still excited for it.  But ... the other option, panna cotta!  I love a good panna cotta (hence the label on my blog for it!), and I loved the sound of the toppings on this too.  I hoped they'd let me have both (which, they did, and even proactively suggested I do when I said I loved both panna cotta and ice cream).

I wish I could say it was a good meal, but, it really wasn't.

Pinot Noir, Cashews.

Orders for our first drink were taken before we took off, and I opted for the pinot noir, along with sparkling water.  I was happy they gave me a full bottle of sparkling water on the side so I could refill as needed.

The pinot noir was good, likely the same I had on my previous flight.  Perhaps a bit grapey, but not much acid or tannin.  I enjoyed a little with my meal, but given that it was lunchtime, I wasn't going to drink much - I had a long day ahead of me still, with a 3 hour layover, and then looong flight over to the US.

Drinks came with a small dish of warm cashews.  Just cashews, but, points for being warm.

To Begin: Chicken.

"Manuka smoked free range chicken, freekah, and cranberry tabouli, walnut aioli."

I still planned to get the bocconcini with cherry tomato salsa and capers, as I really don't like chicken at all, but, it really looked quite sad ... just a few balls of cheese with a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of salsa on the plate.  I was glad starters are served from the cart, and she actually just showed me both before asking what I'd like.  And thus, the chicken it was.  I selected it really just so I could perhaps enjoy the tabouli/freekah with my first, and try the aioli.  I had no intension of eating the chicken, just the rest of it.

The freekah tabouli was not good.  Very dry, grains I didn't really care for, and meh, dried cranberries.  The walnut aioli was actually quite tasty, and I used it with my fish.  There was also a red condiment, perhaps red pepper spread?  It was fine.  And I didn't try the chicken.

I really wished they had some kind of salad option, particularly as it was lunch time, and I generally eat big salads at lunch, and this was just very lackluster. *.

Main: Snapper.

"Pan fried snapper with lemon butter, New Zealand asparagus and new potato with pesto, rocket."

Mains were delivered one by one later, starting with all the fish, then all the lamb, and then all chicken.  It was not quite as described, as, well, there was no asparagus anywhere in this dish.  It was delivered piping hot, like, crazy hot.  I had to wait to eat it for it to cool down.

The potatoes were soft, not something I really ever want.  The pesto was quite light, but a nice flavor.  **.

The snapper was a very sizable portion, really quite a thick filet.  It was ... fine?  Not fishy, but, didn't quite taste like anything itself really.  It is hard to say if it was dry or moist, as it was smothered in the sauce, which I guess was the lemon butter.  It was a creamy sauce, very rich, although I guess it didn't really seem like cream exactly, so, I guess it was some kind of butter emulsion.  I didn't taste lemon, but what I did taste was salt.  Way, way, way too much salt.  I use a lot of salt with my food, and like aggressive salting, but, this was just far too much.  There was no escaping it.  The very small bit of fish that was not smothered in the sauce I enjoyed with the walnut aioli.  I always like fish and aioli.

And finally, whatever those greens were.  They were bitter.  Complete mush.  Definitely not the asparagus I was expecting.  Normally I can be into bitter greens, particularly with a tasty sauce, and if that lemon butter wasn't so insanely salty, I would have been into that.  But, the mushy meh greens and that awful sauce, just, no good.

So this was pretty much a fail of a meal.  I salvaged a bit of the snapper, with the aioli, and set about digging out a savory scone from my bag, which I was glad I had.  Really though, I wanted some vegetables!

**.

To Finish: Ice Cream.

"Vanilla bean ice cream with coconut brittle crumble, and blackberry compote."

The ice cream was a mixed bag.  The ice cream itself wasn't great - just vanilla, not particularly great vanilla.  And, although served at a decent temperature, lightly melty, it had fairly large ice bits inside it.  Clearly it had not be stored properly.  Sadness.  So, fairly eh ice cream.

Then, the toppings.  The blackberry compote was far too sweet.  Cloying.  Not good.

But the coconut brittle crumble?  Now THAT was delicious.  Crispy, caramelized, crunchy, coconut-y, a big hunk ... I really enjoyed it.

This had the making of a good dessert, such potential with what I know is usually a quality ice cream brand, a fruity topping, and crunchy element, but, improper ice cream storage and unbalanced compote let this down.  That crumble though ... I wanted more!  ****+ crumble, **+ ice cream, * compote.

To Finish: Panna Cotta.

"Caramel panna cotta with sesame crumble, macerated strawberries."

The panna cotta totally made up for the ice cream though.  The texture and consistency were perfect - well set, but not gelatinous.  Very nicely done.  Sweet but not too sweet, light caramel flavor.  Above average, particularly for airline catering.

The macerated strawberries fared much better than the blackberry compote.  Yes, they were sweet, and soft stewed berries, but they were quite flavorful, and I really enjoyed them.  I bet they'd go great on top of shortcake too.  The sesame crumble was also tasty, a different style than the crumble from the ice cream, more of a "soil",  nice sesame flavor.

This dessert was really quite good, every element on its own tasty, and together it ate quite nicely.

****+.

NZ 104, February 2018

Flight Details:

• Flight: NZ 104, Sydney to Auckland
• Departure: 11:50am (scheduled)
• Class: Business Premier
• Aircraft: 77W
• Seat: 10K

Service was really friendly, but didn't seem very experienced.

I had an issue with my power outlet (it didn't work), and the staff didn't understand the red light vs normal green light indicators, and kept saying it was because I didn't have an adaptor (?).  It is the same outlet as every other flight I've taken, and every other seat had a green light showing.  This was never resolved.

Next, our meals were served *before* offering drinks.  I've never had that happen before.  How could I want warm bread, when I was parched, before getting a drink?  It was really quite odd.  

And finally, they took meal orders, then didn't honor them.  I know sometimes they run out of certain choices, but this seemed a bit random, and no explanations were given.

Again, they were kind enough, just, not a smooth service.

Lunch.

The flight was nicely timed for lunch, taking off just before noon.  Our meal somehow really did take the entire 2.5 hour flight though, as it was a full hour until our starter was served, 20 more minutes before the main, and agonizingly long before dessert.  Nothing was great.

Wrong Menu.

The FA's also distributed the wrong menus, these had dinner listed, rather than the lunch menu we were actually offered.  Too bad, because dinner had a tasty sounding gnocchi, and we had instead had a salad.

The (correct) menu:

To Begin

• Tea smoked Marlborough salmon with new potato, tarragon and dill salad with citrus creme fraiche
• New Zealand smoked venison with roasted beetroot, Fiddler's Hill goat cheese, apple syrup, orange and horseradish cream

From the Bakery

• Kumara sourdough loaf, flaxseed loaf, oatmeal rolls, garlic bread

Mains

• North Island snapper with parmesan crusted potatoes, green beans, crispy buckwheat and salsa rossa
• Dijon mustard baked chicken breast with pumpkin, lentils, Swiss chard and lemon tarragon jus
• Garlic roasted beef sirloin salad with rocket, red peppers, kumara, cherry tomatoes and red onion caper dressing

To Finish

• Gourmet blackcurrant and blackberry ice cream with passion fruit sauce and crushed meringue
• Mocha panna cotta with cherry compote
• Fine New Zealand cheese served with quince paste and cracker selection

Our orders for the main were taken before we took off, although our selections were basically ignored.

I actually strongly considered skipping the meal, as I was truly not hungry in any way, after my final breakfast at the Sheraton on the Park Executive Lounge (waffle day!), and after eating second breakfast in the Air New Zealand Lounge at the Sydney Airport (seriously, soooo good).  I wasn't hungry, and Air New Zealand in-flight food doesn't generally impress.  I think I ordered mostly out of boredom.

In retrospect, I really should plan to just skip this meal, have dessert only, unless I really, really want it, particularly as the flight is just 2.5 hours, and I have lounge access in Aukland right after, with another full meal, and then 2 more meals on the next leg ...

I do appreciate the focus on the New Zealand products though they clearly have a lot of country pride.

Sauvignon Blanc.

Once offered, I opted for a small amount of sauvignon blanc, since I was in the mood for white wine and had tried the chardonnay previously (and the riesling was a sweet dessert wine).

It was fine, fairly fruity and quite sweet though.

Starter: Smoked Salmon.

"Tea smoked Marlborough salmon with new potato, tarragon and dill salad with citrus creme fraiche."

Starters were offered from a cart, and I appreciated that they actually showed us visually each of them before serving.  That said, there was no way I wanted the other option since it had goat cheese and beets.

The dish looked decent, but was ... meh.  If I was hungry, sure, I'd eat it, but, it wasn't particularly good.

The base was a dense hearty bread thing.  Looking around, no one ate this.  It wasn't listed on the menu.  On top was the smoked salmon, it had a nice smoky flavor, but was very oily, in a way that coated your lips and stuck with you.  Not that appealing.  Interestingly, my next flight had very similar looking salmon, but it was much, much tastier.  Different caterer?

The potato salad didn't really deliver in any way.  There were visible herbs, but you couldn't taste them.  I didn't taste the citrus creme fraiche either, there was some small amount of cream though.  The potatoes were cooked fine.

Overall, very meh, not worth eating.

The bread basket was presented along with the starters, which I skipped.

Main: Beef.

"Garlic roasted beef sirloin salad with rocket, red peppers, kumara, cherry tomatoes and red onion caper dressing."

As I said, our main orders were taken before we took off.  And yet, a while after the starters were cleared, we were each approached asking if we'd like a hot meal.  I was confused, thinking they must have ran out of the salad I ordered, until I realized they were asking ... everyone.  Even those who had picked the hot meal.  The woman in front of me ordered the chicken in advance, only to find that they had given it all away by the time they reached her.

Like I said, service was very odd.

I picked the salad because I really didn't want a meal anyway, and this seemed like the light option, plus, some vegetables never hurt (and also, meh to chicken and when is fish ever good on a flight?)

It was truly awful.

The beef was crazy chewy.  I had to quickly move it aside to try to uncover the rest of the salad.  I guess points for a generous protein serving?

The cream on top was really tasty though, I think horseradish?  I tasted some zing. It wasn't listed on the menu, but, horseradish cream was included with the venison starter, so, likely that is what it was here too?

"Salad": Under the beef.

Tomatoes should never be refrigerated, and particularly not sliced and refrigerated.  So mushy.  There were a ton of different colors and sizes of sweet potato chunk, some orange, some yellow, some white, and they were all cooked quite differently, some very very mushy.  None great.  I had one piece of red pepper, it was actually decent, marinated and flavorful.  The arugula was more bitter than normal.  "Red onion caper dressing" ... it was just oily.

So, yeah, this was really not good.

Feeling like I should eat something savory though before moving on to dessert (although, really, why?  I had plenty of food in the lounge ... ) I pulled out my savory muffin and scone I snagged from the lounge.  I know you aren't *supposed* to do this, but, I was hedging my bets, and I'm glad I did.  Plus, otherwise, I would have just eaten it in the lounge.  I loved both of them.  Best. Move. Ever.

So, note to self; seriously, skip the meal on this flight.  Get a savory scone and muffin in the lounge to bring on board.  Have a lighter hotel breakfast.  Go nuts on the yogurts in the lounge.  Success!

Dessert.

"Mocha panna cotta with cherry compote."

Desserts have never been great on Air New Zealand flights.  The signature thing is ice cream, but I often find it icy.  I wasn't excited about the blackberry flavor.  Nor the passion fruit sauce or crushed meringue.  Plus, since it was daytime, I could pick the mocha based panna cotta.  You know how much I love panna cotta!

Desserts were offered once our meals were cleared away, which took a very long time, like, everything on this flight.  Also, continuing the super strange service, the FA approached each person and asked, "Would you like ice cream?".  He didn't ask if you wanted dessert.  He didn't offer the cheese platter nor the panna cotta.  "Oh, do you not have the panna cotta?", I enquired.  "We do", he said.  Wat?  And then continued to offer everyone else only ice cream.  One of my neighbors got the ice cream, but then saw I had a chocolate dessert, and wondered how I did that.

I'll just get this over with.  A panna cotta this was not.  Mocha it was not.  But it wasn't awful.

It wasn't fluffy like a mousse, so I guess in that way it was a panna cotta, but besides that, it didn't resemble a panna cotta.  It was very dense and thick, didn't jiggle at all.  And, like I said, not mocha.  I tasted zero coffee element.

But it was a very rich creamy chocolate dessert.  That isn't a bad thing.

Dessert, Upgraded.

It came with just the cherry compote on the side though.  This was fine, but also very sweet.  I wanted something to cut the richness.

So, uh, I added my own whipped cream.  You can pretend to be surprised that I had whipped cream with me, but, really, you aren't right?  Of course I put whipped cream in my mug in the lounge, to go with my dessert.  I plan ahead!  (Ok, yes, I'm a bit crazy, I realize this).  But you know what?  It made me enjoy the dessert.

Rich, thick, creamy, intensely chocolate pudding with whipped cream?  I was satisfied.

Decaf Coffee & Chocolate.

I also opted for decaf coffee to go with my dessert, as I like to do.  It was instant, and not great, but, it did the job.  It came with a Whitaker's milk chocolate on the side too.  Score.

NZ 104, July 2018

Flight Details:

• Flight: NZ 104, Sydney to Auckland
• Departure: 11:50am (scheduled), 12:30pm (actual)
• Class: Business Premier
• Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
• Seat: 2A

Six months later, I was back on the same flight.  This one was much, much better.

Incredible Starter, Wine, and Ice Cream.

Air New Zealand continues to stun on the meal and wine quality, and some truly amazing flight attendants (super friendly, personable, attentive, and, when I asked for a little blanket, also offered to increase the cabin temperature, gave me a full bottle of sparkling without me asking, etc).

Seat 2A.

This seat was the same as all previous Air New Zealand flights I've taken, really not comfortable to sit in, which was unfortunate for a day flight.

Dreamliner Cabin.

But ... the cabin was great!  My first time on their Dreamliner, and the configuration was fantastic, 1-1-1.  I was on the left hand side (2A), which was crazy private, as the middle rows wall faced us.  I'd love this for a sleeping flight.

It also meant the meal service in our aisle was a bit faster, since he FA was serving only one side (although the other row had two servers).  Service was back to front though, making me basically last.

Lunch Menu.

The meal served is lunch service, with a choice of starter (fish or chicken), main (beef, chicken, fish), and dessert (ice cream, cheese, parfait).  Note that if you are vegetarian, you must pre-order, there is no vegetarian starter nor main on the menu.

To Begin:

• Sweetcorn and thyme tart with beetroot relish, radish, and Fiddler's hill goat's cheese cream. 
• North Island smoked blue warehou salad, tomatoes, feta, hazelnuts and lemon aioli.

From the Bakery:

• Traditional sourdough loaf, dark rye loaf, garlic bread, purple grain roll.
• Served with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

Mains:

• New Zealand beef fillet, crushed herb potatoes, leeks, green beans, and mushroom cream sauce. 
• Paprika chicken breast salad with orzo pasta, baby spinach, red peppers, balsamic tomatoes, and Kalamata olive tapanade.
• New Zealand hapuka with salsa dragoncello, cannellini beans, spinach, and roasted fennel

To Finish:

• White chocolate and raspberry ice cream with red currant rose sauce, toasted coconut. 
• Feijoa mascarpone parfait with blackberry and apple sauce, raspberry meringue.
• Fine New Zealand cheese served with quince paste and cracker selection.

Since I had breakfast #1 at my hotel earlier in the morning, breakfast #2 in the incredible Sydney Air New Zealand lounge, and had a stash of goodies from the lounge with me, I opted to skip the main.  Eh to all of them anyway.

But I really did want both starters, and both desserts.  I wished they'd let me have it all.

Starter & Beverage Cart.

Meal service did not begin in the standard way with a drink and nuts, instead, it started right away with the cart coming through the aisle with just waters (at least they had sparkling!) and wine, plus our starters and bakery.  If you wanted a different beverage, you could order it.  The lady in front of me ordered a gin & tonic, and our FA was funny, he called over to the other, "Oh, bartender, a G&T please!"

I liked the extra casual and fun feel of the crew.

Sauvignon Blanc / Sparkling Water.

I opted for a little Sauvignon Blanc, since it was good enough last time.  It turns out, these were actually totally different wines.

It was actually fabulous.  I asked for a small pour, since I had a long day of travel and many wine filled meals ahead, but I could easily consume tons of this.  Not too sweet, not too acidic, just, lovely.

From the Bakery: Purple Grain Roll / Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

"Traditional sourdough loaf, dark rye loaf, garlic bread, purple grain roll served with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil."

I don't normally get the bread, but, people have been raving about it, and I remember liking both the purple grain roll and dark rye before.  

So, I opted for the dark rye "from the carb department", from my FA.  Like I said, fun touches.  He was awesome.

It was fine, a hearty warm roll.

To Begin: Smoked Blue Warehou Salad.

"North Island smoked blue warehou salad, tomatoes, feta, hazelnuts and lemon aioli."

I eventually settled on the blue warehou salad, but it was a hard choice.  The corn tart did have a pastry crust, not a hard one, so that sounded awesome too, but, I was worried about the goat cheese.

My choice was an excellent one.  I really truly loved this dish.  Air New Zealand does some fabulous smoked seafood.

The fish was mild white fish, beautifully smoky.  I loved how smoky it was.  Great flavor, great texture, decent sized serve.  Wonderful.

The tomatoes, halves of cherry tomato, were even good.  I did *NOT* expect that at all, since refrigerated tomatoes are usually awful, but, these somehow were flavorful and juicy.  I loved them too, particularly as they were slathered in aioli.

The aioli was creamy, plentiful, and a key aspect of the dish (you know me and mayo sauces!), although I didn't taste the lemon.

The feta was an interesting component, feta and smoked fish?  It seemed odd, but actually, it worked.  A soft texture to pair with the firm fish, and very mild feta.  I enjoyed it.

And lastly, hazelnuts.  They added crunch and another fun texture.  I liked them too.

I liked everything about this "salad".  Great ingredients, nice flavors, contrasting textures.  Highly recommended.

When I told my FA how much I enjoyed it, he offered me another, which I declined.

To Finish: Feijoa Mascarpone Parfait.

"Feijoa mascarpone parfait with blackberry and apple sauce, raspberry meringue."

I actually did ask for both desserts, but was told there was an ice cream shortage, so, the parfait it was.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

The answer ... not what I was expecting.  Certainly, not what I think of as a "parfait" - I expected something in a cup, layered, and not with a cake base?  And ... that tasted like mascarpone?  And, uh, had meringue?

This had a soggy plain cake base, and then mostly was just a (beautiful looking) flavorless thick panna cotta like thing.  It really tasted like nothing.  Certainly not like mascarpone.  The texture was firm, obviously, as you can see from the plating.  I did not find anything redeeming about it.

The sauce at the base was a bit of blackberry/apple jam, both things I don't care that much for.  It was sweet, and did taste like blackberry and apple, and had nice texture, but, eh.  

The raspberry meringue was missing.

This was a very sad dessert.  I sat there, hoping they'd have leftover ice cream.  To every person who said "yes" to ice cream, I had a sad moment.  To every one who said "ooh cheese!", I rejoiced.

Decaf Coffee.

I was cold and kinda grumpy, so I asked for decaf coffee to drink alongside all my companions who were drinking lovely smelling coffee and eating ice cream.  I glared at them all.  I really wanted ice cream.

It actually was nice coffee, I don't think it was instant.  It had no funk, and was much better than the lounge coffee, which was made to order by a barista even.  It didn't have strange sediment in the bottom.

To Finish: Ice Cream!

"White chocolate and raspberry ice cream with red currant rose sauce, toasted coconut."

I finally got my ice cream, when I asked the FA running the kitchen, "so, uh, how's that ice cream supply looking?"  She offered me one then.  I believe this is Kapiti brand, from New Zealand.  Air New Zealand always served it topped with a sauce and garnish, this time a red currant rose sauce, and toasted coconut.

"Rich and creamy ice cream blended with white chocolate and a swirl of terrifically tart raspberry coulis." -- Kapiti

The ice cream was REALLY REALLY good.  Because I was so late in service, it was also perfectly melty.

The ice cream was creamy, and not too icy (often a problem on flights).  A lovely sweet flavor, from the white chocolate base.  It had little chunks of white chocolate in it, which gave great texture.  I didn't taste the raspberry, or see it really, but, I didn't care.  This was really fabulous ice cream.  

On top was the very generous serving of red currant rose sauce.  Now that ... was a bit much.  Partially because I didn't really like it (eh, currants).  Very sweet, and well, rose flavored.  Rose is an acquired taste that I don't always embrace.  There was also some shredded coconut, more texture.

Overall, this was absolutely lovely, and I adored it.  So glad I got it.
=======

NZ 104, February 2019

Flight Details:

• Flight: NZ 104, Sydney to Auckland
• Departure: 11:50am (scheduled)
• Class: Business Premier
• Aircraft: Boeing 
• Seat: 7K

Another 6 months, another experience on the same flight!

Dining Overview.

My flight was fine, on time, friendly staff, standard Business Premier seat.  I made a new discovery (the port!), which far surpassed the white wines on board, and had a fabulous dessert.

Lunch Menu.

The meal served is lunch service, with a choice of starter (veggie or fish), main (beef, chicken, fish), and dessert (ice cream, cheese, cake).  Note that if you are vegetarian, you must pre-order, there is no vegetarian main on the menu.

To Begin:

• Beetroot and goat cheese salad with balsamic and beet gel and toasted hazelnut crumble.
• Smoked salmon with tomato gazpacho jelly, cucumber, herb creme fraiche, and Kalamata olive tapenade.

From the Bakery:

• Spelt sourdough loaf, ancient grain rolls, and garlic bread offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

Mains:

• Braised beef short rib with potato puree, sage buttered carrots and parsnips, creamed Swiss chard, horseradish jus and Marlborough black garlic butter.
• Pan fried snapper with roasted eggplant and red onion salad, pomegranate molasses, roasted cauliflower, tabbouleh and tahini yogurt dressing.
• Manuka smoked chicken, black bean and millet salad with red peppers, cumin and fresh corriander, red cabbage slaw, and avocado lime mayonnaise.

To Finish:

• Fig and manuka honey ice cream with raspberry sauce and ginger biscuit crumble.
• Flourless dark chocolate cake, vanilla bean mascarpone, and walnut brittle.
• Fine New Zealand cheese served with quince paste and crackers

Since I had breakfast #1 at my hotel earlier in the morning, breakfast #2 in the incredible Sydney Air New Zealand lounge, and had a stash of goodies from the lounge with me, I opted as last time to skip the main, even though our FA was fairly enthusiastic about the short rib in particular.  This was a new menu, and she was loving that one.  I'll admit the mashed potato puree, sage buttered parsnips, creamed swiss chard, black garlic butter, and horseradish jus did all sound promising, but, I really didn't need this meal, particularly given what lie ahead as well.

The starters though included a smoked salmon item, and sometimes I do adore the smoked salmon, so I opted for that.

And, as often happens, I wanted both desserts!  I adore their ice cream, but flourless chocolate cake with vanilla bean mascarpone and walnut brittle sounded pretty fabulous too.

Hunter's Chardonnay / Sparkling Water / Cashews.

Before takeoff, we ordered our drinks to be served once underway.  They came in a reasonable time frame, served with a little thing of nuts (just cashews, not warm, but always actually pretty good, nicely salted).

I opted for sparkling water as always, and a little wine, since Air New Zealand serves such wonderful wines.  I had the choice of three whites (pinto gris, chardonnay, or sauvignon blanc), and two red wines (pinot noir or a blend).  Since it was pre-noon, I went for white, fairly randomly going for the chardonnay (Hunter's).  I'd get to the reds later in the day.

I asked for a small pour of chardonnay, as I had a long day ahead of me, but, a fairly full glass was presented.  Oh well.  The chardonnay was ok, slightly sweet, slightly buttery, but a bit too acidic for me.  With a long day of flying/lounging/drinking ahead of me, I decided to not finish it.

Since the starters and bakery were served from the cart, with all wines were available on the cart as well, I decided to give something else a try when offered, opting for the sauvignon blanc.

It was a little better, sweeter yet dry, not as acidic.  I finished my small pour, but didn't want more.

To begin: Smoked salmon.

"Smoked salmon with tomato gazpacho jelly, cucumber, herb creme fraiche, and Kalamata olive tapenade."

As always, starters and wine were offered from a cart once underway.  My choice was easy, as I dislike goat cheese, and have really loved their smoked salmon before.

I didn't really care for this.  The salmon was in an oil of sorts, slimy, and fattier than I like.  I wasn't into the salmon itself much at all.  The dill flavor was good though.

The "tomato gazpacho jelly" seemed more like ... carrot mush?  It was an odd flavor and texture, interesting, but not particularly good, and I'm not sure how it was supposed to go with the salmon.  The cubes of cucumber were fine, but not my thing, same with the olive tapanade, standard tapanade, not really my thing.  I'm not really for Mediterranean flavors.  It had way too much herb garnish on top.

I liked the creme fraiche?

Basically, not great, and I was glad I had eaten so heavily in the lounge, and snagged a savory biscuit and scone for the flight.

Tawny Port. 10 year.

To pair with dessert, they offer a tawny port, or Riesling.  I haven't ever tried these before, but, particularly with the rich rich chocolate cake, I decided the port was in order.

It was a nice port, with a rich caramely flavor.  It paired *AMAZINGLY* with the rich chocolate dessert.  Fabulous, really.

To Finish: Flourless Chocolate Cake.

"Flourless dark chocolate cake, vanilla bean mascarpone, and walnut brittle."

Now, I adore the ice cream on Air New Zealand flights.  I'm not really a cake girl.  So why did I get this?  It was kinda pressure from the FA, really.  She kept saying I could have ice cream on the next flight, which was true.  But ... I kinda wanted both desserts on this one (vanilla bean msacarpone! walnut brittle!), and I worried the next flight, the night flight, might have caffeinated ice cream, so I'd miss out on my last chance for Kapiti ice cream.

But I'm glad she encouraged me to get this, even bringing it out for me to "see", which made it pretty hard to send back at that point.

The "cake" was DENSE.  Sooo thick and rich, intense.  Not a brownie, not a cake really, more like a serious block of chocolate.  It was hard to cut with my spoon even!  It had a gritty nature that I actually liked, if that makes any sense.

It was good.  The chocolate was such a deep flavor.  And you know me, of course I loved the sweetened vanilla bean mascarpone, which was necessary to cut the richness and thickness of the "cake".    I wished there was more walnut brittle, I expected to have big chunks of brittle, but instead it was just a little garnish, but it was a great texture and flavor.

I really enjoyed this, far more than I expected, particularly when paired with that port.  A magic bite of the cake, cream, and port was really, truly enjoyable.  If you are a fan of chocolate, or chocolate and port, do this.  The best non-ice cream dessert I've had on an Air New Zealand flight.

To Finish: Ice Cream.

"Fig and manuka honey ice cream with raspberry sauce and ginger biscuit crumble."

But of course, the ice cream!  You know how much I love ice cream, and in particular, I do really like the brand they serve (only on flights out of New Zealand and Australia, not the US), Kapiti, from New Zealand.  Air New Zealand always served it topped with a sauce and garnish, this time raspberry sauce and ginger biscuit crumble.

My FA knew how much I wanted both, and, once she finished all dessert offerings to the others, said it was my lucky day, as she had ice cream left over.  I gladly accepted the offer.

"Roasted fig ripple folded through smooth Manuka honey ice cream. Heavenly." -- Kapiti

I'm glad I tried this, but it was not a favorite.  The texture was perfection, soooo creamy and smooth.  Such high quality ice cream.  And since I was so late in service, it was at absolute perfect serving temperature, melty in all the right ways.  Really fabulous.

But the flavor wasn't a match for me, which is truly just my preferences.  The honey was sweet, and the dominant flavor, and I'm just not one for honey.  Particularly it didn't go well with the chocolate and port combination I had going on.  I think it might be fine with a cup of tea.  The bits of fig also weren't really my thing.  So, not a flavor that matched my preferences, but if you like honey, I think it was lovely ice cream, really.

The raspberry sauce was generously applied, and a bit too fruity for me.  Again, if you like fruity, and you like honey, I'm sure this was great.

The shocker though was the ginger biscuit crumble.  I LOVED it.  I don't like biscuits (e.g. cookies) usually, but it was a rich, buttery shortbread, sweet and crumbly, and I adored it, particularly with some cream from the chocolate tart-cake.

I'm glad I got to try both, but my strong preference was for the chocolate cake (with port!).

NZ 104, March 2019

Flight Details:

• Flight: NZ 104, Sydney to Auckland
• Departure: 11:50am (scheduled) 12:30pm (actual)
• Class: Business Premier
• Aircraft: Boeing 777-200.
• Seat: 7K

Yes, literally, a month later.  Same journey.  Like I said, I was traveling a lot!

Delayed takeoff, due to ... a broken printer, so they couldn't physically print our documents.   Sigh.

I also had the worst window seat, the last one, the last served, etc, that I know I don't like, but, it was my only option.

Service was very friendly, polite, and experienced, an older crew, and they treated me well.

Dining Overview.

I had a sneak peak at the menu on my flight to Sydney from Auckland, since they are both printed on the same menu, so I knew what to expect, and I went in with a plan: starter and dessert only, feast in advance!

Lunch Menu.

The meal served is lunch service, with a choice of starter (veggie or duck), main (beef, chicken, lamb), and dessert (ice cream, cheese, cake).  Note that if you are vegetarian, you must pre-order, there is no vegetarian main on the menu.  I was surprised to see no seafood as well, and both lamb and beef on the same menu.

To Begin:

• Smoked duck with quinoa salad, sour cherries, mizuna, and pumpernickel.
• Baby leek and thyme tart, fresh goat cheese, caramelised fig relish, and crispy prosciutto.

From the Bakery:

• Spelt sourdough loaf, ancient grain rolls, and garlic bread offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

Mains:

• New Zealand Lamb Shank with skordalia, roasted butternut squash, broccolini, cucumber, and mint raita dressing.
• Braised Chicken thigh and breast with lemon grass and spinach coconut sauce, peas, lentils, and crispy shallots.
• Garlic roasted beef sirloin salad with rocket, red peppers, kumara, cherry tomatoes and red onion caper dressing

To Finish:

• Vintage strawberries and cream ice cream with freeze dried strawberry meringue and strawberry compote.
• Coffee and mascarpone tiramisu.
• Fine New Zealand cheese served with quince paste and crackers

I finally followed my own advice, and just opted for a starter and dessert, given that I had way too many breakfasts already, and it was going to be a very long travel day.

It helped that I truly dislike lamb and chicken, and hated the salad when I had it the year prior (literally, exact same salad), so, skipping the main was no issue.  And I hate goat cheese, and loved the duck previously, so, the duck starter was a given.  The only section that gave me any second thought, as always, was dessert, because really, I wanted both.

Cashews & Chardonnay.

As always, drink orders for drinks served after departure were taken in advance, and served alongside some cold cashews once underway.  Drinks were served quickly, even to me in the back.

The chardonnay was an easy pick for me, since I had enjoyed it previously.  I liked it again, crisp but not too dry, slightly sweet, slightly buttery.

And although plain, and not warm, I liked the cashews too.  They really do have nice nuts on these flights.

To Stark: Smoked Duck.

"Smoked duck with quinoa salad, sour cherries, mizuna, and pumpernickel."

Starters were served from the cart after quite a while.  I was excited for this, given how much I adored the duck starter on a previous flight.

The duck was a good portion, 3 slices.  It was .. fine.  A bit tough, but not too chewy.  Slight smokey flavor.  Fine, but not nearly as memorable as the last time I had the duck.  Boo.

The quinoa I hated, red quinoa, mushy and moist, and cold.  I like crispy quinoa, or I like it when smothered in cream sauce or dressing, but this was really exactly the kind I don't like.  Cold and wet.  Meh.

The mizuna was literally just a single piece, which made me sad, I wanted more greens.

The sour cherries were a generous portion, a classic pairing with duck, and fairly standard quality.

Finally, pumpernickel was just a crumble on top, kinda fascinating, good texture, "chefy".

Overall, this was fine, but unremarkable, and I quickly just pulled out my incredible Calamari Smoked Chicken bun from 85* Cafe (review coming soon!), and enjoyed that instead.

To Finish: Ice Cream & Port.

 "Vintage strawberries and cream ice cream with freeze dried strawberry meringue and strawberry compote."

Strawberry is my last pick of ice cream flavor usually, and I don't like meringue, but, I do love the Kāpiti brand, so I opted for this over the tiramisu, although I did have to think before I made that decision.  Really, I had had cake nearly every day in Sydney (actually, really, every day), and I was pretty sick of it.

I paired it with the port, since I loved that so much before.  Sadly, I didn't care for the port as much as all my previous flights, it was ... less caramelized, more bitter.  I don't think it was a different brand though, so not sure why I didn't like it as much.

Kāpiti Vintage Strawberry & Cream.
"Smooth and creamy, and totally dreamy. An absolute favourite for strawberry lovers everywhere."

The ice cream was, as always, just so rich and creamy.  Kāpiti really is a fantastic brand.  It was strawberry, so not my favorite, but I still finished every bite.  It was served at *perfect* temperature, I was crazy impressed, melty as I like it, but not melted.  Kudos on the timing of this.

The meringue was fine, just crunchy bits, and the stawberry compote was a bit frozen still, but fruity and nice.

I jazzed mine up a little, adding whipped cream and fresh strawberries that I had with me from Mach 2, the garnish for the lackluster cheesecake.  It went much better here, but wasn't actually necessary.

NZ 104, October 2019

Flight Details:

• Flight: NZ 104, Sydney to Auckland
• Departure: 11:50am (scheduled) 12:30pm (actual)
• Class: Business Premier
• Aircraft: Boeing 777-200.
• Seat: 6K

Another delayed takeoff, mostly spent just on board hanging out on the side of the runway.  Not sure why.   Sigh.

This time around I was one row up from my last trip, so the second to last row, the second to last served, etc, that I know I don't like, but, it was my only option if I wanted a window.  I opted for K as I'm right handed and the tray table is right handed in the K row.

Service was again very friendly, polite, and experienced, an older crew, and they treated me well.

October 2019 Feast!

I had a sneak peak at the menu on my flight to Sydney from Auckland, since they are both printed on the same menu, so I knew what to expect.  Unless previous trips, my plan was no longer starter and dessert only, as I was actually interested in this menu.

It was full of highlights, one of the better meals I've had from Air New Zealand in a long time.

Lunch Menu.

The meal served is lunch service, with a choice of starter (beef or fish), main (beef, chicken, fish), and dessert (ice cream, cheese, mousse).  Note that if you are vegetarian, you must pre-order, there is no vegetarian main or even starter on the menu.  I was glad to see seafood was back on though, as my previous flight was without for either course.

To Begin:

• Seared beef tataki with edamame, radish, and green bean salad, sesame seeds, avocado, lime and wasabi puree.
• Ahia manuka smoked blue moki with pickled beetroot, apple jelly, horseradish creme fraiche, and watercress.

From the Bakery:

• Spelt sourdough loaf, mini walnut loaves, and garlic bread offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

Mains:

• Braised beef cheeks with potato gnocchi, creamy Swiss brown mushrooms, spinach, toasted almond, and rocket pesto.
• Roasted monkfish with seeded mustard mash, caramelized fennel, tomato salsa rossa, and crispy buckwheat.
• Lemon and thyme chicken salad with freekeh, green beans, fennel, celery, and edamame, roasted almonds and green goddess dressing.

To Finish:

• Lemon shortcake ice cream with brown sugar biscuit and passionfruit sauce.
• Salted caramel mousse with dark chocolate brownie center.
• Fine New Zealand cheese served with quince paste and crackers

I was actually excited for the starter (yay, their smoked fish can be really good, and the things with it sounded interesting), and for nearly any of the mains - I've had good beef cheeks on Air New Zealand before, and I do like gnocchi, mushrooms, and spinach, so that was quite appealing, but of course, I do love monkfish and mash ... and even a salad seemed like a good idea to start off lighter for my long day of travel.  And for both desserts ... while lemon isn't my dessert flavor of choice, I do love the Kāpiti ice cream, and even the salted caramel mousse sounded good (although their cakes often disappoint).

Luckily, I was able to get my first pick of starter and main, and ... both desserts.  

Charddonay / Sparkling Water / Smoked Almonds.

Drink orders were taken before we took off, and distributed quite soon after takeoff, along with some smoked almonds.

I usually skip the alcohol on this first flight, again, knowing the long day ahead of me, but, I wanted just a touch of something to go with my meal.

Since I wasn't planning to drink much, I took a gamble and tried something new, the Chardonnay.  It was ... fine.  Nothing special.

Bakery: Mini Walnut Loaf.

I never get the "bakery" item, but the aroma of the garlic bread was amazing, and walnut loaves sounded different.

The bread was warm, so 1 point for that, and it did have nice chunks of nuts, but ... it just wasn't fresh bread, and I have no idea what compelled me to get this.

To Begin: Seafood Option.

"Ahia manuka smoked blue moki with pickled beetroot, apple jelly, horseradish creme fraiche, and watercress."

The starter was an easy pick for me, since I do think Air New Zealand does nice smoked seafood.  I was interested to try blue moki, unfamiliar to me.

It was ... meh.

The fish didn't have any real smoky nature to it, it was just, cold white fish.  Not fishy, but just not interesting.

The pickled beetroot was really, really cold, and hard to bite into.  The apple jelly cubes were cute, but had no flavor.  The "horseradish" creme fraiche certainly didn't taste of horseradish.  The watercress was ... a single sprig.

Also on the plate were two slices of watery radish, and ... CHICKPEAS.  Boo, hiss.  They looked crispy, which is the only way I can stand chickpeas, but, they were soggy.

So, yeah.  This wasn't *awful* but it certainly wasn't good. 

Main: Beef.

"Braised beef cheeks with potato gnocchi, creamy Swiss brown mushrooms, spinach, toasted almond, and rocket pesto."

This was actually pretty good.  Well, parts of it.  But great flavors overall, and I enjoyed it.

The beef cheeks were super tender, and nicely fatty.  I'm not really into beef that much, but this was really successful, a much smarter choice from Air New Zealand than standard steak that always disappoints.  It was braised in a really lovely sauce, not sure what it was (red wine based?), but the flavor was great.

On top of the beef cheeks was the pesto, another excellent, flavorful component, generously applied.  I liked how it was slightly chunky.  It wasn't really necessary for the beef cheeks, as they were so flavorful themselves, but, I devoured every last bite of the pesto, combining with other things on my plate.

The gnocchi themselves were the weakest element of the dish.  Just kinda gloopy, and starchy, and just not good at all, really.  I ate more than I wanted because I was enjoying the sauces so much, but, yeah, these were not good.

The sauce on the gnocchi was a creamy mushroom sauce, again, quite flavorful, and I liked the big chunks of mushroom.  I also added pesto to that, which worked great.

The spinach was good, steamed or wilted, and went well with both sauces, and the braising liquid.

Overall, I was quite pleased: good execution of the beef, tasty veggies, and a trio of award winning sauces.

Dessert #1: Ice Cream.

"Lemon shortcake ice cream with brown sugar biscuit and passionfruit sauce."

The first dessert, always a signature offering from Air New Zealand, was the ice cream.  The server even came around saying, "Can I offer you ice cream for dessert?", barely even mentioning the mousse to people, only offering it when they hesitated.

The flavor wasn't one I was particularly keen on (meh, lemon), but I love Kāpiti ice cream and never say no, no matter the flavor.

Kāpiti Lemon Shortcake Ice Cream.

"Sharp lemon curd rippled through a creamy ice cream and speckled with nuggets of shortcake."

"Sharp lemon curd rippled through a creamy ice cream and shortcake chunks to create a texture like no other."

The ice cream was so rich, so creamy, so quality.  Seriously, such high quality ice cream.  I didn't really taste that strong of a lemon flavor, yes, it was lemon, but "sharp" is not how I'd describe it.  Which was just fine, I didn't want strong lemon.  It melted beautifully.  I never really detected the "nuggets of shortcake" either.

The biscuit topping was just a crumble over it, good for a bit of texture, but not much else.

I did not care for the passionfruit sauce, just too sweet, and a strange pairing with lemon.

Overall, I was delighted to have Kāpiti ice cream, and polished this off, but, not my favorite.

Dessert #2: "Mousse".

"Salted caramel mousse with dark chocolate brownie center."

I also had the mousse.  When the flight attendant offered dessert, I said, "they both sound great, which do people seem to like more?", and she was like "we have tons of mousse, I'll just bring you both".  Well, that was easy.

The mousse ... was different.  Like many of the Air New Zealand desserts, I took some offense at the name "mousse", as, well, mousse it really was not.

It was ... such a strange consistency, but not light and fluffy in any way.  More like ... a jelly mold?  It was very sweet, salted caramel flavor came though clearly.

Inside the "Mousse".

Inside was not what I expected at all.  There was a very small bit of generic chocolate brownie (dark chocolate? eh. ), and ... another caramel component, another strange jelly like component, even more intense caramel flavor.

Port.

Yes, I usually skip alcohol entirely on this flight, and somehow decided to get dessert wine too.  Oops.

The port was excellent as always, although I asked for "a splash", knowing my day ahead, and got a *very* generous pour.  It went so very nicely with the desserts though!

Read More...