Liholiho Yatch Club

In May 2018, 5 years ago, I visited Louie's Gen-Gen Room, the cocktail bar downstairs from Liholiho Yatch Club, and had a glorious meal.  I vowed to finally make it to Liholiho for a full dinner.  It somehow took me 5 years to do so (to be fair, they were closed throughout the pandemic, and stayed closed until later 2022), but still, such a shame I didn't make it sooner.  

Reservations are still essential, and hard to come by - I had Resy alerts set up and finally snagged a Friday evening booking, although the only slot I could get was right at 5pm when they opened.  I visited with a party of 3, one who had been there before (pre-pandemic), and one visitor from out of town.

Inside Line Up.

We arrived a little before 5pm, like many others, and lined up on the sidewalk outside.  At 5pm on the dot, and not a moment earlier, the staff unlocked the front door.  Party by party, we trickled in to the host stand, where a lineup of servers was waiting to whisk us each away to our tables one by one.  This communal service continued throughout the meal, with the staff telling us they were all there for us, although we did have one primary server.

The service throughout the night was flawless.  This took many forms, such as somehow always anticipating our needs - paying attention, but at a distance, never in an over bearing way, ready to clear our table for the next course, offer up new drinks as our classes approached empty, etc, but never interrupting when our mouths were full, asking how something was before we had taken a bite, or that kind of thing.  Dishes were presented and described well, not in a drawn out way, just enough to remind you all the key components, rather than just being dumped on the table wordlessly.  Share plates and serving utensils were always provided.  Table cleaned between courses.  When our sparkling water ran out, we were asked if we'd like to purchase another, or switch to tap water.  Pacing of the meal was perfect.  When I mentioned an allergy, the staff member had intensive menu knowledge to know all the ways that ingredient was used, but also went to check with the kitchen for any additional usages, and returned to reassure me on those points.  The staff were all friendly, yet authentic.  

In short, we basically just felt really well cared for, in a casual yet top notch way, if that makes any sense.  I have literally no adjustments I would make to the service. 

Excellent Meal.

The cuisine was just as spectacular as the service.  Equally thoughtful, precise yet understated.  Each and every dish was a fascinating array of textures and flavors.  The cuisine hailed from all over the world, much of it quite fusion-esque, in a way that shouldn't have worked together in harmony, yet somehow did.  I could hear Gordon Ramsey reading the menu and saying "Fusion?  No, this is CON-FUSION", and yet, it wasn't.  It was all over the place, but it was also so well executed, that it pushed limits successfully. 

I enjoyed every dish I tried, and was more than happy to take leftovers home to relive the experience a bit more.  I'll gladly return again.  Frankly, I'd return again tomorrow if I could.  Highly recommend, with no hesitations, unless you have a group that really would shy away from the unfamiliar.

Drinks

Once seated, we were offered still or sparkling water, and went for sparkling.  No house sparkling water, but a large jug for $8 was provided.  When it ran out, as I mentioned, the staff were careful to ask if we wanted to order another, or move to the complimentary house filtered still water.

We started with a round of cocktails, as we settled in.

Drink Menu.

The cocktail program at Liholiho Yatch Club is worth a mention.  The house cocktails are broken into 3 categories: "Highball Haven", "Rock & Tumble", and "Up & At'em".  Most of the drinks are whisky or rum based, although pear brandy, shochu, mezcal, yuzu liqueur, and others make an appearance too.  Tropical fruits (passionfruit, grapefruit, pineapple), spices (turmeric, cardamom), and surprises like pandan, coconut, and pistachio made an appearance.  It was hard narrowing my choices down from this list.

The wine by the glass menu is not particularly large, with 3 sparkling, 2 white, 3 red, plus 2 orange and a rose, but is very well curated.  A handful of beers, including a sour ale and cider round out the alcoholic options.  Several zero proof mocktails are on offer, along with an assortment of teas.  One of my companions highly recommended one of the teas.

O'ren Ishii. $16.

"Iwai 45 whisky, sweet bermutto, bitter ourney amaro."

I had a hard time picking my drink, but finally settled on the O'ren Ishii, once I had decided I did want a whiskey drink, and the server described the other whiskey option, the Sunbather, as being lighter and more refreshing.  I wanted something with a bit more gusto.  It was served straight up, in a simple glass.

The cocktail was very well balanced.  It didn't taste particularly boozy, which surprised me.  It was very smooth and drinkable, but not very exciting, if that makes sense.  Somehow it was almost too balanced, that the complexity was lost.  It looked more hardcore than it really was.

I wouldn't get this again, but if you are looking for a mellow, balanced, approachable whiskey drink, this is a reasonable option. ***.

Food

The food is of course the main attraction.  Describing the cuisine is near impossible.  "Heritage driven" I believe is their phrasing for it.  Definitely fusion, with influences from all over, and a reasonably strong Hawaiian focus.

One unique experience you can book is the Ohana Table, a shared family feast, of all their greatest hits, for parties of 7, at the biggest table in the center of the restaurant.  $75 per person, and it always books up fast.  Since we were a party of 3, we dined a la carte, but the entire menu is designed for sharing, and dishes are brought out as soon as they are ready.

Dinner Menu.

The dinner menu at Liholiho is broken down into small bites, small plates (both hot and cold), and then larger "cherry cuts".  I also appreciated that the dessert menu was on the same menu, so we could plan accordingly.

For small bites, these are essentially 1 person pieces, although you could split if you really wanted to.  All 4 choices sounded pretty good, and ranged from $5-11.  Here we had items that sounded fairly classic, like duck liver mousse, tuna poke, and a fried oyster, but all had unique spins on them.  Our group of 3 ended up getting one each, but two of us picked the same thing, so we only got to see half this section.  Note for vegetarians that none of these are vegetarian.

Next up, the smaller plates, which ranged from two chilled salads and a cold cured halibut prep, to warm options of fried fritters, fried rice, shrimp, and the token veggie, snap peas (with very interesting toppings of course!).  We went for one cold and one hot from here, and had a hard time narrowing it down to this amount.  These range from $15 to $22.  Vegetarians could pick from three items here, although there is really nothing for vegans.

Finally, the larger, "cherry cut",  dishes, where you find the big pork shoulder chop or ribeye if you want red meat, fried game hen for poultry, sole and swordfish for seafood, and a vegetarian curry (or lamb based).  While these are all familiar proteins, the preparations were not standard, and hailed from all different regions.  Indonesian rendang curry, very Mediteranean accompaniments of pistachio, preserved lemon, dates, and turmeric with the pork, classic Indian coconut curry with the sole, and a Japanese katsu prep of the swordfish ... albeit with a French butter caper sauce.  It sounds like an incoherent menu, but, it works.  These dishes are $38-62, and only the vegetarian version of the lamb rendang curry is vegetarian (and not vegan).

And to complete it all, of course desserts, with four choices, and honestly, we wanted them all.  It is recommended that two people share a single dessert, so for a group of three such as us, 1-2 was recommended, and were tempted to get all four.  Really.  We settled on three, ruling out only the chocolate based one, since I avoid caffeine at night, and one other diner doesn't like coffee, and it had an espresso crumble.

After we ordered our assortment of 1 small bite each, 1 cold smaller plate, 1 hot smaller plate, and two "cherry cuts", our server suggested a coursing of the small bites and cold plate to start, and the rest to follow.  This was a helpful suggestion, and we went with it.

The first round was delivered very quickly after we ordered.  Shockingly quickly, really.  We had taken our time deciding what to order, so we had settled in fine, and had been sipping cocktails for a while already, so it wasn't a problem, and was actually just rather impressive, as they were still fired to order.  They all hit the table at different times, but within 2 minutes of each other.

Once it was clear we were done with the first round, our dishes were cleared, the table wiped down, and new share plates and cutlery presented, in advance of the next round arriving.  It came soon after, again dishes arriving at slightly different times, but within five minutes of each other.  

When we finished the main dishes, we were asked if we'd like to see the dessert menu, and our table was cleared and wiped down again.  Once we ordered desserts, new share plates and cutlery were again placed out.  Flawless service really.

Poppyseed Steam Bun. $10.

"Beef tongue, tare glaze, LYC kimchi, miso aioli."

We all opted to start our meals with one of the small bites.  One of my guests went for the poppyseed steam bun, a play on a Chinese bao, but, with a bun crusted in poppyseeds, and beef tongue inside, along with kimchi.  Korean-Chinese fusion-ish?

He seemed to quite enjoy it, and mentioned how tender the beef tongue was.  The $10 price seemed a touch high, but then again, I don't know the going rates for beef tongue.

Duck Liver Mousse. $5/each.

"Banana bread, pineapple, pink peppercorn, celery."

While all the small bites did sound good, I had my eyes on one as a clear top choice.  Duck liver mousse.  Yes.  Others felt the pairing sounded odd, and the server even acknowledged it is, but it seemed entirely sensible to me.  After all, I adore pate/liver mousse on top of glazed donuts/fritters with a touch of jam or fruit, so, the sweet breakfast carb + liver + fruit topping made complete sense to me.  So now we have ... Hawaiian-French breakfast fusion?  Who knows.

One other diner followed my lead, and selected this one too.  He loved it.  I liked it, but, less than he did.

The mousse was great - very smooth, creamy, decent liver flavor.  No qualms there.  The pineapple salsa worked extremely well - I've had plenty of different kinds of fruit, fresh, strewed, compote, etc paired with liver products, but never pineapple.  But why not?  It was fruity, vibrant, and the small dice made it well distributed in every bite.  Celery added a bit of crunch.  So, all the toppings?  Unexpected, sure, but they worked very well.  **** toppings.

The banana bread is where it fell down a bit for me.  Granted, I don't really like banana bread.  And this was, well, banana bread. Slightly sweet, and full of banana flavor.  I didn't want banana bread.  I wanted brioche, or glazed donut, or many other things, but, not banana bread.  The sweet pairing did work, and the bread base for pate worked, but, for me, the banana bread took away from it.  My companion really enjoyed it though. 

*** overall for me, and actually my second to least favorite dish.  $5 price was very reasonable.

Adorable Packaging!

I saved half my piece to take home to have for breakfast, when I might be more in the mood for banana bread, and applaud the way they packaged it. A larger size condiment container, which fit it perfectly.  It would have been ridiculous in a larger box.  +1 point for the packaging!

Shaved Pig's Head. $18.

"Peanuts, crispy shallot, frisee, shiko pear, fish sauce dressing."

For our final appetizer dish, we went for a cold dish from the smaller plates menu, the Shaved Pig's Head.  Yes, shaved pig's head.  The selection was based on a few things - I really did want a vegetable and something lighter, and I knew this came with a salad component, and I couldn't have the other salad on the menu, as it had avocado both in the salad, and in the dressing.  I also was drawn in by the crispy shallots and peanuts, and fish sauce.  And, it was by far the most adventurous dish on the menu, a new dish from the re-opening, and I'd seen good reviews for it.

Sadly, I wasn't into this dish.  The frisee and radicchio were fresh and vibrant, clearly dressed to order, but the fish sauce dressing didn't deliver much.  It really just seemed like a basic light vinaigrette. I wanted to taste more funk and umami.  The crispy shallots and peanuts were barely noticeable - yes, a few strewn throughout, but, very lost in the dish.  I wanted far more.  The thin strips of asian pear were juicy and refreshing.

So, for the salad part, a fine base, but not enough crunchy toppings, and not very flavorful. ***.

Shaved Pig's Head: Close up.

But of course, this dish was about the pig's head.  You can see that there was some in the middle of the plate, but actually, the whole plate was covered in pig's head, and the salad was placed on top.  So much pig's head.

I didn't really care for it.  It was slimy.  I couldn't quite get past the slimy nature.  One of my fellow diners wasn't into how fatty it was.  We all thought it would be considerably better if it was fried up, or more dried out and prosciutto-like.  It was novel, but, not something any of us wanted more than a few bites of.  One person took the rest home to try frying up to see how that worked out.  I did like the spicy sauce that was covering it though, and wanted more of that on the salad greens.

So, ** as I didn't really enjoy it, but, it was very unique, and certainly an acquired thing.  My least favorite dish, and I wouldn't get it again.

Fried Rice. $16.

"LYC kimchi, housemade spam, mushrooms, cured egg yolk."

To kick off our second round of dishes, we had a hot item from the smaller plates menu, a LYC classic, fried rice.  Fairly universally loved.  So although I don't generally eat much rice (besides in desserts), and even though I'm kinda meh on kimchi, I encouraged the group to get this to round out our meal.  I figured the carbs would help satisfy folks, plus, I really wanted the spam.  I love spam in general, and I have fond memories of the spam pigs in a blanket from my previous visit.

This is a very fusion dish, Asian style fried rice, but with Korean kimchi, Japanese shimeji mushrooms, and of course, Hawaiian spam.  It works beautifully.  Korean-Japanese-Hawaiian.  Go with it.

The rice was very well prepared.  Moist, fragrant, none clumped together.  I liked it as much as I'd ever like savory rice.  As expected I didn't really care for the kimchi, but it added good juicy bursts.  I loved the shimeji mushrooms throughout, and as one diner doesn't like mushrooms (besides morels, go figure), I got plenty of them.  The cured egg yolk on top added a touch of richness and saltiness, but the real star, for me, was the housemade spam. SO. GOOD.  Decent size strips of it, decent amount of it.  I appreciated that it wasn't cut up smaller, more like the pork bits you find in regular fried rice.  I wanted to experience the spam in big juicy strips like this.  I loved that spam.  Honestly, I wanted to just order more spam.  

Overall a success for me in that I just got lots of mushrooms and spam, and overall well regarded.  We didn't finish it, and one diner was excited to take the rice home and top with a fried egg for leftovers, and I was overjoyed to take a few strips of spam to have with my banana bread pate breakfast.  ****+ for the spam and mushrooms, ***+ overall.  Middle of the road, third pick for me.  Price was quite reasonable for the portion and generous amount of spam.  I'd get this again, but really, would love to just get the spam.  

Rendang Curry. $40.

"Lamb or sweet potato, daikon, celery root, turmeric butter naan."

And ... more novel spins on what sounds like a classic dish, rendang curry.  Available as a vegetarian dish with sweet potato, or with lamb, rather than more traditional beef.  But that isn't really the novel part.  The novel element is the fact that it comes looking like a giant pot pie, which I knew to expect, with the naan draped over it.  Definitely a show stopper, and actually quite fun to break into (I got to do the honors).

If you know me, you know I don't eat lamb.  The others wanted a second big dish, something substantial, and I knew I was happy with the rest of the dishes and encouraged them to get whatever they wanted.  They picked the lamb curry.  I didn't think I'd even try a bite.  I'm so very lamb averse.  Honestly, I didn't even think I'd try the naan, knowing it was likely infused with lamb aromas.  I didn't even really want it on the table, with all its lamb smells and all.

But I couldn't help trying the naan, after all, I did the hard work of breaking into it.  The naan was fantastic, although very unlike traditional naan, which makes sense, as it was baked on top of the pot of curry, rather than in a tandoor, and wasn't slathered in butter noticeably.  But it was soft, fluffy, and the turmeric dust on it really gave it a nice unique flavor.  **** naan. 

Rendang Curry: Inside.

As the others ate the curry, I couldn't help but notice that it sure didn't look like a rendang curry.  Yes, obviously it had naan-pot-pie vibes, and yes, it had lamb not beef, but those were not the thing that stood it.  It looked more like a thinner Thai green curry than a thicker redder Indonesian curry.  Eventually, I decided to just try a taste of the broth ... against my better judgement, as I knew there was no way it wouldn't taste like lamb.  

It did taste mildly of lamb, but yeah, it did not taste like a traditional rendang at all.  It was a lovely curry though, incredibly aromatic, full of complex flavors, balanced by the coconut milk.  Excellent curry, really.  I was fairly stuffed, and knew I wanted a lot of desserts, but I couldn't stop myself from having "just one more bite" of the fluffy warm naan dunked in that curry, and "just one more spoonful" of the flavorful sauce.  On repeat. It was very, very good, and I was even able to look past the lamb part.  I'd consider getting this in the vegetarian form in the future, even just as an extra dish to take home and enjoy later.  Absolutely fantastic, but, far from traditional.  My second favorite dish.  ****.  At $40, this seemed a touch high, but, if you consider the naan is included, not unreasonable.

Swordfish Katsu. $39.

"Russian dressing, gherkins, radish, caper butter."

And finally, the dish I was most excited for, another cherry cut, the swordfish katsu.  Yup, you read that right.  I really do like swordfish, I like crunchy katsu (but not normally pork or chicken all that much), and I certainly love Russian dressing, gherkins, and caper butter.  All together in one dish though?  Particularly the creamy Russian dressing and caper butter seemed like they might really clash.  They *should* have clashed, really.  But they didn't.

This dish was extraordinary.  Japanese katsu meets French butter sauce with Russian toppings?  Again, just go with it.

The swordfish was cooked perfectly, flaky and moist on the inside, while the crust was crispy and golden brown.  So very crisp.  It cut with such a satisfying crunch.  The technique here was top notch, as it would be easy for this to be dried out.

On top, the pickled onions and radishes added a nice touch of acidity and freshness, and they helped to balance out the richness of the sauces.  They also made it look quite complex.  The Russian dressing added a touch of creaminess, and combined nicely with the toppings, and with the flavorful coating.  The dish would have been successful with just more of that to dunk into.  

But the dish kept on giving, served on top of a warm caper butter sauce.  It was quite rich and flavorful, and a natural pairing for the swordfish. The capers added a salty factor too.  I still don't understand how the butter sauce and the Russian dressing worked together, but, they did.  I dragged my pieces of fish through both with no qualms.

This was nearly a perfect *****, but I'll place it at ****+ as I want to reserve that rating for dishes I'll truly never forget.  Hands down my favorite dish of the night, and I'd get it again in a heartbeat.  Recommend with no caveats.

Baked Hawaii. $13.

"Orange chiffon cake, coconut POG sorbet."

And then it was time for dessert.

The signature dessert, the one hitting nearly every table, is the baked Hawaii, their play on a classic baked Alaska.  A show stopper, yes, and not something most of us know how to make at home, so, restaurant worthy indeed.  Even though I'm not one for citrus desserts, and POG sorbet is pretty low on my list of flavor choices, I still wanted to try it, because it gets such incredible accolades, and, how could we NOT get the signature dessert?  Plus, I love meringue.

It arrived looking absolutely perfect.  A cloud of meringue, expertly torched.  The meringue was as lovely to taste as it looked, sweet, smooth, gooey, lightly toasted.  Meringue doesn't get better than this.

But what was even better than the meringue?  The shards of coconut candy scattered on the plate.  They were candied and crisp, so sweet, and totally addicting.  They added a great crunch to the dessert.  The citrus segments and sauce on the plate were intensely fruity, fresh, and brought everything together.

Ok, I might have had my doubts, but, this was a very well crafted and executed dessert.  ****+ meringue and garnish.

Baked Hawaii: Inside.

Of course we had to break into the dish to see the insides.  The POG sorbet was good - fruity, sweet, creamy, well balanced.  Never a flavor I'll pick, but it was fine sorbet.  Served at the appropriate temperature, it took a few minutes for it to soften a bit, which was most welcome as we dug into our trio of desserts.

The cake base was also fine, a bit more dense than I expected from a chiffon cake, but, a fine cake, light citrus flavor.  I probably would have preferred some other kind of base, but it was fine.

So, insides, ***, and I would have wanted other flavors for both components, but that is just personal preference, and these flavors were definitely more in theme with the restaurant and quite unique.  My second favorite of the desserts, due to the excellent meringue and garnishes, and the top pick for the others.

Banana Cream Tart. $13.

"Banana pastry cream, tamari caramel, rum diplomat, sesame tuile."

The banana cream tart was a fairly classic preparation, with an elevated presentation.  The tart shell was a shortcrust, a bit hard to cut into without breaking it apart, and otherwise unremarkable.  It was filled with a thick set pastry cream and fresh banana, decent enough, but again, not remarkable.   I didn't taste the promised rum in the diplomat cream dollops on top, nor did I taste the tamari in the drizzle of caramel.  I expected both the rum and tamari to boost this dish, and alas, they did not.  Basically, it was a perfectly fine freshly made banana cream tart, but nothing more.

That is, except the sesame tuile.  Now *that* was magic.  Sweet, crispy, and totally addicting.  I'd purchase that by the bag full if I could.  I adored it.  Even better than the coconut candy shards from the baked Hawaii.  I'd like them to open a candy store next, with all housemade brittles and confections.  ZOMG.

Overall, the tart, ***+, but not something I'd recommend unless you were really craving banana cream, but the tuile was a solid ****+.  My favorite of the desserts overall.

Mom's Butter Mochi. $12.

"Coconut custard."

The butter mochi is an item from the original menu. It doesn't get particularly great reviews, but, since it has been on the menu since the start, I felt it was worth a try.  I knew from Instagram that it was going to be served right in the glass baking pan, which made me expect it to be served warm.  I love warm, slightly bouncy, slightly gooey, mochi, particularly with ice cream on top.  I knew it wouldn't have ice cream, but I planned to use some from the baked Hawaii with it.

I was surprised that it was room temperature.  It was just ... a big pan of mochi.  It was fine mochi, stretchy and bouncy and enjoyable, but, fairly simple and plain.  I didn't really taste much coconut.  I wanted it warm, I wanted a fruity component or ice cream, just, something more.    My least favorite of the desserts, which I think was true for everyone.

Since we had plenty of dessert, we didn't finish this one, and I did take it home, warm it up, and pair it with black sesame ice cream, whipped cream, and berries the next night, and enjoyed it considerably more that way.  *** as served, **** with my changes.

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Wine Chips

I like wine.  I clearly like chips.  Yet I have never thought of pairing wine + chips.  That is, I never thought of it, until I was introduced to Wine Chips.

"We made Wine Chips because we love wine and we love cheese (who doesn't?) but realized that putting the cheese IN the wine was a bad idea for both.  So one evening in 2017, over a glass of wine (ok maybe two), we wished for something simple, portable, dip-able, endlessly snack-able, cheese-ladened and delicious.  And just like that (ok, it took a lot of work, a lot of samples, a lot of wine and the dedication of more than a few passionate oenophiles, exuberant chip connoisseurs and mildly lazy party guests) the wine chip was born."

Hmm.  Chips crafted specifically for wine pairings.  The concept is unique as far as I know, and hey, I'm always up for trying a new snack, even if it sounds a bit like a gimmick.  

Wine chips come in different "collections".  The primary product line is the "Estate Collection" of cheese flavored chips.

"Wine Chips are hand-made, lattice cut, extra thick, gourmet potato chips, all with distinctive flavors designed specifically to pair with wine."

Besides the unique aspect of the chips that is the central concept, wine pairing, the other notable thing about the chips is the form factor.  The chips are thicker than any other chip I've ever had, at least 3-4 times thicker than standard chips.  I was never quite sure if I liked that or not - it made them eat pretty heavy, and almost more like a cracker.  I never tried it, but I suspect they'd work great as dip chips as they have so much integrity, or, perhaps used like a cracker with cheese (and wine, of course)? 

The Charcuterie Collection.  

"At the center of the Wine Chips vision is the cheese board.  But alongside that iconic wine pairing we have always sought out the ideal complementary charcuterie flavors that would take the vision to the next level."

The charcuterie collection contains three flavors:

• Dry Aged Ribeye 
• Spicy Calabrese
• Billionaire's Bacon
  

Available as a collection of one tube + one refill of each for $46.99, or individually in 1 ounce bags for $4.49 each.

These flavors are generally available for Diamond Private Reserve Club members only.  I was able to try all three.

Spicy Calabrese.

"This delicious Wine Chip offers those special flavor notes that you would expect to discover on a delicious charcuterie board: a tanginess, saltiness, meatiness, and spiciness that will conjure up the sensation of pairing your wine with gourmet charcuterie while relaxing at a sidewalk cafe."

The spicy calabrese was the first flavor of wine chip I tried.  And wow, it was intense, and a bit of an acquired taste.

First though, the base chip: a thicker cut, ruffled chip.  A decent chip, the only remarkable aspect was that it was a bit thicker than normal, and the ridges helped hold in the seasoning.  I was glad they weren't thin crispy kettle style chips.

And then the interesting bit: the flavor.  What *does* a calabrese chip taste like?  And, what is even on them?  No, there is no actual meat used in these chips.  They are vegetarian. But what is on them is "spicy calabrese seasoning", or, I suppose, the spices generally used in the sausage?  Onion, garlic, salt, cayenne, and of course "natural flavors", sugar, and interestingly, red wine vinegar and yeast.  The red wine vinegar left a slight tang, but otherwise they were deeply savory, almost kinda like bbq in nature.  Certainly unique, and they reminded me a lot of chips like those I've discovered in other countries where my brain somewhat struggles to know what I'm eating (and, correspondingly, they have crazy names).

And because these are "wine chips" after all, of course I was provided with wine pairing suggestions:

"In terms of pairing, the Zinfandel grape is closely related to Primitivo, which is primarily grown in Southern Italy. These cousins are loaded with jammy fruit and peppery spice. More broadly, the traditional flavors of spicy Italian charcuterie are amplified by rich reds."

Since I generally each chips with my weekday lunch, and don't go for a glass of wine then, I didn't take them up on this pairing idea, but I can see how it would work really well.  I think they'd go great with some brie too.

I did like these, but found I really needed to be in the mood for them, and, a little went a long way given the strong flavors. ***+.

Dry Aged Ribeye.

"Crunching on a Dry-Aged Ribeye Wine Chip is a different experience.  One is initially drawn to its thick, robust crunch, but its pepper, onion, and garlic notes combine with a potpourri of spices to elicit the distinct flavors of a meaty steakhouse cut.  When you pair it with a robust red wine, you'll think you're eating a crispy, delicious steak!"

Next, I went for the dry aged ribeye.  The chip form factor was the same, a thicker style, rippled chip, and just like the spicy calabrese, I found I really needed to be in the mood for them, and a little went a long way.  When you think of a wine as an everyday drinking wine vs one that is bigger, bolder, and you need to be in the mood for it and have the right pairings lined up, imagine that, but for chips.  You don't just grab a handful of these to snack, or to have with your regular lunch.  But, if you are in the mood for intense chips, and have your cheese, charcuterie, wine, etc lined up, they work really well.

This flavor, much like the spicy calabrese, was ... confusing.  Really just different from other kinds of chips I've had, and my brain always struggled a bit with them.  I was never sure how much I actually liked them, and the flavor was hard to describe, but, kinda like the rub on a dry aged steak?  Lots of black pepper, some onion and garlic, a bit of a grill flavor ... just, and odd, and intense, mix of flavors.

"Designed by our Master Sommeliers to pair with your favorite full-bodied Red Wine or ....... even a beer! Yes, on fathers day, a beer would work really well."

The pairing suggestion was with a big bold red, which I think is necessary given how intense and bold the flavor of the chips is. 

I liked these less than the spicy calabrese.  **+.

Billionaire's Bacon.

"It’s a tangy, sweet & savory Wine Chip that tastes like a crispy piece of maple-glazed bacon, only it’s actually a hand-made vegetarian gourmet wine snack! "

And finally, the one I was most excited for, the "Billionaire's Bacon", designed to taste like brunch favorite Billionaire (or Millionaire) Bacon.   Like the others, it was a thick style of ridge cut chip.

Did it taste like bacon?  Uh, no.  Did it taste kinda sweet and smoky?  Yes?  I think.  It was another complex, complicated flavor, somewhere in the direction of BBQ, but just far more interesting. 

"Pair our Billionaire’s Bacon with rich, ripe reds, port or your favorite dessert wine!"

I generally had the chips at lunch, so I wasn't pairing with ripe reds nor port, but I do see how that could work.

I think these were my favorite, but also, it is possible I've just learned what to expect from such intense, bold chips.   Plus, I'm a sucker for anything bbq like. ****. 

The Estate Collection.

The Estate Collection features 5 cheeses flavors:

• Smoked Gouda
• Asiago
• Blue Cheese
• Manchego
• Serrano Cheddar

Available as a collection of one tube + one refill of each for $75.99, or a "Starter Kit" of one tube + two refills of a single flavor for $21.99.  I only tried one of these.

Smoked Gouda.

"Smoked Gouda’s smoky, sweet saltiness are a perfect match for the wine lover in all of us. Our custom Smoked Gouda flavored chip pairs well with a Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio or a festive sparkling wine like an exotic Metodo, Cava, Sekt, Espumante or even a great Rose."

I saved the smoked gouda for last, thinking they were the ones I'd like the most.  They weren't.

On the positive side, I've really grown to love the form factor of Wine Chips, with the thick slices and ridges.  And they were incredibly well coated in seasoning.  However, the flavor of the seasoning didn't do it for me.  Something just tasted a bit off about them, and I didn't get the promised smoky quality.  They were lightly cheesy, and considerably less zingy than the others I had tried, where the others all sorta reminded me of more sophisticated versions of bbq chips, these did not.

My least favorites, and I didn't even finish the bag. *.

Update Review: I didn't finish that first bag, but a few months later, I found the refill bags, and gave them another try.  I went in with low expectations, thinking I'd quickly ditch the bag and ... well, um, I devoured nearly a full bag in one sitting.  I guess I was really in the mood?  As with the other chips, they had the same thick form factor, with ridges to catch all the seasoning.  I love this form of chip, and don't understand why more brands don't make such thick chips.  A+ to the chip itself.  The flavor, while not zingy or in the bbq direction like the others, was quite cheesy.  A sophisticated cheddar flavor, or, well, I guess, gouda.  I still did not really taste the smoke, but, the gouda was there, and I was in the mood for a cheesy, savory snack, and these delivered.  ***+.

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Boba Gen

Boba Gen is yet another bubble tea shop.  They pride themselves in using premium tea leaves, and not using corn syrup (they use organic cane sugar and brown sugar).  They brew fresh tea and boba every other hour.  

"Our milk tea shop is specializing in bringing you high qualities drink, snack and dessert. All of our products come with a guarantee of the finest ingredients are being used. From our team to yours, we pay careful attention to each item. We hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy bringing it to you!"

The menu starts with classic iced teas (e.g. not milk teas, not ones loaded with toppings) in nearly a dozen varieties.  From there, there are fruity flavored teas and milk teas, some of which are available hot as well as iced.  Even icier is the slushies, and for those not actually interested in tea, there is a large fresh milk lineup.  In fact, their most popular drink is a fresh milk, the brown sugar boba fresh milk (available plain or with matcha), and the most enticing drinks to me were all fresh milks.  They also have a sesame boba fresh milk, a brown sugar agar and grass jelly milk, or, as I went for my first visit, a brown sugar taro fresh milk, made with taro chunks (I think the taro milk tea uses a powder instead, as photos look brightly purple).   Then there are a cloud tops, the yakult based drinks, coffee, and snacks such as eggettes, spam musubi (with your choice of seasoning - they have a dozen kinds of furikake to pick from!), curry fishballs, and a few others.

I've still yet to visit in person, or to try the savory snacks (although they look great!), as my orders have all been for delivery, via Door Dash.  My orders were quickly prepared every time, and arrived well packaged.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of takeout and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes for free money!

• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

Brown Sugar Taro Taro Fresh Milk. $7.50.
0% Sweet, Unsweetened Almond Milk +$1,
No Ice +$1, Lychee Jelly +$1, Sweet Cream Top +$1.50. $12 total.

Boba Gen has plenty of modifications available, although they are quite clear that many are "not recommended".  I was a rebel and picked several not recommended options.

First up, choice of sweetness.  This can come at 100% regular sweet or 75% less sweet, or, if you want to go rogue and opt for something not recommended, 50%, 25%, or 0%.  I went for 0%, really not wanting a sweet drink at the time, plus, I knew I'd be adding sweet mix-ins.  I was pleased with my choice, as it wasn't too sweet, but, I think I did actually entirely miss out on the brown sugar aspect.  I thought they'd still use some brown sugar, since it was a brown sugar drink after all.  That said, I'd get it 0% again with no qualms.

Next, choice of milk. Regular dairy whole milk is standard, but you can swap out to vanilla soy or unsweetened almond milk for $1, or oat for $2.  All of these are not recommended.  So of course, you know me, that's what I did, opting for the unsweet almond milk.  Again, I was not upset with my choice, as I like the taste of almond milk, and it gave it a more interesting base flavor. Really though, I'd want vanilla almond milk, which wasn't an option.

Then ice level: regular, or less or no ice, both of which were not recommended.  Since I wasn't planning to have it right away, I did no ice, which incurred another $1 fee.  Interesting that they don't just fill it less full?

At this point, you are done making necessary choices, although of course there are optional mix-ins.  Several kinds of boba, aloe, jellies, red bean, egg pudding, and, my favorite thing, sweet cream topping.  These vary from $1 to $1.50 each, and some are house made, unlike most boba shops.  I added lychee jellies for some sweetness, and of course the cream topping, which I asked to have on the side (and they nicely did!).

So, how was my creation?  It was exactly what I wanted, but, if you are used to sweet, powder based drinks, definitely do NOT go this route.  The drink comes entirely unblended, it literally is just fresh milk and the taro, plus my additions.  The top 2/3 was just plain, unsweetened, unflavored, almond milk.  The base was a very generous scoop of standard sweet and fruity lychee jellies, and a very, very generous scoop of mashed taro, with some chunks in there.  The mashed taro was lightly sweetened.  I loved being able to really taste the taro, and even use a spoon to just get glorious spoonfuls of it.  But, it is real, fresh taro, not sweet powder, you need to want to actually taste real taro.  The lychee jellies did give a sweetness I enjoyed.  And of course the sweet cream topping, which was thick and rich and sweet.  It didn't seem to be a "cheese foam" really like some places, no real tang to it, but it was delicious, to just eat on its own, or with the other mix-ins.  I later realized they have two kinds of cream topping, this was the plain cream top, they also *do* have a cheese one, but, oddly, it is only available on drinks that you get as part of the "Top" series, not as an add-on to others.

I ended up pouring off some of the almond milk, and adding a scoop of black sesame ice cream, and having this more like a taro/lychee sundae (and used the milk for cereal the next morning!), and quite enjoyed it.  It was just what I was in the mood for, all the ingredients seemed good quality, and portions were generous.  My creation was a $12 drink though, which is a bit pricey.

***+.

Milky Blueberry Top. $8.

Unsweetened Almond Milk (+ $1), Cheese Top, Sweet cream top (+$1.50).

"Blended blueberry with blueberry jam, no additional sugar added. This drink is blended with ice."

The next time I ordered, I got more adventurous, and went for one of the "Cheese/Cream Top" series, where all of the drinks that come by default with a cheese or cream topping.  This lineup includes a bunch of milk teas, and many of the "icy slushy" range.  I think these are equivalent to ordering a regular icy slushy, and just adding a top, but, slightly less expensive (in this case, $8 vs $6.85+$1.25). 

The drink comes with choice of cream or cheese topping, since part of the "Top" series, but I wanted to try both, so I selected the cheese top as the preparation option, but added the sweet cream top as an extra ($1.50 more), and asked for both to be on the side.  I again selected the unsweet almond milk, for an additional $1, even though not recommended.   These drinks all come with fixed sweetness, so no option to modify that.  I was really thrilled with how well labelled and sealed everything was.

I'm really not sure why I picked blueberry.  It was a last minute switch on my part, I was originally going for lychee or mango, and then, got struck by who knows what whim, and decided to go for blueberry.  Don't get me wrong, I love fresh blueberries, but, not really what I go for in drinks.

Anyway, I first took a sip of the drink.  Wow, it was sweet.  Very, very sweet.  I know I couldn't modify the sweetness, and they don't add sugar beyond the blueberry jam, but, wow, it was far sweeter than I normally go for.  The unsweet almond milk helped balance it a bit, and I think something like the vanilla soy milk would be far, far too sweet, but even so, this was just too much sweet for me (and, they were right, the unsweet almond milk wasn't a great pairing).  It was really well blended though, really fine ice.  So, great blending, but sweet and poor choice on my part.  ***.

As for the toppings, the part I was most excited for anyway, the sweet cream I had before last time and enjoyed it, and the same was true this time.  Thick, rich, lightly sweet, tasty cream.  Not fluffy whipped cream, thicker, uh, gooier, if that makes sense.  I was pleased they gave me two of both toppings, rather than just one like last time. ***+.    The cheese top was even better, more savory, light cheesy flavor, a bit salty.  I really liked it.  ****.

So, overall, this was a mixed bag for me - a well made drink, but, the blueberry was a poor choice for me, but at least I liked my toppings.

Aloe, House Grass Jelly ($1 each).

I also choose to add on two toppings, aloe and their house made grass jelly.  I didn't ask for them to be on the side, but they put them on the side anyway, which I actually appreciated, as they didn't get hard / semi-frozen that way.

The aloe was about as expected, slightly sweet, slimy, nice chew to it, more interesting that lychee jellies in that it has a more complex taste and better chew, but similar shape and size.  ***.

The house made grass jelly was clearly a notch above generic grass jelly, it came in big hunks, and tasted, well, fresher than most generic stuff.  Slippery and slimy and lightly sweet.  I liked it.  ***+.

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Mars Chocolates, the International Edition

I've reviewed a bunch of classic Mars' Chocolates before.  You know these yourselves anyway.  3 Musketeers, Milky Ways, Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, etc ... yawn.

But, like most companies, Mars makes totally different products in other countries.

Update Review, 2022 - Munich

Balisto.

"The cult bar delights with a combination of crunchy cookie, high-quality whole grains and melt-in-the-mouth chocolate."

I tried this before looking up what it was.  It looked like any old candy bar.

It reminded me sorta of a Twix, but, without caramel.  Or a s'more without marshmallow.  The dominant flavor was graham cracker, in a thick bar form, with some mediocre milk chocolate on the outside.  Not for me. **.

Afterwards, I looked it up.  It turns out to be a wholemeal digestive biscuit, coated in milk chocolate.  I tried the plain ("cereal") flavor, but, they also make them with muesli (raisins and hazelnuts), yogurt and berries, almond and honey, cocoa, hazelnut, strawberry yogurt, white chocolate, and more.  They are also known by the colors of their packaging, this was the "orange" one, the muesli bar is wrapped in a signature green wrapper instead, etc.

Previous Review, October 2014 - UK

When I was in the UK on a recent trip, I obviously had to try an assortment.  Since duh, chocolate.

Celebrations (UK Edition)

When visiting my office in London, I found the microkitchens stocked with Mars' Celebrations: small, individually wrapped, chocolates.  Some were the same as what I'm used to in the US, such as Snickers and Milky Way, but many were unfamiliar.

Bounty.

"Coconut Filling Enrobed With Milk Chocolate."

I had no idea what a "Bounty" chocolate was, so I had no idea what to expect.  The answer seemed to be chocolate covered coconut, which sounds great, except it was coated with poor quality chocolate and very meh coconut.  I expected to like this since I like chocolate and coconut, so this was a disappointment.  The coconut was also very, very sweet.

**+.

Galaxy.

"Galaxy is a silky smooth chocolate that is literally adored by chocolate lovers throughout the UK. Everything about Galaxy chocolate exudes an air of quality; from the stylish wrapper to the smooth creamy taste. Any genuine chocolate enthusiast will know that a four pack is really the minimum quantity of Galaxy that you can buy. Don’t just sate your chocolate cravings; take satisfaction to the next level with a bar of Galaxy Milk Chocolate."

Next I moved on to Galaxy. It seemed to just be plain milk chocolate.  Fairly smooth and creamy, better than the milk chocolate they seem to use in most of their confections, but certainly not my style.  It reminded me of Cadbury. **+.

Teasers.

And finally, Teasers.  This was my favorite of the items I tried.

Malteasers are standard malt balls produced by Mars, so "teasers" are these small chocolates included in the Celebrations lineup.  They are the same standard smooth creamy milk chocolate, with tiny little bits of malt ball inside for some crunch.  They are only item in the Celebrations mix that isn't available standalone in a full size bar.

My favorite of the Celebrations, but not particularly remarkable. ***.

Milky Way

Milky Way Crispy Rolls.

"Chocolate covered wafer rolls with a milk-cream filling".

I'm not really sure why these are part of the Milky Way product line, as they really don't have much in common with Milky Way (at least as I know it) at all.  Besides ... chocolate?

Creamy milk chocolate coating (the Mars milk chocolate in the UK is better than the version we get in the US!), surrounding a crunchy wafer, stuffed with a white filling.  I appreciated the somewhat decent chocolate, and the crunch from the wafer, but didn't really find the filling to be satisfying, and it was the dominant component.  It was just sweet, kinda like solid frosting.

This wasn't awful, but I didn't think it was particularly good.  My travel companion enjoyed it however. **+.

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Pabu Izakaya, SF

I remember when Pabu Izakaya opened in SF.  It was a big deal - a new adventure for star chef Micheal Mina, venturing outside the standard fine dining mold.  It got a lot of press, and along with being known for attracting talent in the kitchen, it was noted for fairly high prices, particularly for somewhere dubbed an izakaya, usually a bit more of a casual everyday sort of place.  But given the prime financial district location, perhaps that price point was considered "everyday" for those on expense accounts?

I didn't ever go to Pabu in those first few years, as reports were that it was fine, but not outstanding, and definitely not worth the price.  But I did attend a few events with Pabu making made to order hand rolls, which were always decent enough, and their sister establishment (Ramen Bar) offered up memorable Japanese style deviled eggs topped with crispy ramen.  Ramen Bar has since closed.  It was again, all fine, but nothing I'd seek out at their prices.

"A celebration of world-class sashimi, sushi, grilled meats from the robata, and a modern, seasonal cocktail menu. "

The menu at Pabu is definitely more higher end than traditional izakaya snack food, with expensive steaks and of course their version of miso black cod.  They also have a full sushi line up.

Pabu managed to survive the pandemic (although The Ramen Bar did not), with a pivot towards more takeout, bento boxes, and packaged cocktails.  So one evening, when I was really craving uni, just a few days after visiting Nobu in San Diego and finding them out of uni (!!!){TODO: LINK}, I decided to order delivery from Pabu, for exactly what I was craving: uni and a nice whiskey cocktail to go with it.  I ordered via Door Dash, and although Pabu is just a few blocks away, it still took over an hour for my delivery, I think because the restaurant was fairly busy.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of takeout and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes for free money!

• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

I was impressed with the delivery experience, and I'd do it again if I really wanted pricey but reliable sushi.

Drinks

A great thing that came out of the pandemic is many restaurants offering cocktails for takeout.  While I can easily buy a bottle of wine to enjoy at home, mixing a cocktail takes a bit more skill, and I'm glad to be able to get a well made cocktail at home.  Pabu has a small cocktail menu available for takeout, but all are ones I'd gladly order, such as a classic Manhattan or Negroni, my regular cocktails of choice, a crowd pleasing margarita, and a signature cocktail.  They also have beer and sake by the bottle available.

Classic Lolita. $15.

"Suntory Toki Japanese whisky, Okinawa sugar, bitters."

I'm re-discovering the joy of a good cocktail.  I really haven't had many cocktails as a "real adult" - rum & cokes, Jungle Juice, etc in my college years, a few Lemon Drops when I first could order for real at a bar, and the occasional fruity slushy drink on an island do not count.  There were a few years where a co-worker did make me negronis on the regular, and sometimes when I went out frequently a few years ago I'd get a nice whiskey or gin based drink, but, it really isn't all that common for me.  At home, it is always wine.  But I was really craving a whiskey cocktail after my recent business trip, which, yes, did involve some cocktails, and thus, the signature house cocktail at Pabu sounded perfect.

I give Pabu credit for great packaging for takeout, clearly something they pivoted to during the pandemic, but I loved the adorable little bottle with clear label.  I was expecting a regular takeout cup!  I was amused however that the bottle was inside a regular cardboard takeout box of its own.  Heh.

Anyway, the cocktail was quite strong, but, balanced out nicely on I put it over ice (as instructed on the bottle).  Nothing earth shattering, but, a well made whisky drink.  ***.

Manhattan. $16.

"High West Double Rye, Punt e Mes, Angostura."

I was tempted to get my standard, go-to drink, the negroni, this time, as I got the lolita last time, but decided to be a bit more interesting, and opted for a manhattan.  Interesting only in that it isn't my standard drink, its my #2, lol.

It came packaged a bit differently from my last cocktail, this time split into two small bottles, rather than one slightly larger bottle.  Just like last time, I did kinda laugh at the bottles being placed inside a regular takeout container.

The cocktail was good - basically, exactly what you'd expect from a well made manhattan.  I had no qualms with it, and the two small bottles made for two perfect size mini cocktails, one I enjoyed before my dinner that night, as I paired my meal with a glass of wine, and one I had the next evening as a nightcap.  Value was good for $16.  ***+.

Sushi

The sushi menu at Pabu is fairly standard: a decent lineup of nigiri or sashimi, standard rolls, and a few house special rolls.  None too crazy, not too much in the deep fried heavily sauce department, as Pabu does trend a bit more classy.  Many restaurants don't offer uni for delivery, and since I was really craving uni, I was quite happy to see that Pabu does, even if it would be pricy.

Uni Nigiri. $20.

I selected the nigiri rather than sashimi.  In general, I prefer sashimi, but for uni, I did want a little bit of rice with it.

I give my Door Dasher delivery person some credit for this arriving looking, well, perfect.  Granted, Pabu is just a few blocks away, but, the sushi clearly wasn't jangled around.

The uni was ... ok.  The portion was good, several large in-tact lobes in each piece.  One tasted a bit sweet like I like, but the others definitely had a bit of funk.  Not its-gone-bad funk, it still seemed fresh, but, just a bit of funk, and I suspect this was local uni, which tends to have that flavor I don't like as much.  Still, it seemed fresh and good quality, and, well constructed generous pieces.

The sushi rice was very lackluster - it didn't have any seasoning, and didn't seem to stick together very well.  For a restaurant of its calibre, I was quite surprised to have such mediocre sushi rice.

My nigiri came with soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi, all of which seemed very average quality - the wasabi in particular surprised me as it was clearly just paste, and not very flavorful.  Compared to the wasabi I had from Nobu two days prior, it was night and day difference.  Again, for a restaurant of this calibre and price point, I expected better wasabi, and better ginger.

So, overall, rice and condiments were lower end generic, uni was fine but not a variety I cared for.  ***.

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Air New Zealand, NZ 7, SFO - AKL, Business Class

Update Review, 2022

Aircraft: 787-9
Seat: 3A
Departure: 10:05pm (scheduled) 11:xx pm (actual)

My first post-Covid flight to Australia, via New Zealand, as I always do.  I've reviewed this route many times before (below), so I'll skip the basics and focus just on the unique elements of this trip, and of course, the food.

Service & Amenities

Our departure was delayed for several reasons.  First, everyone who had a non-Air New Zealand boarding pass, e.g. one from United or other codeshare partners, had to get new boarding passes issued at the gate.  They also had to complete travel forms if they hadn't already, and somehow, there were a slew of people who hadn't done that.  I guess partner airlines didn't make you verify that at check-in?  So boarding was delayed by abotu 30 minutes.  Then we had a large number of wheelchair bound guests who really had trouble boarding.  And then there was a queue for takeoff.  Etc, etc.  Given that our plane was there hours before, and at least the boarding pass thing seems like it happens often, I wished they'd been better prepared for that.

Anyway.  This was my first long haul flight on an Air New Zealand 787.  While it had some nice features that come along with being a Dreamliner (e.g. fairly quiet, good humidity), the cabin was definitely dated, and the 787s do not have wifi (well, only 4 of their fleet do).  The seat is otherwise identical to all my previous Air New Zealand seats, which, I once considered to be fairly impressive, but, is definitely feeling a few steps behind other airlines at this point, with a small entertainment screen, very little in-seat storage, and cramped, narrow, layout.  I remember declaring it a wonderful bed in the past, and, while it is still better than the kind that often slope, and they do give a mattress pad, I still found it rather hard, and too narrow, and I'm not exactly a wide person.  

Seat.

That said, there is plenty to like about the cabin experience.  The 1-1-1 layout means everyone has aisle access, and if you opt for the A side of the plane, it is quite private, as the center and other aisle open to each other.  Well, as private as an inward facing seat can be (which, again, something that just feels a bit subpar, you really can't look out the windows and you are staring in the whole time).  While the seat doesn't have many controls for reclining, I find it reasonably comfortable anyway, and I like having the footrest.  As a bed, again, not nearly as comfortable as other modern beds, and not much storage while sleeping (although there is a cubby for glasses, etc), but the bedding was good, every passenger is provided two pillows and a large duvet (along with mattress pad), and I was able to ask for extras, and was given 3 (!) extra smaller Premium Economy blankets and an extra large pillow.  I was able to create a nice nest, and I see why I used to love it, but, there are just better, newer options out there.

Amenity-wise, there isn't much.  No pajamas, no slippers.  Basic hand lotion, lip gloss, toothbrush, socks.  The bathrooms, two in front and one between Business Premier and Premium Economy are quite small, and do not have additional amenities like nicer lotion, face cloths, etc.

My crew were lovely, as I remember from previous flights.  They were polite, friendly, and really did care to make our experiences nice.  When I asked about extra pillows and blankets, the flight attendant brought me a stockpile, an assortment from both Business Premium and Premium Economy.  When I asked about wines, I was offered a tasting.  They customized meals for people.  The difference between this Business Class flight crew and any other I've had (Delta, United, etc) really is just night and day (JetBlue still has great crew as well).

Anyway, the flight was overall decent, but I got very little sleep, and do see how the Business Premier product is just aging considerably at this point.  The staff and wine continue to be the highlight.

Supper

The first meal served is "Supper", which, given the scheduled 10:05pm takeoff, and actual delay, meant it was very late by the time it was supper time. 

Drink Menu.

As always, the drink menu listed only the champagne (Laurent-Perrier Brut NV), but had no details on the other wines on offer.  There were I think 2 whites (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc) and 2 reds (pinot noir, syrah).  There was mention of a rose, but, it seemed not loaded (they later found it, but, it wasn't chilled).  All wines are from New Zealand, and I've generally liked them in the past.

In addition to the wine, there is beer, cider, spirits, juice, and basic soft drinks.  Like the wine, the beer and spirits aren't actually listed on the menu.

Sparkling Water / Warm Nuts.

Our drink orders (and main dish) orders were taken before takeoff, and were brought to us one by one fairly quickly after takeoff.  I was in row 3, on the single side, and we were served first.  Along with our drinks we were given a (tiny) bowl of moderately warm nuts.  The nuts were well salted, and quite good, but, the portion was very small.  Perhaps I could have asked for more?  They were a nice mix, although I had only one small piece of pecan, two peanuts, and the rest, almonds.

Chardonnay.

I asked to start with a taste of the chardonnay, as I've liked the chardonnay on Air New Zealand flights before, even though I'm generally a red wine drinker.  It actually was pretty nice - not a buttery chardonnay like we have in California, but, not harsh, not much acid, and quite pleasant to drink.  If I was in the mood for a white wine again, I'd get it, but I'd also love to try the other offerings.

***.

Rockburn Pinot Noir.

I also tried the pinot noir, and liked it a lot.  A really, really nice wine, balanced, not too much tannin or acid, but reasonably complex.  I'd get this again in a heartbeat.

****.

Supper Menu.

The menu followed the format I've come to expect from this flight, no surprises.  As always, there was a "Fast Dine" option, served as quickly as possible, just a soup and dessert:

• Roasted tomato soup with black beans, chipotle sour cream, and tortilla strips.
• Dark cherry and chocolate mousse.

I've gotten that in the past, and I'll admit I was a bit envious as those who got it were served so quickly, but, I didn't want tomato soup nor caffeinated dessert.

The regular menu, in full:

• To Begin
• Beetroot cured salmon, shredded cabbage, cream fraiche, and fresh pomegranate.
• Poached chicken, jicama and ginger slaw, yuzu aioli, pickled red onion, and soy pumpkin seeds.
• From the Bakery
• San Francisco sourdough loaf, black olive and garlic bread, offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil
• Mains
• Slow cooked beef with parmesan polenta, orange and lemon gremolata, green beans in tomato sugo
• Wood roasted chicken breast with crusted Yukon gold potatoes, parsnips, creamy green peppercorn sauce, and swiss chard.
• Alaskan cod with saffron sauce, citrus and herb cous cous, peppers with dell and toasted almonds
• To Finish
• Raspberry and chocolate truffle ice cream with crusted strawberry compote
• A selection of fine American cheese served with fig relish and crackers.

Also available during the flight, later on, was a warmed bagel with pastrami/egg/etc that is also part of the breakfast menu.

I took my own previous advice, and opted to just get a starter and dessert, although I really did like the sound of the seafood main dish (Alaskan cod with a tasty sauce!).  With such a late departure, it just doesn't make sense to get dinner after midnight.

A note for vegetarians: besides the soup, there is nothing vegetarian here.  You must pre-order the vegetarian special meal if you want something other than soup.  Also a note for dessert lovers: the dessert from the Fast Dine is available to anyone, even if not listed on the regular menu.

To Start: Salmon.

"Beetroot cured salmon, shredded cabbage, cream fraiche, and fresh pomegranate."

Starters were offered from the cart, about an hour past takeoff, which, given our delay, meant it was nearly midnight.   It started at the back of the cabin, making me one of the last guests served.  The bread basket was also offered at that time, which I declined, because the garlic bread always smells amazing but isn't, and the other choice was sourdough.

The salmon was ... in a word, boring.  It wasn't fishy, the texture was fine, but, it really tasted like nothing.  The most tasteless salmon I've ever encountered.  I jazzed it up with furikake (which, of course I had with me) and used the lemon from my sparkling water to drizzle over it for some acid, but, it really was just amazingly flavorless (which I guess is better than being fishy?).

The shredded cabbage and cream fraiche were basically a slaw, not something I think of pairing with smoked salmon, but, I like slaw, and I liked the creaminess to it.  But, it was not really seasoned, and it too needed a generous amount of salt and pepper, and my furikake, added.  The fresh pomegranate was a unique touch, not my favorite, but, did seem fresh.  The one single leaf on top was actually quite good, fresh, zesty.

Overall, this was just boring, but not bad, just, not great.  I also really wished I had crackers to go alongside it.  **+.

To Finish: Ice Cream.

"Raspberry and chocolate truffle ice cream with crusted strawberry compote."

I moved right on to dessert, having skipped the main.  The crew brought it to me before serving the mains, which I appreciated.  For those who got mains, they were served by type, rather than by seat, so, everyone who got the cod was served first, then the beef, then the chicken.  I suspect this makes it considerably more efficient, and consistent, for the galley staff, but I still haven't really seen other airlines do this.

The ice cream did have chocolate, and I knew it, but I had seen a photo online and knew the chocolate component wouldn't be all that significant.  Or I hoped anyway, as I knew it would be hard to sleep on the plane anyway, caffeine wouldn't help.

The ice cream was fine.  The serving was a generous full two scoops.  It was served hard, but not rock solid.  I needed to let it melt a bit to really enjoy it, but, it was softer than it often can be.  

It was rather average ice cream, not particularly amazing, but not bad.  It was mostly vanilla, but did have some chocolate truffles (which really seemed more like brownie bits to me), and some fruity bits.  The strawberry compote on top was great, not really a compote, but more like just some fresh chopped strawberry.  There was also sliced almonds, not from the menu, but, great for crunch.

Overall, a decent ice cream creation, and I appreciated the toppings most of all.  *** ice cream, ***+ toppings.  I got an extra, kept it in my freezer mug on ice, and enjoyed it as a smoothie, er, ok, milkshake, in the morning.  The fruity-chocolate combo was a nice match for morning, the consistency was perfect at that time, and while I know it was ridiculous to have ice cream alongside my breakfast, I still enjoyed it.

Port.

It was on an Air New Zealand flight that I originally really discovered port.  I loved it, and always look forward to it on the flights.  And it pairs so beautifully with ice cream.

That said, this port was just average.  It was more bitter than I remembered, more harsh, and just not great.  I did pour a little on my ice cream, like a sauce, but otherwise didn't finish it, and opted just for more of that fantastic pinot noir.

**+.

Breakfast

One thing I forgot is just how far before landing Air New Zealand serves breakfast.  Yes, it is a long flight, but, by the time supper was over there was only 10 hours left in the flight, and I wanted a little time to digest and watched a little bit of a movie, and then there were just over 9 hours left.  Many airlines try to have breakfast served an hour out, so they wake you an hour and a half before landing, but our cabin sprang into life nearly 3 hours before landing.  Oooph.  My poor sleep, and only 6 hours of trying it, were not nearly enough.  There was no way to sleep through the clamor though - the staff were active all through the aisles converting beds back into seats (since they don't just slide up), removing mattress pads, and circulating the cabin offering juice and smoothies from a platter.  

Unlike many other airlines, like Qantas, they do not have you fill out a breakfast card before going to sleep, and I kinda wish they would so we could maximize sleep.  That said, if you wanted to maximize sleep, there is a "Sleep-in breakfast" option, where they'll wake you as late as possible, and just serve you continental offerings.  However, it was noisy, the lights were bright, and there is no way you could have slept in, even if you wanted.  I know this cabin takes longer than others to prepare since we can't just slide our own seats up, but, ugh.  They also draw breakfast out considerably, it is a 4 course endeavor, with passed drinks, a Pantry cart, a Bakery round, and eventually, main dishes, with considerably lag between each course.

Breakfast Menu.

The breakfast menu was nearly identical to all my previous flights.  There were only a few changes from my prior flights, mostly just that the variety of Vogel's cereal changed.  The lineup:

• Wake-up Drinks: Get yourself started with an all natural berry smoothie or your choice of juice
• From the Pantry
• Fresh fruit
• Plain Greek or Fruit yogurt
• Vogel's Cafe-Style Light Berry Muesli gluten-free cereal
• Vogel's Pistachio, Almond, and Hemp seed cereal
• From the Bakery
• Croissants
• Wheat, white, or raisin pecan toast with your choice of: marmalade, strawberry jam, Vegemite, Marmite.
• From the Stove
• Poached eggs, spinach, ham, soft baps, and hollandaise
• Rolled omelette with soft cheese and spring onions, chicken apple sauce, tomatillo salsa, and seared tomato
• Cinnamon, apple, and buckwheat pancakes, roasted apple compote, yogurt
• Gourmet bagel with pastrami, fried egg, Swiss cheese, mustard cream cheese, and onion jam

My choice of main was easy: I was really excited for the poached eggs.  Yup, me, girl who doesn't really eat eggs much, and usually loves her sweet breakfast carbs, couldn't wait for the poached eggs.  They've been so good on previous flights, plus, swoon, hollandaise.  Plus, even though I was tempted by the pancakes, and those are what I'd get in "regular life", Air New Zealand has literally never had a successful warm breakfast sweet carb (pancakes, waffles, etc).  

Orders for our mains were placed after the smoothies and juices were cleared away, and once everyone was fully up.  Literally every human I heard picked the poached eggs.  I didn't hear a single person order the omelette, pancakes, nor bagel.  Again note to vegetarians: the only vegetarian option here is the pancakes, unless you are ok eating around the ham on the poached eggs, the sausage on the platter with the omelette, or the pastrami on the bagel egg sandwich.  That all said, about three people ordered the bagel, as those were delivered first (like supper, they do main courses by type, rather than in seating order), and I saw a handful of omelets come out before the slew of poached eggs too.  But mostly, poached eggs.  One kid got the pancakes.

The "Pantry" items were served from a cart, much like our appetizers from the supper service.  Coffee and tea were also served from the cart, and, like supper, it started in the back of the cabin, so I was again near last.

Coffee.

By the time they got to me, there was no coffee left.  I had to wait about 10 minutes for a new batch, which I hoped would mean it would be better than the past (I remember it always being pretty awful), but, alas, it was still really harsh, and just tasted like coffee that had been sitting in a pot for hours.  Not good.  I asked to have it topped off with extra hot water, which helped a lot, but it still wasn't great.

Pantry: Cereal.

Since our flight was catered out of the US, I skipped the yogurt as I never care for US brand yogurt, and I had to skip the fruit because it contained melon and I'm allergic.  I asked for both cereal though, as I've liked some in the past.  My plan was to hedge my bets, if I didn't like the eggs, I wanted this as a fallback, so I didn't have milk added then.

The "Bakery" basket was passed through the cabin after everyone finished their cereal/yogurt/fruit.  The danishes I used to find quasi-interesting are no longer available, and since my poached eggs came with "soft baps", I didn't want toast or a mediocre croissant anyway. 

Stove: Poached Eggs.

"Poached eggs, spinach, ham, soft baps, and hollandaise."

I had probably too high of hopes for my poached eggs, but, they really have been nicely done on previous flights.  That said, I had my own fruit and the two kinds of cereal on standby if I needed something else, plus, I was headed to two airline lounges both of which would be serving breakfast, and my next flight was *also* serving breakfast, so, I really had my breakfast bases covered, no matter what.

The presentation was a bit of a letdown, as one egg had fallen off, and there really wasn't much hollandaise.  I planned to ask for extra, but the eggs were getting cold, and I didn't see a crew member emerge from the galley for a while, so I gave up.

The dish was a mixed bag.  But overall, successful.

Poached Eggs: Perfect Yolk.

The eggs really were perfectly poached.  Runny yolk, nailed.  Whites not rubbery.  Just, perfectly done.  It is quite impressive.  The hollandaise was minimal, but it was good too, light lemon flavor.  Nothing was seasoned, but we all were provided with little dishes of pepper and large flake salt, so I was able to season it just fine.  The spinach was good with it, a very generous portion, and would have been better with more hollandaise, but I smothered it in runny yolk and enjoyed it.

So, eggs, hollandaise, spinach, really enjoyable, and consistently one of the better airline breakfasts I've ever had.  ****.

Poached Eggs: Ham, Baps.

The rest of the dish though I didn't care for.  The ham was very thick slices, but, just not the style I like at all.  It was like thick deli meat, if that makes sense, and had no smoky flavor, and was rather tough.  I pushed it aside, and didn't really care, as the eggs/spinach/sauce were a complete enough breakfast for me anyway.

The soft baps I also didn't care for.  They were soft, and were nicely toasted on the cut side, but ... I forgot that baps were just basically a hamburger bun.  If I was more hungry, I would have used them to soak up more yolk, or, more likely, I would have asked for the toast or croissant, as the bakery items really did look good.

So, baps and ham?  *, and I didn't want, but I still enjoyed my breakfast, two poached eggs, spinach, hollandaise, my own fresh fruit and an ice cream milkshake?  Breakfast #1: success!

Update Review, February 2020

Flight Details:

Flight: NZ7, SFO-AKL

Class: Business Premier

Seat: 6K

Departure Time: 7:40pm (scheduled) 8:30pm (actual)

Duration: 12 hours, 25 minutes

No preamble needed right?  Same flight I always do.

Same protips to self:

• Once boarded, ask for premium economy blanket (lightweight) so I have that in addition to my heavy bedding.
• Eat dinner mostly before flight, just get starter and dessert on board.
• Wines are excellent, don't bother drink in Polaris lounge.
• Pre-departure they'll offer still water, juice, sparkling wine, but you can ask for sparkling water.
• Prefer the K side so my drink is in my right hand, prefer front cabin.

So yeah, same old, same old.  Our flight attendants were lovely, truly lovely, friendly and actually seemed happy to be there.  We boarded quickly, dinner orders were taken, drink orders were taken, and then we sat at the gate for nearly an hour waiting for paperwork.  Lame. 

Dinner Menu.

The dinner menu was the same as always:

Fast dine with bean soup and non-frozen dessert or full line up of choice of two starters (seafood or veggie), 3 mains (beef, chicken, cod), breads, cheese & fruit, and ice cream.

Given the late flight time, and my past experiences, I knew what I wanted to do: starter and dessert only on board, ate in the airport before. 

Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Warm Nuts.

First drink orders were taken while we were still on the ground, along with main dish orders.  They were served about 30 minutes into the flight.

To get started, I opted for a tasting of two of the three white wines (they also had pinot gris), just a small pour of each is what I asked for.  I've had both of these varietals before on board and enjoyed them.

I really appreciated that she actually gave me a small pour of each.

They were both above average for airline wine.

The chardonnay I liked  less, it wasn't harsh though, nor acidic, nor too dry, but perhaps I tasted a bit more ... minerals?  That's a thing right?  

The sauv blanc was slightly sweet, but certainly not that sweet.  I really enjoyed it.  I'd gladly have opted for a full glass, but I wanted to try more wines.

The nuts were also quite welcome, nicely warmed, and seasoned with something salty and quite satisfying at altitude (it wasn't just salt, it had more going on than that).

***.

Syrah.

Later, when the cart came through full of beverages and starters, I also opted for the syrah.

It too was good, not too tanic.  Not a complex wine, but very enjoyable.  I think I liked the sauv blanc slightly more, just because it had been ages since I had a white wine I liked, but, this was really quite good and I was pleased with it as well.  ***.

Starter: Seafood Option.

"Beetroot cured salmon, napa cabbage slaw, creme fraiche, and fresh pomegranate seeds."

Starters are served from the cart, a choice of hummus platter (no way) or smoked salmon.  It seemed like the starters took quite a while, more than 1 hour into the flight.

I often love the seafood starters on ANZ flights, but that is usually out of Australia or New Zealand, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from SF catering.  I loved the sound of all the things that came with it though.

It ... was not very good.

The salmon was chewy in a lot of places.  It was decently smokey, but, definitely chewy.  The slaw was ... just cabbage.  The pomegranate seeds weren't particularly fresh.

And the creme fraiche?  Uh, missing?  I think with creme fraiche this could have been ok, at least the slaw would have been, but, alas, there literally was none.  I searched between the pieces of salmon, under the salmon, around the plate everywhere.  But no creme fraiche.

The result was a dry, fairly flavorless dish of cabbage and chewy salmon.  I added my own dressing and salad base that I had with me, and salvaged the slaw part, but, yeah, not a winning dish at all. *.

Port.

And of course, no Air New Zealand flight is complete without the port!  I opted for a small pour with my dessert.  I *adore* the port, and this was no exception.  Sweet, caramel-y, just, truly enjoyable.  ****.

Dessert: Banana Caramel Mousse.

The dessert from the fast dine menu is always a mousse or cake of some kind, and this was no exception.  I can't say I was excited for this one (meh, banana!) but, the ice cream was caffeinated, so, I asked for it.

I'm glad I did.  Had I wanted banana, I would have been sad.  I literally tasted *no* banana at all.  None.  But I did enjoy the dessert.

The base was a thin cake, dry, and flavorless.  Throwaway.

The layer above that, which I am assuming was supposed to be banana mousse was fairly plain, but sweet.  Above that, a very sweet layer, I guess caramel?  And lots of cinnamon on top.  

The texture was firm, but fluffy, not really what I was picturing, not a pudding or anything like that, but also nothing like a panna cotta ... kinda unique actually.  I didn't mind it.

I know this review doesn't sound great, but, it worked, really.  It was sweet, creamy, and very cinnamon forward.  I kinda called it a "horchata" mousse cake in my head.  

On the side was a dollop of frozen-ish cream, not really whipped cream, semi-frozen which I assume was not intended, and shards of chocolate.  I liked the cream with the rest of the dessert, but, certainly not fresh whipped cream.

Overall, I do call this a success.  I polished it off.  It really was fine, but, "banana" and "mousse" it was not really.  ***+.

Dessert: Ice Cream.

"Raspberry and chocolate truffle ice cream with crushed strawberry compote."

Of course, I got the ice cream too, even though it said chocolate.  I bring a vacuum mug and put it in there, and then usually drink it as a milkshake alongside breakfast.  Don't judge.  Its amazing that way, particularly a fruity flavor like this.

I did try it as served, and it was ... ok.  Clearly not premium ice cream like they serve out of New Zealand, just, rather generic ice cream.  Served decently soft, not melty or anything, but not rock solid like some airlines.  It was a fruity raspberry swirled vanilla ice cream with a few chocolate flecks ... not quite "truffle" as it was described.  The "compote" on top was just some frozen fruity pink stuff.  

Not particularly a great ice cream, which, is normal for flights out of SF (out of NZ they serve fantastic ice cream though!). ***.

Breakfast Menu.

Nothing had changed with breakfast menu either, same "pantry" and "bakery", and a "stove" with 4 options: poached eggs, veggie quesadilla, healthy sounding sweet carbs, or some version of a breakfast bagel sandwich.

I've long since learned my lesson with the breakfast carbs, normally I am all for pancakes, but these were apple/banana/buckwheat, and come with yoghurt and berry compote, just, not my style.

I also know that breakfast comes at an odd time, I have access to two lounges with tons of food in Auckland, AND I have another breakfast flight after that, so, no real worries if I don't like breakfast.  I find the poached eggs hit or miss, but they were my easy choice, because, well, hollandaise.

Decaf Coffee.

I knew from my past notes that I never like the regular coffee, and although I don't like the decaf, I knew I liked it a bit better at least.  So, decaf it was, and I knew with such a looooong day ahead of me, I'd want the caffeine later, and could just stagger my regular coffee throughout.

The decaf was ... eh.  It was a plunger pot, so at least not instant, but yeah, not very good. **+.

Croissant.

The same fruit, yogurt, and Vogels cereals as always came through on a cart, I skipped them all.  After a while, a warm bread basket came through, fruit toast, regular toast, or croissants, strawberry jam or marmalade.

Curiosity lead me to finally try the croissant.

One bite was all it took to push away quickly.  Sure, it was warm, but it was stale, it was spongy, and it was just truly not good. *.

Breakfast: Poached Eggs.

"Poached eggs on breakfast baps with linguica sausage, spinach, and hollandaise sauce."

The eggs were actually pretty decent, but I'll cover those last.

The spinach was a much larger portion than it looks, there was a lot more hiding in back.  Just cooked spinach, a bit boring, and certainly needed the salt and pepper and hollandaise to jazz it up.  I think I wasn't really in the mood for it.

I didn't really think I'd want the sausage, but, it was actually good too - three slices, nice snap to the skins, fairly juicy inside, very flavorful, slightly spicy.  I wanted maple syrup with it (how I like my breakfast sausage), but, it was above average.

And then, the base, the "breakfast baps".  Not an item I am familiar with, but it seemed like a Hawaiian roll almost.  Soft, moist, sweet bread.  Lightly grilled.  I actually liked it, far more than any other carb I've had on an Air New Zealand flight - including the dinner breads, breakfast breads, bagels, english muffins, pancakes, french toasts, etc.  It made me sad when I looked around the cabin and saw all the people who immediately removed their eggs from the baps, didn't try the baps, and just ate their poached eggs.  Many requested no hollandaise.  I was sad for them.

The hollandaise was the winning element for me of course.  It actually was just quite good, not too citrusy, not broken, nicely creamy, and, well, I got plenty of it, perhaps thanks to all of those who denied it.

Perfectly Runny!

And then, the eggs! The yolks were perfectly runny.  Beautifully poached, really, whites were fully cooked, not stringy or runny.  I was impressed.  The eggs themselves weren't particularly special, just, eggs, but, the preparation was very good.

So, overall, beautifully poached eggs, shockingly good carb base, tasty sausage, boring spinach, and plenty of good hollandaise.  It wasn't fine dining, don't get me wrong, but, for in-flight, it was good.

****+.

Update Reviews, 2018-2019

2018

Flight Details

Flight: NZ 7 SFO-AKL

Class: Business Premier
Seat: 3A

I have reviewed Air New Zealand Business Premier many times now, so I will keep this shorter.  The aircraft, seat, amenities were all as expected and consistent with my other flights.  tl;dr: great lay flat bed, decently comfortable seated, wonderful service, decent food.

Fabulous Meals.

I did choose to dine both meals, although I skipped the starters with both.

The burger was again a highlight, ice cream is always welcome, and I finally tried something different for breakfast.

Drinks

Pre-departure sparkling wine, water, or orange juice were offered, which I declined, opting for sparkling water instead.  Before we took off, our first drink orders were also taken, to be served as soon as we got underway.  I was impressed with how quickly those drinks arrived.

Drink Menu.

The drink menu never gives details on the wines, as they change out frequently, but the staff are frequently happy to tell you all the details.  They also have beer, cider, spirits, liqueurs, juices, soft drinks, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.

Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah.

Uh, wine tasting anyone?  Don't laugh.  My FA did this!

Air New Zealand usually has good wine.  They had 3 whites (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio) and 2 reds (Pinor Noir, Syrah).  I wanted to try all but the pinio grigio!

So, I asked for a small small pour of two of the whites to start.  And for once, someone really did just give me a small pour of each.  It was perfect.  Later, when the cart came through to do drink service along with the starters, I asked for a small pour of the pinot noir, and the FA said, "are you sure you don't want to try the syrah too? Its quite nice."  Lol, well, ok.  So I *did* try them all, and she laid them all out for me, laughing with me about my wine tasting flight.

The sauvignon blanc was crisp and refreshing, a bit mineral forward. ***.  The chardonnay was not as buttery as I hoped, but was still good, perhaps a bit acidic. ***.

Both better than average, but neither that I was all that excited for.

Moving on to the reds, the pinot was decent, and my favorite of the three. ***+.  The syrah was good, but a bigger, bolder wine than I was in the mood for. ***.

Supper

As soon as we had our drinks, our dinner main dish orders were taken.  The starters were selected as the cart came through the aisle, and desserts ordered later.

Menu.

The menu format was Supper rather than Dinner, which includes a Fast Dine option (which I've tried before).

The menu, in full:

Fast dine:

• Red lentil, coconut, and tamarind soup wtih Greek yoghurt drizzle 
• Lime and coconut mousse cake

To begin:

• Roast cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, date and ginger puree, green beans, sunflower seeds. 
• Prawns with tomato chilli sambal mayonnaise, napa cabbage slaw, grilled baby corn, spring onions.

From the bakery:

• Dark rye caraway bread, black olive and garlic bread, offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil. 

Mains:

• Angus beef burger with pimento cheese, dill pickle, grilled bacon, rocket leaves and beet relish.
• Wood roasted chicken breast with creamy polenta, dried figs and balsamic, garlic fried spinach, Madeira jus. 
• Seared cod, chargrilled broccolini, yuzu butter, parsnip puree and green olive and toasted almond tapanade.

To finish:

• Mint chocolate chip ice cream with dark chocolate sauce and mint chocolate crush.
• A selection of fine American cheese served with fig relish and cracker selection.

Mid-flight snacks: 

• Ask your flight attendant for a warmed gourmet bagel with bacon, tomato, mustard cream cheese, onion jam, and spinach.

I'll admit that I was rather planning to skip the meal, since 1) I ate a full meal in the Polaris lounge at SFO, and 2) it was now 11pm.

But ... 1) I had the burger on an ANZ flight once before and was blown away, 2) they always have good ice cream, and 3) I needed blog content, right? :)

 

So, I ordered a main, and figured I'd decide on the starter based on how it looked.  I didn't want the tomato and mozzarella, but, the slaw, spring onions, and chilli sambal mayo sounded good, so the prawns had potential.

But even picking a main was hard.  I mean, I wanted the burger because of the precedent from before, but, that felt crazy heavy for such a late hour, and also, the creamy polenta with the chicken sounded good, and, in the normal world (e.g. not on a plane), I'd be all about the cod.

But, burger it was.

A few minutes after our starting drinks were served, our FAs came through to prepare our tables with a tablecloth.

Soon after, the cart came through, and I was served the tomato and mozzarella, without a choice.  I looked up confused, and asked about the prawns.  I was told Air New Zealand pulled them from the menu due to sustainability concerns.  I was actually happy to hear that news, partially because I wasn't actually hungry, and partially because it is just good practice!  I declined the starter, and it was passed on to the next passenger.

I also skipped the bakery basket, although, that garlic bread sure does always smell amazing.

Main: Burger.

"Angus beef burger with pimento cheese, dill pickle, grilled bacon, rocket leaves and beet relish."

So, the burger.

On our very first ANZ flight, my dining companion had the burger, and it was glorious.  It inspired me to order the pulled beef burger on a subsequent flight, and that wasn't nearly as impressive.  It inspired me to also get the lamb burger with halloumi that I rather modified and loved.  I had no idea what to expect this time.

The result was an impressive burger, although not as good as that first one.  It was served hot and fresh, I was thrilled it was so warm.  The toppings were all fine, but it was the burger patty itself that was most notable (which, is funny for me to say, as I'm usually the one raving about toppings and sauces).

The patty was moist and juicy.  It was seared on top, a nice crust.  It actually had little bits of onion inside it, which gave great moisture and flavor.  It reminded me a bit of the burger patties my mom used to make, just, uh, better.  A shockingly good patty, although not a traditional simple beef patty.

The bun was a lightly toasted kaiser roll.  Not much to say about it, besides that it was nice that it was warmed, and slightly toasted on the underside.

On the side was a pickle spear and a cute pot of beet relish.  The pickle was a pretty standard pickle, tart, vinegary, fine.  The beet relish was actually pickled and tart itself, not really what I go for, and I found myself wishing for ketchup to go with the beef.  Gulp.  Yeah, I just wanted ketchup.  Or bbq sauce.  Simple needs.

Burger: Inside.

The cheese was absolutely perfectly melted.  I loved the cheese, although I don't think it was the advertised pimento cheese.  It seemed swiss?  But still, perfection in the cheese.

The bacon was fine, but a bit flabby, and not my thing.  The rocket was crisp and peppery in all the right ways.

Not in the description, but the burger also had plenty of grilled onions on top.  Swoon.  They were all very flavorful, and and I quite enjoyed them.

So, yeah, this was a shockingly good burger for a flight.  I really found the patty flavorful and enjoyable, particularly with the amazingly melty cheese and onions.

****, and I definitely recommend it.

To Finish: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

"Mint chocolate chip ice cream with dark chocolate sauce and mint chocolate crush."

To end the meal, I skipped the cheese course, and moved right on to ice cream.  I almost skipped this, not because I don't love ice cream, but, because of the chocolate.  I never have caffeine after about 2pm.  And I knew I was wanting to get some sleep.  And I had the rice pudding, cannoli, and cookie in the lounge.  But ...

I wanted it.

The flavor of the day was mint chocolate chip, and it came with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and bits of mint chocolate on top.

The sauce was pretty boring, a really thin sauce, and I wished I had thought of asking to have it left off.  The ice cream was a bit icy, but did have a lovely mint flavor, and plenty of dark chips.  The mint chocolate on top added to it.

Overall, a nice finish, but nothing exemplary. ***.

Breakfast

Breakfast Menu.

The breakfast menu and service followed the same format as always.

Wake-up drinks: 

• Get yourself started with an all natural berry pomegranate smoothie or your choice of juice. 

From the pantry:

• Fresh fruit salad 
• Low fat plain yogurt or low fat plain yoghurt with wild berries
• Honey nut granola
• Toasted fruit cereal.

From the bakery:

• Croissants and Danish 
• Whole wheat, white or raisin pecan toast with your choice of: marmalade, strawberry jam, Vegemite, Marmite 

From the stove:

• Poached eggs on toasted muffins with black forest ham, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce.
• Omelette filled with sauteed mushrooms and soft cheese, tomato compote, and linguica sausage
• Cinnamon and buckwheat pancakes with cranberry, peach and blueberry compote, sweet syrup, and brown sugar sour cream
• Gourmet bagel with bacon, tomato, mustard cream cheese, onion jam, and spinach served with barbecue sauce

Soon after we woke, orders for our hot items were taken.  

It sounds kinda crazy, but I wanted most of the breakfast entrees.  Yes, really.

The spreads in the breakfast bagel/paninis are always so incredible, so the "gourmet bagel" drew me in just for the onion jam and bbq sauce, but, I decided against it.  I *always* get the hot sweet carb item, but I haven't actually ever liked them on board ANZ.  Still, brown sugar sour cream!

Instead ... I got the poached eggs.  Yes, me, the girl who doesn't like eggs.  I'll admit that I was drawn in by the hollandaise and just a chance to have something different.  I also knew I'd be having breakfast #2 in the lounge when I landed, and breakfast #3 on my next flight.

Coffee, Sparkling Water.

The cabin sprung into action 2.5 hours before landing.  Beds were converted back to seats, and by 2 hours out, everyone was up, and welcome drinks were circulated, a choice of juice or smoothie.  Coffee and tea were offered.

I just opted for coffee, black.  It was fine. Unremarkable. ***.

I followed with a decaf later which was clearly instant.  Boo.  A long time ago they used to offer an individual press pot for decaf! **.

"Bakery" Basket.

After beverages, the cart rolled through offering coffee or tea, and the "pantry" items.  The fruit contained melon (allergy), I never like the yogurt or cereal from US catering, so I skipped all of that.

After the cart, a basket came through with the "bakery", featuring two types of toast and croissants.  I knew they were supposed to also have "danish", so I asked about it.  She quickly came back with a replenished basket, now with chocolate croissants and cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Roll.

The cinnamon roll was a new one for me, so I went for that.

It was ... cold. Stone cold, which is really strange, as their items are normally heated.  It also tasted raw.  And the cinnamon between the layers was way too thick.  I almost think it actually just wasn't baked, and someone just forgot that step?  Not sure.  But it certainly wasn't good.

*+.

Poached Eggs.

"Poached eggs on toasted muffins with black forest ham, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce."

So, yeah.  I got poached eggs.

And they looked amazing!  Such plating!  Look at all the hollandaise!

There were aspects I did actually enjoy.

The hollandaise was wonderful.  Creamy, balanced, not too acidic, not too lemon forward, actually, just decent.  I was pleasantly surprised. ****.

The spinach too was great, hot, nicely wilted, tons of it.  Slathered in hollandaise I did like it quite a bit. ****.

The black forest ham was also good, nice quality, smoky.  Again, great with the hollandaise and spinach. ***.

"Poached" Egg.

The eggs though?  Ha.  This is ... not a poached egg.  The centers didn't yield any egg porn.  Fully cooked.  And the whites were fairly slimy. *.

The english muffins were fascinating.  They were fine actually, but the top side, adjacent to the fillings, was really soggy.  In a way that I first thought it had a layer of cheese melted in (!).  But, it was just the english muffin, very, very soggy-moist.  But, um, I liked it? ***.

In the end I was actually fairly satisfied.  I scraped up all the soggy muffin, added spinach, ham, and hollandaise, and it was fine. ****.

To be fair, it was also crazy early, I wasn't really that hungry, and I had two more breakfasts coming, so I wasn't trying to have a huge complete meal.  Oh, and then I had a chocolate bar.  I'm not sure I'd get this again, but I think it was better than the pancake/waffle/french toast items I have had on board.

Flight Details:

Flight: NZ7, SFO-AKL

Class: Business Premier

Seat: 3K

Departure Time: 7:50pm (scheduled)

Duration: 12 hours, 25 minutes

I’ll keep this intro short, since I’ve reviewed the basics of Air New Zealand’s Business Premier before.

The seats are well designed.

All seats have aisle access, and plenty of overhead bin space.  There isn’t much storage at the seat itself, besides a compartment for magazines (that also fits my laptop!), a slot in the arm rest where you could stash a few things, and a small cocktail side table.  All sufficient, but not extensive.

The dining table folds out and is large enough, moves close to the seat to dine comfortably (can you tell this is a pet peeve of mine?), but also pushes back out of the way.

The entertainment center was easy to use, and contained a slew of movies I wanted to see.  It even has a feature to mark things as favorites so you can browse and easily come back to them.

The bathrooms were small, but bonus points for having both paper towels and little cloths.  Much nicer for when it was time to wash my face for bed.  No lotion in the bathrooms though, so you had to remember to stash the lotion from your amenity kit close at hand.

Overall, the seat made me happy, the service was fine, and the food, well, meh to everything but the ice cream!

Amenity Kit.

Air New Zealand does not provide pajamas, which I do lament, but the socks are always fun, and this time was no exception.  The rest of the amenity bag was high quality items, large sizes too.  A good kit, just, I wish there was pajamas

Chardonnay, Sparkling Water, Nuts.

Before takeoff, we were asked what we’d like for a pre-meal drink.  I wanted wine, as the menu, and entertainment system, both boost about the quality New Zealand wines being served.  However, I had no way to know which wines were being served.  When my order was taken, I asked about the wine, and was told I had a choice of pinot noir or syrah for red, chardonnay, savaugnion blanc, or riesling for white.  I tried to ask about the wines a bit (how tanic is the pinot?  Is the riesling sweet or dry?), but the FA didn’t really know.

I randomly picked the chardonnay, inspired by one I had a few days prior and really liked.  I also went for sparkling water, Seagram’s it turned out.  I was quite happy to see that they gave me a whole can.

Once we got underway, the staff quickly got our orders out, which came served with nuts (almonds and cashews).  Served cold, salted.  They were fine, better than the nuts in the United lounge!

The chardonnay also turned out fine.  Not too acidic.  Slightly buttery, slightly sweet. ***+.

Once we were all happily munching on our nuts and sipping drinks, our dinner orders were taken, for the main dish only.

Dinner Menu.

The menu followed the same format as my previous flights: 2 choices of cold starter (one seafood, one vegetarian), 4 choices of main (beef, chicken, fish, vegetarian soup), 3 choices for dessert (ice cream, mousse, cheese), and a single “Mid-flight” snack option.

The menu, in full:

To begin:

• Sesame coated prawns, yuzu yam puree, pickled carrot with black garlic aioli.
• Mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes with mango, chili, and basil dressing.

From the bakery:

• Dark rye and caraway bread, black olive bread and garlic bread

Mains

• Slow cooked beef brisket with mascarpone mashed potatoes, roasted baby turnips and carrots with vegetable crisps
• Wood roasted chicken breast with toasted orzo pilaf with spinach and feta, lemon oregano yoghurt sauce and broccolini
• Cod with red chermoula and smashed chickpeas, roasted zucchini and cauliflower with cumin seeds and aioli
• Minted pea, spinach, leek and sweet potato soup with steamed shiitake and tofu dice

To finish

• Rum and raisin ice cream with java chip ice cream, caramel sauce with almond cookie crumbs
• Milk chocolate and cherry mousse
• A selection of fine American cheese served with fig relish and cracker selection

Mid-flight snacks

• A warmed gourmet bagel with bacon, tomato, pesto cream cheese, onion jam, and spinach.

Taking in the menu, I could’t help but laugh at all the strange run-on sentences and joining of phrases.  I really couldn’t tell what went with what.  Was it “roasted baby turnips and carrots” with “vegetable crisps” on the side?  Or “roasted baby turnips” and “carrots with vegetable crisps”? Etc. etc.  Many ways to parse it!

I was disappointed that the vegetarian main was a soup, just like my previous flights.  I guess this is just Air New Zealand’s thing?  Vegetarians get soup.  Sorry.  I’m not vegetarian, but, when is the last time you had a good meat or fish cooked on a plane?  The vegetarian option often is the better bet.  I was also sad that both sweet desert options had caffeine, since I wanted to avoid it for better chance to sleep.

Still, my decisions were fairly easy.  The starter I picked for the aioli, the main I picked for the mascarpone mashed potatoes, and dessert, well, caramel.  Yup, sauces and fats, that is what draws me in!

Meal Service Cart.

Starters were served from a cart, since both were cold options.  Additional water and wine were offered, along with the “bakery”, a bread basket with 3 choices of bread, which came served with optional tiny bottles of olive oil.

To Begin: Prawns.

“Sesame coated prawns, yuzu yam puree, pickled carrot with black garlic aioli.”

Starters were served with a second tray that had another plate (for the bread), a pat of butter, and salt and pepper.

This … wasn’t very tasty.  The yam puree was, well, yam puree.  Pretty much like baby food.  I did like the yuzu flavor, but, meh to puree.  The carrots were just two small shreds, but crunchy enough.  Which was strange texture with the mush puree.

The prawns were three small prawns.  Two of mine were nicely cleaned, the other not.  They weren’t rubbery, but, they weren’t actually good. 

And where was the black garlic aioli?  That is why I wanted the dish!

Well, big meh to the starter.

*+.

Brisket Main Dish.

“Slow cooked beef brisket with mascarpone mashed potatoes, roasted baby turnips and carrots with vegetable crisps.”

Mains were brought out individually, and took … forever.  I’m not sure why it took so long.  Everything else seemed so efficient with service, but the lag before mains was extensive.  It was a full two hours into the flight by the time I got my meal, and since I was in row 3, I was one of the first served.

I never order beef on flights.  I’m honestly not sure I ever have.  It is always over cooked.  And brisket?  Not my cut of choice.  But I usually have a traveling companion who I encourage to order the beef, and I usually steal the side dishes, as the beef usually comes with the tasty things (mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc).

This time, I was on my own though, and was not that hungry since I ate in the lounge and before my flight anyway, so I decided to get the beef, again, for the sides.  Its not like I wanted the other option, chicken (I hate chicken, and meh on orzo, meh on yogurt sauce, and double meh on broccolini!), and although I do like cod, the sides with that weren’t too my liking either (chickpeas, cauliflower, meh!).

This was … not good.

The mashed potatoes did not taste like mascarpone in any way.  They were not creamy.  They were lumpy.  These were supposed to be the main attraction!

On the side was two turnips, two carrots, and a slew of green beans (not listed on the menu).  The veggies were … fine I guess, but, not what I wanted at all.

The beef was dry, not really recognizable as beef, and fatty in areas.  It was covered in a gravy (not on menu) that I really did not like.

The only thing I liked was the veggie crisps, assorted root veggie chips, perched on top. There were only 4 of them though, and, because they were on top of a hot steak, they were strangely soggy.  I liked them, but, they didn’t really work here.

None of the other entrees looked much better though, besides the spaghetti and meatballs the kid behind me had.  Next time, I’m totally ordering the kids meal!  If I was more hungry, I probably would have ordered the savory bagel thing at this point, but I wasn’t really hungry, it was strangely late, so I just gave up, and moved on to dessert.

*+.

Dessert: Ice Cream.

“Rum and raisin ice cream with java chip ice cream, caramel sauce with almond cookie crumbs.”

I struggled slightly with dessert.  I really don’t usually eat chocolate or caffeinated items in the evening, and particularly not when I know it will be a difficult night for sleep.  But, I certainly wasn’t choosing cheese!

The chocolate and cherry mousse had potential.  I like mousse.  But, it seemed likely to have more caffeine than the ice cream, since I guessed the ice cream would be one scoop of each kind and one wasn't caffeinated.  Also, um, the ice cream had toppings!

I was not disappointed.  The ice cream was indeed a scoop of each flavor, with caramel sauce, slivered almonds, and cookie crumble on top.

The ice cream was served actually soft and melty, perhaps even a bit too melty, but normally airlines serve the ice cream way, way, way too hard.  The almonds were a nice crunch on top, the caramel sweet, and the crumble added texture.

Both flavors were ok, not super creamy or premium, but good enough.  Plump raisins in the rum raisin, but not really much boozy flavor.  Large flecks in the java chip, which seemed to be vanilla ice cream with java infused chocolate, rather than java ice cream with chocolate flecks as I thought it might be.

Overall, satisfying, and you know how much I love ice cream!

***.

Breakfast Menu.

2.5 hour before landing, which seemed early to me (literally!), the cabin sprang into action with the staff fairly aggressively asking to convert our beds back to seats, and the queues for the bathroom filling up.  Well, ok then.  Time to get up.

Pre-breakfast smoothies and juice were offered while I was in line, and no one returned to ask if I wanted one later, but I didn’t really care.  Breakfast main dish orders were also taken while I was in line, but, I was able to get my order in while waiting.

Sleep-in breakfast

Before going to sleep, please advise your flight attendant you wish to sleep-in and we will wake you as late as possible and offer fruit, yoghurt, cereal, bakery, and a beverage of your choice.

Wake-up drinks

• Get yourself started with an all natural mango ginger and turmeric smoothie or your choice of juice.

From the pantry

• Fresh fruit salad
• Low fat plain yoghurt or low fat plain yoghurt with berries
• Honey nut cereal
• Toasted fruit cereal

From the bakery

• Croissants and Danish
• Whole wheat, white or raisin pecan toast wit your choice of: marmalade, strawberry jam, Vegemite, marmite

From the stove

• Poached eggs on toasted muffins with black forest ham, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce
• Omelette filled with soft cheese and chives, roasted tomato, pan fried linguine sausage and tomatillo relish
• Cinnamon sugar brioche French toast with roasted apples and whipped yoghurt cream served with sweet syrup
• Gourmet bagel with bacon, tomato, pesto cream cheese, onion jam, and spinach served with barbecue sauce

I knew that I had nearly 3 hours in the lounge waiting for me in New Zealand, which would have full breakfast (and, previously, I had really liked the breakfast there!).  And I knew that my next flight would also serve breakfast.  So I was planning to just skip the breakfast on this flight, eat great breakfast in the lounge, and then have a second breakfast on the next flight.  I didn’t need, or want, 3 breakfast meals, right?  It seemed better to sleep in.

But I couldn’t resist trying the french toast, even though I’ve never liked the breakfast carbs on previous Air New Zealand flights, and even though they came with yoghurt instead of whipped cream.

Breakfast Place Setting, Coffee.

A (long) while later, a cart came through the aisle offering two types of cereal, plain or fruit low fat yogurt, and fruit salad that contained melons, which I’m allergic to.  I had tried, and disliked, all these items before, so I passed it up.  It was also 6am in my world, and less than 8 hours after eating dinner, so, I wasn’t exactly hungry.

I did opt to start with coffee, regular.  I was impressed that they were brewing plunger pots constantly, so it was quite fresh, and not large batch brewed.

The coffee was fine, but the mug so small.  I ran out before the cart was even out of sight.  I moved on to decaf, which sadly was instant.  Previously, it was a custom plunger, so this was a downgrade, but with some sweetener, it was ok.

*** for regular, **+ decaf.

Custard Danish.

Next came the “bakery”, a basket with several types of toast, spreads, croissants, and danishes.  I knew the danishes wouldn’t be very good, but, in case I hated my main, I wanted something, so I opted for a danish.  I had the choice of a filled apple claw, an open faced berry danish, or an open faced custard danish.  When do I ever turn down a baked good, after all?

I went for the custard.

It was lukewarm.  The pastry was soggy and gummy, not flaky and not very good.  The custard filling was nice enough, thick, rich.  I scooped it out, and basically had pudding.

Pudding for breakfast FTW?

**.

From the Stove: French Toast.

“Cinnamon sugar brioche French toast with roasted apples and whipped yoghurt cream served with sweet syrup.”

Again, after quite a lag, our main dishes were brought out one by one.  I knew the chances of the french toast being good were slim to none, but, hey, it sounded great.

Sadly, like previous breakfast carb dishes I ordered with Air New Zealand, it just wasn’t warm, even though served fresh from oven to order it seemed.  Why do they have such temperature serving issues?

The serving was kinda cute, 4 triangles of the toast, perched at different angles, with slices of the apples.  Definitely a more interesting serving format than the previous french toast I had on this same flight.  The toast was soggy, and I didn’t taste any cinnamon nor sugar coating.  On its own, certainly not very good, at all.

The whipped yoghurt cream I actually really liked.  It wasn’t tart like yogurt at all.  It was just thicker, not too sweet, whipped cream.  Which, well, I liked.

The “sweet syrup” was some kind of sugary liquid, I’m not quite sure what (golden syrup?), certainly not maple, but sweet and tasty enough to soak the lackluster french toast in.  With sufficient syrup and cream, a bite of the french toast was ok, but, I knew I had much better lounge breakfast waiting for me in an hour or so, so, I only ate half the toast (but did polish off that cream!).

Finally, the apples.  Meh.  Not very well cooked, still kinda hard, and not well spiced.

Coffee, custard pudding, and whipped cream, uh, breakfast of champions: part 1.  I eagerly looked froward to what awaited in the lounge on arrival. 

**.

January 2019

Flight Details:

Flight: NZ7, SFO-AKL

Class: Business Premier

Seat: 3A

Departure Time: 7:50pm (scheduled) 

Duration: 12 hours, 25 minutes

Another year, another flight from SFO-AKL.  Skipping all amenity and service details since it was much the same, just focusing on the dining.

Dinner Menu.

The menu followed a similar format as my previous flights: 2 choices of cold starter (one seafood, one chicken), 4 choices of main (chicken, fish, two vegetarian options, including one soup), 3 choices for dessert (ice cream, mousse, cheese), and a single “Mid-flight” snack option.

The main differences were that neither starter were vegetarian now, and the beef option was replaced with a vegetarian (Impossible meat though!)

The menu, in full:

To begin:

• Smoked scallops with Peruvian style sarsa salad and aji verde sauce.
• Grilled miso chicken and soba noodle salad with cauliflower, broccoli, soybeans and sesame dressing.

From the bakery:

• Dark rye and caraway bread, black olive bread and garlic bread offered with Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil.

Mains

• Impossible sliders with jalapeno chutney, tomato mayonnaise, buttermilk slaw, and vegetable crisps.
• Wood roasted chicken with aubergine and ricotta confit, braised broccoli rapini, pinenuts, watercress salad. 
• Seared cod with Okinawa potatoes, sesame seed sugar snap peas and tamarind, curry leaf, ginger coconut relish.
• Pumpkin soup with nutmeg cream and sage scone.

To finish

• Rocky road ice cream with crushed strawberry compote and chocolate sauce.
• Mexican horchata mousse cheesecake.
• A selection of fine American cheese served with fig relish and cracker selection.

Mid-flight snacks

• A warmed gourmet bagel with bacon, tomato, mustard cream cheese, onion jam, and spinach.

I was fairly pleased with the menu.  

I easily selected the scallops to start, because I love scallops, although my co-worker who had flown a few days prior said they were too smoky.  Still, scallops!  My choice of main too was fairly easy, as I think Impossible meat is actually fairly tasty, and the accompaniments sounded fantastic.  The rest of my cabin was very excited about the chicken, nearly every single person ordering it.  I did like the sound of the ricotta confit, but, it had pine nuts, and, well, it is chicken, so it wasn't even something I considered.  The scone with the soup also sounded good.  But, scallops and sliders were my easy choice.

Chardonnay, Sparkling Water, Nuts.

Pre-takeoff, we were asked what drinks we'd like once underway, and I, for once, was not prepared.  Normally I'd have re-read my notes in advance so I would remember what drinks I liked!  Amusingly, I selected exactly the same as my last flight: chardonnay.   And of course sparkling water.

Drinks were delivered fairly quickly once we were up, served with mixed nuts, that I stashed away to enjoy later.  The nuts were just simply salted, but were nice to much on in the morning.

And reading my notes now, I felt the same way about the wine as last time.  It was likely the same wine?  I'm not sure what it was though, as no details were provided either time.

Anyway, it was fine, not too acidic, fairly buttery, a little sweet.  I was not provided a full can of sparkling water this time, but that is likely a good thing, as I tend to drink too much water and need to use the bathroom often and that makes trying to sleep on board even harder. ***+.

Pinot Noir.

Later in the flight I opted for red wine to pair with my main, and I went for the pinot.  I liked it as well, not too tannic, a nice enough wine.

Air New Zealand really does pick some nice wines, I think they will please many, very "drinkable", table wines. ***+.

Smoked scallops with Peruvian style sarsa salad and aji verde sauce.

Starters were served from the cart a while later, along with drink refills.

I was excited for the scallops, even though my co-worker had said they were too smoky and she didn't like the salad that came with.  Turns out ... I should have listened to her!

I had no idea that smoked scallops *could* be too smoky, but, these really were.  The serving was 6 tiny scallops, all of which had a nice texture, but, yes, were just far too smoky.  I really disliked the first one, but kept trying fairly fascinated by them.  How were smoked scallops this un-tasty?  I don't know.

And, the salad too, I did not like.  I am not familiar with Peruvian sarsa salad, so it was a guessing game as I went along, but I certainly found lima beans and radish, plus what seemed like cubes of potatoes, and .. something I couldn't quite pinpoint. My co-worker had said she thought it was feta, but it didn't seem cheesy to me, although it was squishy.  I think it was hominy?  Anyway, it had different textures (crunchy, soft, etc), and it had acid to balance out the other components, but ... I really, really did not like it either.

Ok, then, she was really right on this one, not that I wanted the other option, chicken soba.

*+.

Dark Rye and Caraway Bread.

I never usually opt for bread on flights, but, Air New Zealand has actually really impressed me with the bread in the past, particularly, the whole wheat rolls and purple rolls.

So I tried it, even though I couldn't imagine it would be good just based on inspection.  Since the garlic bread (which always smells AMAZING) is sourdough based, and I wasn't feeling the olive bread, I opted for the rye, which, really, truly was just sliced bread, stale, dry, and barely warm.  I should have known better.

Maybe the bread is only good on New Zealand based flights? *+.

Impossible Sliders / Slaw / Crisps.

"Impossible sliders with jalapeno chutney, tomato mayonnaise, buttermilk slaw, and vegetable crisps."

Air New Zealand did a pretty decent job with the sliders, served 3 to an order, which, really was a bit too much on a flight like this.  Each slider patty was actually very thick, and this was easily more than a standard burger, plus, lots of extra bread too, at a time when you kinda want to be eating lighter.

Anyway, they came plated nicely with slaw, a puddle of tomato mayonnaise, and crisps.

I liked the slaw.  It was really crisp, good texture, nicely dressed, creamy.  I wished I could have more.  I briefly considered asking for more, but, I really wasn't hungry anyway.  **** for the slaw.

Impossible Sliders: Close Up.

The slider buns were shiny brioche buns, warm, toasted, buttered.  Decent little buns, I was impressed.

The tomato mayonnaise I had mixed feelings on.  It was ... fine. But it didn't taste quite like mayo, missing the sharp tang, and it didn't really taste like tomato, although it was orange and had some chunks.  I liked the idea of it more than I liked the actual result it seems.

The "jalapeno chutney" seemed to be sundried tomato spread.  No heat.  No spice.  And it certainly had chunks of sundried tomato and was red.  It came applied to the top of the burgers already.  Meh to that.

Since Impossible meat is not new to me, I knew what to expect from the flavor and texture.  It was done fine, fairly juicy, as juicy as these things really get, the thick patty certainly helped that.

So, all good, except that I wasn't in love with this dish.  I really, really like generous ketchup and mayo with my Impossible meat.  I think they both compliment the patty really well.  Here, I had tomato components, and I had mayo components, but, they didn't work as I wanted really.  I needed more flavor, more sauces.

Still, overall, a very noble, impressive effort from Air New Zealand, and, wow, they are serving Impossible burgers?! ***.

Terra Chips!

The "vegetable crisps" that came with my sliders came from a regular bag of Terra chips, which I spied when I got up to use the bathroom.

I liked them though, so, not a problem for me for that they weren't anything more special.

Mexican horchata mousse cheesecake.

Dessert was offered immediately as my dinner plate was cleared.  They clearly were ready to move us forward, even if I wanted to take my time.  Since the ice cream was chocolate, and I don't think they serve that great of ice cream on departures from the US, I went for the cheesecake, after having just had *horrible* cheesecake in the Polaris lounge.

I had no idea what to expect from this.  "Mousse cheesecake"?  Is that just a lighter cheesecake?  Nope, it seemed to be layered, one layer mousse, one layer cheesecake?  A thin crust, a white layer, a brown layer.

The brown layer was cinnamon.  Gritty cinnamon.  Strong cinnamon.  I hated the texture, and it was also a strange consistency, certainly not mousse, and not cheesecake, more like a cream based cinnamon jelly.  Not good.

The white layer was the cheesecake, but it was no better.  At least it was not gritty, but good cheesecake this was not.  The crust was forgettable.

The whipped cream was ok?

*+.

Breakfast Menu.

As always, about 2.5 hours before landing, the lights came on, and the cabin filled with clicking, banging, and assorted noises.  Not nearly enough sleep for me, but alas, time for breakfast #1 of the day.

No surprises on the breakfast menu, same format, just a different flavor of smoothie and new brand of cereal, but otherwise the same hot options of eggs, omelette, sweet carbs, or bagel ...

Sleep-in breakfast

Before going to sleep, please advise your flight attendant you wish to sleep-in and we will wake you as late as possible and offer fruit, yoghurt, cereal, bakery, and a beverage of your choice.

Wake-up drinks

• Get yourself started with an all natural mango ginger and turmeric smoothie or your choice of juice.

From the pantry

• Fresh fruit salad
• Low fat plain yoghurt or low fat plain yoghurt with wild berries
• Vogel's Cafe Style Light Berry Gluten Free Cereal
• Vogel's Cafe Style Luxury Muesli

From the bakery

• Croissants
• Whole wheat, white or raisin pecan toast wit your choice of: marmalade, strawberry jam, Vegemite, marmite

From the stove

• Poached eggs on toasted muffins with black forest ham, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce.
• Omelette filled with soft cheese, corn beef skillet hash, tomatillo salsa and roasted tomato.
• Banana buckwheat pancakes with blueberry compote and brown sugar sour cream, syrup.
• Gourmet bagel with bacon, tomato, mustard cream cheese, onion jam, and spinach served with barbecue sauce.

Smoothies and juice were offered as we woke up, our main dish orders were taken, and a while later, the cart came through with coffee, tea, and the "pantry" items.  The bakery made me sad, although the baked goods have never been *actually* good, I have always quasi-enjoyed the danishes, which are no longer offered.

I know by now not to select the breakfast carbs on Air New Zealand, no matter how good they sound, as every single breakfast hot carb dish, be it french toast, waffles, or pancakes, served on these flights is just never good.  I only ever like the toppings, and, my co-worker already told me the toppings were not delightful.  And, I actually *liked* the poached egg dish (well, not the overcooked eggs, but the toppings), last I had it, so that was an easy order.

Coffee, Sparkling Water.

I started with coffee and sparkling water.

The coffee was fairly awful to be honest.  Murky, acidic, it had funk to it.  I really didn't like it, and needed to add sugar and milk.  The person next to me asked for soy milk, which I had no idea was an option, so I did as well.  It came ... with a big piece of plastic bag floating in it.   The coffee is usually fresh brewed plunger coffee, so this was certainly a letdown.  *+.

I moved on to decaf coffee for my second cup, and it was significantly better.  I believe it was an individual french press, rather than instant as decaf often is, as it came in a little plunger pot and was poured for me tableside.  No funk, and not bad actually. ***.

Protip for next time: get the decaf, and wait to have my daily cup of regular until I'm in the lounge with proper espresso machine.

Vogel's Cereal.

I was kinda interested to see the cereal changed, no longer just "honey nut cereal" and "toasted fruit cereal", neither of which I ever liked before, but now the brand is listed, and the options sound far fancier ... "Cafe Style"!  

The cereals were clearly new to the staff, who stumbled over offering them and describing them.  But two of the FAs independently told me that they recommended it, and one said he liked to mix them together.  He gave me a bag of each to try myself.  I didn't eat them on the flight, but later had them, and, yeah, I kinda liked both, although they were totally different (one more like a muesli, one more like a berry crunch).

In the future, I'd definitely consider getting this to eat on the flight if the mains don't appeal, and even ask for soy milk as my base.

***+.

Poached Eggs.

"Poached eggs on toasted muffins with black forest ham, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce."

Main dishes were delivered one by one, starting with all the omelette orders, then the poached eggs, then the pancakes, and finally, bagels.  I like how they make this efficient for themselves, even if it means people not getting served at the same time as those near them.

I was impressed with the presentation of the eggs, the hollandaise applied through a squeeze bottle and nicely drizzled, topped with chives.

I liked this dish before, but I was less impressed this time.  Perhaps I was also just less hungry.  It was the middle of the night still for me, and, I had a very late dinner.

The hollandaise was good actually, which I know is unlikely, but, it really wasn't bad.  Balanced, creamy.  The spinach was fine, just cooked spinach, but not just a pile of mush.  Spinach + hollandaise + salt & pepper really was enjoyable. **** for these bits.

The english muffins were awful though, last time I liked them as they soaked up the sauces, but this time, they were just dense and gummy.  Did not like. *.

I also did not like the ham, it really was just sliced deli meat, no really flavor to it.  It could have used some of the smoke from the overly smoky scallops! **.

Last time I liked the muffins, spinach, hollandaise, and even kinda the ham, but lamented the cook on the eggs: completely hard.  This time though, the eggs actually impressed.

Actually Poached!

I cut into the first egg expecting the same lackluster job as last time, yet was shocked to see it was actually poached fairly textbook - yolk entirely runny but the white set.  Well, huh.  Both were poached this well.

Unfortunately the eggs were fairly flavorless, but, wow, whoever was running the galley did a nice job preparing.  One FA even saw how perfectly they oozed and commented, "Wow, at least the eggs are perfect! Nice and runny!"  He told me he takes pride in getting the eggs right when he runs that station.

***+ overall for the dish.

March 2019

Flight Details:

Flight: NZ7, SFO-AKL
Class: Business Premier
Seat: 3A
Departure Time: 7:50pm (scheduled) 8:30pm (actual) Duration: 12 hours, 25 minutes

The next month ... same exact seat, same exact menu. Signs that I was flying a bit too much.

Light Dinner / Dessert / Breakfast.

The flight was quite turbulent, with the seatbelt sign on for the first 6 hours (!). Meal service was pretty rough, with drinks and soups spilling everywhere, but the crew made it work. No highlights, besides the port, which I continue to adore.

Dinner

I was not thrilled by having the exact same menu, since I disliked the appetizer last time (and had no interest in trying the other appetizer), and wasn't really into the mains, and I hated the dessert (and couldn't have the ice cream, because, chocolate is caffeine and its already hard enough sleeping on a plane ...).

I mostly ate in the airport, and brought along takeout from Yankee Pier, so I had a side and dessert all lined up in my bag, and opted to just try the light soup and scone offering from in-flight service.

Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkling Water, Nuts.

I decided to mix it up and opted for the sauvignon blanc this time, even though the chardonnay wasn't bad before. It was fine, a fairly ... rich wine, if that makes any sense. Very buttery, not too much acid, a bit sweet. ***.

As always, the wine (and my requested sparkling water), were served soon after takeout, along with some mixed nuts (not warm, but nicely salted, just almonds/cashews).

Syrah.

With the meal, I moved on to red wine, and decided to try the Syrah, again, just to try something different, even though the Pinot Noir was fine before. The server was very enthusiastic about this wine, telling me I should go visit the winery if I ever had the chance.

I liked it. Not too much tannin, really an enjoyable wine. I'd get this again. ***+.

Olive Bread.

I felt bad declining the appetizers, and the bread, but I never like the garlic bread (no matter how good it smells!), and I knew I didn't like the rye, so ... I gave the olive bread a try.

It was lukewarm, and yes, had some chunks of olive, but was a bit spongy, and meh. I miss the hearty purple rolls, really the only good bread I've ever had on a flight.  *.

Main: Pumpkin soup with nutmeg cream .

I mostly ordered this just to have ... something, although I had a salad in my bag, purchased at the airport. I'm not really a soup girl, but nutmeg cream and a savory scone had some promise.

The soups were served just after the appetizers, long, long before anyone else's meals. So, if you want a fast option, definitely go for the soup (although, there was quite a lag before dessert in this case, since I had literally finished before any non-soup people in my cabin got their mains).

The soup was ... fine? Creamy, pumpkin soup. No real texture, comforting I guess. The nutmeg cream was mostly integrated in and not distinguishable, although the nutmeg taste was there.

I wouldn't get it again, just because its really not my thing, but if you are into soup, or want a light meal, this wasn't a bad dish. ***.

Main (Side): Sage scone.

The "scone" was actually ... scones, plural, and was certainly more like rolls than scones.  I can't say there was anything remotely scone-like about these, not the texture, not the flavor, nothing.

The scones were also served cold, which surprised me, given that the "bakery" items are served hot. Very odd, actually.

The sage leaf on top was a nice touch, and there was sage throughout, but these were fairly awful. The texture was just downright odd, they tasted gluten-free, really the only way I can describe them. Sorta like sawdust. Really quite awful, even if dunked into the soup to mask the texture. *.

Ice Cream / Port.

 "Rocky road ice cream with crushed strawberry compote and chocolate sauce."

Last time I tried the Mexican horchata mousse cheesecake, and literally hated it, so, ice cream it was, even though it was chocolate, and I generally avoid caffeine at night, particularly when I'm about to try to sleep in a strange place ...

The ice cream doesn't normally come with whipped cream, but I asked to have the horchata whipped cream added from the other dessert.   Because ... why not?

The ice cream was served at perfect temperature, slightly melty. It was fine ice cream, but pretty generic, not the quality of the premium New Zealand brand they serve out of Auckland and Sydney. I liked the texture from the few nuts inside.

The strawberry compote was not as I expected at all ... the berries were frozen! The texture was unexpected, but once I was ready for it, I kinda like it. The chocolate sauce was just chocolate sauce, not fudge, just thin and runny.

Along with sundae, I had a glass of port, which I adored, just as I had on my previous flights.  I'm so glad I discovered this port, it truly is just perfect with desserts. ****+ for the port, *** dessert.

My Own Dessert ... Customized.

But of course, I had other plans. I may or may not have planned to mostly stash the ice cream in my travel mug, and enjoy as a milkshake in the morning (this is normal behavior right?), and instead eat my own cheesecake I brought on board instead. #alwaysPrepared. (And seriously, the joy a melty milkshake brings me in the morning is worth it!).

The cheesecake I brought came from Yankee Pier in the airport, to which I added the strawberry compote from the sundae and the bonus horchata whipped cream.  I must say, these were great enhancements, and when the FA saw me plating up my masterpiece, she told me she loved it, and that there were "no rules on plane". Then she told me I should try the other dessert wine too.  Next thing I knew, I had another dessert wine in front of me to pair with this.  I liked her style.

Breakfast

The breakfast menu was also unchanged. Even though I didn't have them on my previous flight, I didn't want to try another sad version of pancakes aboard an Air New Zealand flight, after way too many lackluster versions. I had no real interest in the omelette. So ... I opted for the same poached eggs (as I at least I liked the hollandaise before ...).

Coffee.

I skipped all the cereal, yogurt, and fruit offered from the cart, as I don't like the yogurt (Berkeley Farms brand ex-US),  and the fruit had melon (allergic).   I also skipped the "bakery", as I've tried the full line up, and since they've done away with danishes (!), there isn't really anything I like.

I did opt for coffee, and although I didn't like it, I do give Air New Zealand credit for brewing in small batches in big plunger pots. It was just too harsh for my taste, and I almost asked for hot water just to mellow it out. * coffee really.   Sadness.

I moved on to the decaf, clearly instant, with a stale, watery taste. It did better sweetened, and milked. **.

Main: Poached Eggs.

"Poached eggs on toasted muffins with black forest ham, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce."

The poached eggs were nearly identical to my last trip.

The english muffin soggy and not very good, the eggs looked beautiful and did have a perfectly runny yolk but were flavorless, the black forest ham was just sliced deli ham, the spinach was nicely wilted, and the hollandaise quite good.

I enjoyed my steamed spinach a la hollandaise, particularly once I seasoned it with the provided salt and pepper.  ***.

And then I moved on to my melty rocky road ice cream milkshake and strawberries, to which I added the mixed nuts from our departure drinks, and basically made a sweet breakfast soup. It was very, very satisfying, and I give myself a **** for this creation.

2019 October

Flight Details:

Flight: NZ7, SFO-AKL

Class: Business Premier

Seat: 9K

Departure Time: 8:50pm (scheduled) 9:50pm (actual)

Duration: 12 hours, 25 minutes

I’ll keep this intro short, since I’ve reviewed the basics of Air New Zealand’s Business Premier before. 

Great seat for sleeping, uncomfortable seat for sitting, moderate storage space, friendly staff.  No pajamas, no slippers, but yay, socks.

I had a seat that I knew would not be great, 9K, the first row in the small rear cabin, adjacent, directly, to the bathroom and galley.  As I expected, it was not a quiet seat, the rattling silverware, the "woosh!" as every single person flushed ... got old, fast.

The small back cabin was peaceful in that there were only 4 rows, but, the entire rest of the plane (except the front business cabin) board through there, so the foot traffic during boarding was constant, and made the initial 30 minutes not exactly peaceful either.  And ... the biggest downside of the back cabin, it is last for meal service, and the side I was on is very last.

Supper Menu.

The menu format was exactly as all previous flights: choice of two starters, choice of 4 mains (the vegetarian option always just a soup), choice of ice cream, mousse, and cheese for dessert, with the "fast dine" option of the soup and mouse for those who didn't want the full meal service and just wanted to go to bed.  Our main dish orders were taken before takeoff.

I opted to skip the main, and have only a starter and dessert, given the late flight time (an hour later than my previous trips, due to daylight savings), and the fact that I had decided to just dine in the Polaris lounge instead.  The mains weren't particularly calling out anyway, as the burger was fairly lackluster last I had it and sounded exactly the same (and no cheese! no aioli!), I dislike chicken and that dish also had dreaded pine nuts, meh to soup, and the seafood option didn't really sound compelling (cauliflower, broad beans, and pomegranate?  meh).  

That said, nearly everyone around me ordered the burger, and, it turns out, the menu was a bit of a lie!  Had the description been correct, I certainly would have ordered it.  It *did* have cheese, which looked perfectly melted.  It had a huge pile of caramelized onions.  It had lovely fresh looking huge leaves of lettuce, not rocket.  Basically, the reasons I didn't order it - no cheese, no toppings I was excited for, were not actually true.  Oh well.

For starters, I immediately knew I wanted the duck, since I have had fantastic duck on Air New Zealand flights, although it has also been hit or miss.  The other option, a eggplant and tahini dip with veggies did sound decent..

And then desserts ... the mousse option (sometimes panna cotta) is usually fairly horrible on these flights, but the ice cream was loaded with caffeine, which I didn't want in the evening.  The flavors themselves both were caffeinated - java chips in one, and chocolate covered nuts in the other.  The sauce added to it was fudge, and it had chocolate nibs sprinkled on top.  Sadness.

Of course, I have experience with these desserts, and often will get the ice cream, put it in my travel mug, and drink it as a milkshake for breakfast (it gets really nicely melty!), and I usually grab another dessert from the lounge before my flight, or bring something from home.

Meal service took what seemed like forever, given that I was in the back cabin.  It was 10:30pm before our starters were even offered.  I was very glad I did not plan to have a main.

Pinot Noir / Sparkling Water / Nuts.

The nuts were quite satisfying, although served SOOO cold.  The ramekin was freezing!  A mix of only cashews and almonds, but they were really salty, which apparently was exactly what I wanted.  The almonds had a smokiness to them too.

The pinot was a much larger pour than I wanted, given that I had some wine in the lounge prior to boarding, and really wanted some port with my dessert.  I forgot to ask for a small pour.

It was fine, not tannic at all, very drinkable, although not very robust or interesting.  Still, uh, I finished that giant glass.  Gulp.  Literally. ***.

Port.

Later on, I did opt for some port with my dessert, and although I usually love the Air New Zealand port, this time ... I really was not into it at all.  So, luckily I had my giant glass of pinot. **.

Starter: Duck.

"Smoked duck breast with roasted beetroots, walnut, and ginger aioli."

The duck was good.  Not as fabulous as some versions have been in the past, but those were really remarkable.  This was good though - three slices, great smoky flavor, tender.  I wasn't into the beets as they aren't my thing in general, and the walnuts were kinda odd to have on there, good for texture but they were just walnuts, not roasted.  I liked the micro greens for garnish, but I really do wish they'd offer salads on their flights, a salad with this duck on top would be great.

The ginger aioli ... didn't taste like ginger?  It was creamy, but I just didn't taste ginger at all, and wasn't into the flavor that was there, almost ... mustard like?  It made me wonder if they mixed it up.  Luckily, I had some really fabulous garlic aioli with me (you know, like you do), and that went better.

Overall, a good starter, not fabulous, but good enough.  ***.

Dessert: Strawberry mousse cake with balsamic glaze.

I did still get the mousse cake, even though I had low expectations.

My low expectations were warranted.  They just really aren't so good with desserts.

The base tasted like ... um, what I imagine cardboard tastes like?  Soft though, not the texture of cardboard, nor the texture of a hard style tart shell.  But it was just soft meh.  Not a winning element.

Above that was a ... layer I can't describe, honestly.  It was sorta like a cake, sorta like a cheesecake.  Which might sound like a good thing, but good this was not.  It was like a thin cake, but oddly dense, if that makes sense.  I really, truly didn't like it.

The top layer was the best part, not what I'd consider a mousse exactly, not light and fluffy, not rich and creamy, but the strawberry flavor was nice.  Still, not really something I wanted.  The "balsamic glaze" was ... congealed.  And had no flavor at all.  A nice concept though, strawberry and balsamic are a great combination.

Ok, the real best part, was just the simple whipped cream and not-really-fresh raspberries on the side.  Really, this dessert ... not a winner. **.

Dessert: Ice Cream.

"Java chip and vanilla swiss almond ice cream with fudge and chocolate nibs."

When you depart from New Zealand, the ice cream served on board is fabulous, a New Zealand brand, but from the US, it is just Häagen-Dazs.

I got this so I could stash it in my travel mug, and have with breakfast, but of course I had to give it a small try before I did so .. it would be a shame not to, right?

Interestingly, the vanilla Swiss almond ice cream was rock solid, but the java chip was quite soft.  Given that the crew do not scoop these out to order, and they come this way, I'm not really sure how this is possible.  It was drizzled with a chocolate sauce that wasn't particularly "fudge" consistency, and topped with chocolate covered flakes (not "nibs" as the menu advertised).

The java chip ice cream didn't have a particularly strong "java" flavor, but I liked the generous flecks of chocolate, darker chocolate.  The vanilla swiss almond was great, full of sliced chocolate covered nuts.  Lots of textures, just in the ice cream itself.

I really liked the chocolate coated crisps on top as well, and appreciated them for the crunch and texture.  When I later finished this off with breakfast, it was almost like I was eating cereal, right?

Overall, some good flavors, textures, and well composed sundae.  ****.

Breakfast Menu.

The breakfast lineup again, just like all other flights.

Smoothies and juices were offered about 2.5 hours from landing, as the crew converted our beds back into seats.  I skipped all of these.

Our main dish orders were taken soon after, a choice of poached egg dish, a carb, a "gourmet" bagel, and this time, the wildcard dish was potato rosti.  The last choice always alternates between a second egg dish (usually an omelette) or something potato or fritter based.

The "pantry" and "bakery" were offered from a cart and basket, respectively, quite a while later, the pantry before the bakery.  Again, because we were in the back cabin, service was much later than the front cabin, which was better in this case, except that they did wake us all up at the same time.  The pantry offerings were identical to my past few flights, although the yogurt was Greek rather than low fat.  The bakery was exactly the same, just croissants, the danishes really are no more.

For my main dish choice, I went for the poached eggs, which is very amusing for me, given that I don't care for poached eggs usually in the US, and you know how much I love my breakfast carbs (pancakes, waffles, and the like).  But after trying soooo many of Air New Zealand's breakfast carb options and disliking, literally, every single one, I've finally learned to give up, no matter how much I might want the blueberry compote and brown sugar sour cream that came with the pancakes.

I was tempted by the potato rosti, which was actually described as "mushrooms" by the FA taking our orders, as it sounded like something I may like, and the savory fritter dishes I have enjoyed before.  I was ... mildly tempted by the "gourmet bagel" as one time I really did like it, and this one had melty swiss, mustard cream cheese, and onion jam ... but, poached eggs it was, as they have been fairly good before, and, well, hollandaise.  I'm a sucker.

Decaf Coffee.

Decaf served on board is instant, and, depending on who makes it, you get a very different cup of coffee.

I had about 5 cups on my two flights this day, and some came only half full, with a big base of sludge.  Others came entirely full, watered down, barely any flavor.  Only one was actually good, well mixed, not diluted.

From the Stove: Poached Eggs.

"Poached eggs on dark rye toast with spinach, smashed avocado, and sriracha hollandaise".

Of course, I asked to have the avocado left off, given that I'm allergic.  But, heh, basically, fancy avocado toast here!

They really did mix this up from previous versions - the avocado instead of ham, the use of rye toast instead of english muffins, and, oooh, trendy sriracha in the hollandaise.  Unfortunately, whoever was running the galley for this flight did not do a very good job.  My previous orders had looked pretty fabulous, smothered in hollandaise (yes!), but this ... well, it just looked sad.  And it wasn't just because I asked for no avocado, I saw the regular order come out as most of my neighbors also ordered this, and, it was just a pile of mash on the side of the plate.

Anyway.  There were some good points.  And some low points.

The lowest point?  The toast.  It was hard around the edges, not hard like stale, nor hard like over toasted, but hard like it was ... well, heated in an oven.  Which I think it was.  The "bakery" toast actually comes out reasonable, but this was pretty awful.  Under the eggs though it was soft and soggy.  I quickly discarded the toast.

The hollandaise was fine I guess, but there was so little of it that it was hard to really taste.  I did not taste sriracha, but there was a creamy sauce.  That was ... something.

The spinach was enjoyable.  Just simple wilted spinach, but, it was nice to have something light and savory.  Of course, I didn't just eat it that way, I used the little bit of hollandaise I had, I added salt and pepper, and then I pulled out the rest of my garlic aioli (still in my bag, on ice).  Now, *that* was really satisfying.  Yes, I was literally eating forkfuls of wilted spinach and about equal parts creamy garlic aioli, but it hit the spot, before I moved on to my sweet course.

Not-so-poached Egg.

Oh, and the eggs of course.

My two eggs were entirely inconsistent.  Remarkably so.

The first, not so poached.  Completely hard.  Yolk entirely cooked through, no oozing at all.  The egg whites were fine on this one, not rubbery, but, not much interesting, just good for the protein.

Nicely Poached Egg.

The other though?  Well, it was beautifully poached, and oozed out everywhere when I cut in.  Pretty textbook in the ooze factor.  But ... come on, why so different?  Unfortunately, the whites on this one were fairly slimy.

Overall, I was still glad I picked this dish.  The spinach with my aioli was a nice savory course, and I had enough of the egg to make sure I had a responsible amount of protein ... before moving on to my travel mug full of perfectly melty ice cream and crumble, from dinner ... now *that* was enjoyable! ***+.

Original Review, 2015

I’ve travelled to Sydney many times now, but I’ve always flown with Qantas (like my last flight from LAX-SYD and SYD-LAX), as my status is with One World.  But this time around, the prices to fly Business Class on Qantas were just so high that it was time to try something different.  I’ve heard good things about Air New Zealand, and it was literally half the price.  Their Business class also has fully flat seats, the flight time is about the same (I always flew on Qantas through LAX, with NZ I’d fly through Aukland), so, besides price, it seemed similar enough to try.  I do prefer the idea of dealing with the layover early on the trip rather than once I’m tired and jet lagged, but, alas, the reasonable prices for Air New Zealand were just too compelling.

I'm glad I did.  Spoiler: these reasonably priced business class seats have the most comfortable beds I've ever flown on.  I actually slept on a plane, for the first time in my life.  The food was very hit or miss, but I was shocked at the quality of the produce served on board.

We started our journey at the Singapore Airlines SFO Lounge, since Air New Zealand doesn’t have their own lounge in SF.  Like all SF airline lounges, it was highly underwhelming, but we weren’t there for long and it didn’t really matter.

The flight, NZ 7, departed from SFO at 9:45pm, with 13 hour flight time.  The departure time and length were ideal for sleep (at least staying on an SF schedule) but was a bit awkward for dinner on board.  I ate before I even went to the airport though, so that wasn't a big deal.

Cabin, Seat, and Amenities

Business Class Seat.

The aircraft was a 747-300, their premium product.

The flight offers economy, premium economy, and business, no first class.  I was seated in business, broken up into the large front cabin with 28 seats, and a smaller cabin directly in front of premium economy, separated by a galley and two bathrooms.  An additional galley and restroom are in front as well.  We were in row 3, which I selected since I wanted to be as far away from the large main cabin as possible, but not directly adjacent to the galley.  It was quiet and everyone on board our flight was really polite and nicely behaved, I was never bothered by noise of any sort.

The layout is 1-2-1, but herringbone, so every seat has direct aisle access.  This turns out to be incredibly nice.  Of course, if you were traveling with someone and wanted to spend quality time together on the plane, that wasn’t really possible.  You could probably chat over the divider a bit if you were seated one in front of the other?  Ojan and I were across the aisle, me in the window, him in the center, since from the seat map, I thought that would be better for talking, but it really wasn’t.  Not that we needed to talk much anyway, we both had our own agendas for the flight, and spent most of it sleeping anyway.  Plus, each seat did have a visitor seat (more on that soon).  Next time, I’d try to place us one in front of the other, along the window, but I don’t think there is any major advantage one way or the other.

The front cabin had only one vacant seat, but the smaller cabin behind had a few.  I expected bathroom contention since there were only 3 bathrooms, particularly in the morning, but I rarely waited, and when I did, it was always less than a minute.

My Seat.

The seat wasn’t super comfortable when fully upright, but once I was able to recline it was much nicer.  A fluffy pillow was provided at the seat.  The seat also has an ottoman which proved to be really nice to put my feet on for a while, but eventually I felt myself wishing the seat had a customary foot rest/leg extension, rather than just the short seat.  The ottoman doubles as a guest seat, to go chat with another passenger, and is designed specifically to allow two people to dine together with the table between them, a fact that was pointed out to Ojan and I more than once.  We didn’t set up together for dinner, but, since I love to try bits of everything, I kept dashing over to his guest seat during the meal to try his dishes, and it worked out perfectly.  The little guest seat really was convenient.

Storage is provided in the overhead bin for large items, and I was able to tuck both my purse and my laptop bag under the ottoman, even during takeoff and landing.  The seat had a small pocket on the side for the headphones, a water bottle, and book or magazine (although I sorta managed to cram my MacBook Air into there as well).  Overall it was slightly less well designed for in-flight comfort than some other First Class seats I’ve been in, and there was no large storage cabinet nor nice little cubbies to tuck things into, but, I didn’t actually have any problems since there was so much space under the ottoman in front of me.  For the price, and business class, the seat was very nice.

As the night wore on, I watched the seats around me all get transformed into beds. Unlike most seats that extend out to form a bed, this one actually flips over, which explains the lack of leg rest.  They also provide an actual almost-matress, a blanket, and a second pillow.  The flight attendants were very proactive in telling people that they’d make their beds up at any time, I imagine no one can ever figure this out themselves unless they had watched it happen many times before.

The bed was magic.  I’ve been on a handful of very premium first class flights at this point.  Their seats are obviously bigger, more full of bells and whistles.  But this was, hands down, the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on airborne.  I have no idea what happened to my photo of it, I know I took one!

Yes, it was fully flat, but many airlines have fully flat beds.  Due to the way it flipped up and over and formed a solid foundation with the ottoman though, there was absolutely no sag, no weird lumps, no slight slant, none of the other things that often plague “flat” beds.  The foundation was very, very solid.  On top of that they place a rather thick mattress pad.  Definitely more than an inch thick.  It wasn’t crazy memory foam or anything like that, but it was very, very comfortable.  The seat, while it didn’t seem extravagantly wide when I was sitting up, felt ridiculously wide once I was laying down.  I’m a side sleeper, and one who always curls up slightly, and normally my knees end up hitting the sides, the wall, or sticking into the aisle.  I had no such problems on this flight.  The provided blanket was a nice thickness, and the cabin temperature was held ideal throughout the flight.  I often am cold during the awake time, or hot during the night, but neither of these things happened.  I was really a comfortable temperature, the entire flight.

Comfort, comfort, comfort.  That is the theme here.  This truly was a remarkably comfortable bed.  I’m an awful sleeper in general, anyone who knows me knows this.  I sleep poorly whenever my environment is not ideal, when I visit anywhere, stay in any hotel, or even go back to my parent’s house.  Or, when my AC breaks at home and my bedroom is literally just 1 degree warmer than usual.  Given this, you can imagine how bad I normally am on flights.  I never get any actual sleep.

But I slept on this flight.  No, I didn’t sleep a solid 8 hours.  I got up to use the bathroom 4 times through the night, each time when awoken by turbulence.  But I fell back asleep instantly each time, even faster than I do when I’m at home.  Ojan said I looked like I was totally out of it the entire time.  I woke up with no back pain, no strange soreness.  Wow.  What a bed.

In-Flight Unit.

The inflight entertainment system had a decent selection of movies and tv, including a feature where you can “favorite” selections as you browse through, which I really appreciated.  I “favorited” a bunch of selections, and then could go back to review them, no need to keep them all in mind.  You can provide your e-mail address so they could sent it to you later too.

The entertainment system also had games and music, which I didn’t explore, and the menus for drinks and snacks, which I could order through this system if I wanted.  I’m assuming that feature is more used in economy, as I never needed to ask for anything.

A power port and a usb port were available at the seat.  I’m so glad to see USB basically everywhere these days, as I always have my phone with me.  It helped to just keep it plugged in and attached, so I didn’t ever lose it.

Bathroom.

The bathroom was pretty simple, the faucet at least had a motion sensor so it doesn’t turn off annoyingly (seriously, I hate the push button, get 2 seconds of water models!)  It didn’t have anything besides soap however, not even hand lotion, which I found pretty disappointing given how awful air travel is on the skin.  I didn’t bring my own lotion, assuming the bathroom and amenity kit would have it.  So, they do cut some corners to keep the costs down.

They did have the little washcloth things that are nicer than paper towels for washing your face in the morning, but it pilled all over my hands, and made putting my contacts in a bit difficult.  The front bathroom was smaller and didn’t have a window, but the ones in the middle of the cabin each had a window.

Amenity Kit.

Sitting on our ottomans when we arrived was an amenity kit, with socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste, and ear plugs.  No lotion here either.  Nor lip balm.  I’m used to these being standard in amenity kits and failed to bring them myself, which I immediately regretted.  My lips and skin were so dry, so fast!

(It turns out, they were there, in a hidden compartment in the kit, that I never discovered.  Nor did Ojan.  Or about half my co-workers.  I was complaining about this and one person mentioned it, so I went and looked - of course I kept my kit! - and lo and behold, yes, there was a tiny lotion and lip balm in there.  Doh!)

Socks.

Air New Zealand wins some serious points for the socks.  They were colorful and ridiculous, and yet we all put them on.  It was quite humorous to see them paired with all sorts of ensembles, from pajamas to full suits.  I just had to take a photo when I looked up and saw everyone in the entire flight wearing their socks!

Speaking of pajamas, no pajamas are provided either, but I knew this in advance, and brought my own.

The Food

Full Menu.

And now, for the part you were clearly waiting for, since this IS Julie’s Dining Club after all - the food!

Waiting on our ottomans for us was the printed menu, with both the supper and breakfast selections.  Before takeoff, our dinner orders were taken, including drinks.  We were offered pre-takeoff sparkling wine, orange juice, or water as well.

Supper

Supper Menu.

The menu started with a “Fast Dine” option, meant for folks who just want to get to bed quickly.  The Fast Dine option is always just a hot soup, chunky bread, and dessert.   It is served as soon as possible, and on a single tray right away.  No pacing.  For this flight, the selection was:

• Sweetcorn and saffron soup with blue corn chips and sour cream.
• Raspberry white chocolate mousse cake.

Otherwise, a full dinner menu is available, with starters, a bread basket, mains, and dessert.

There were two choices “To begin”:

• Prosciutto with preserved figs, bocconcini, and green olive and basil dressing.
• Grilled prawns with pico de gallo and jicama cucumber salad.

Followed by selections “From the bakery” of wholegrain sourdough bread, black olive bread, or garlic bread.

Next were 4 choices for mains.  The only vegetarian selection was the same soup as offered in the Fast Dine.  I guess a vegetarian could order a special meal?  I still thought it was notable, normally airlines offer a vegetarian pasta option, which is usually what I go for, as I rarely find the proteins well cooked, or decent quality.

• Angus beef burger with pickles, Monterey Jack cheese, grilled bacon, and jalapeño mayonnaise.
• Smoked paprika dusted chicken with Spanish style potatoes, roasted cauliflower, red peppers, garlic aioli, and rocket.
• Blackened king salmon with citrus labneh, chive potato mash, asparagus and snow peas.
• Sweetcorn and saffron soup with blue corn chips and sour cream.

And for dessert, 2 options:

• Tiramisu ice cream with chocolate sauce
• A selection of fine cheese served with fig relish and cracker selection.

I imagine you could order the mousse cake from Fast Dine as well, if they had some left?

The menu also listed “Midnight Snacks”, letting you know that there would be snacks available in the galley to grab throughout the flight, and that you could order a warmed bacon and cheese bagel at any time.

Fast Dine Tray.

The flight took off around 10pm, and I already had dinner before I left for the airport, and munched more in the lounge, so I didn’t really want a full dinner.  I obviously could have chosen something simple from the main menu, just a starter perhaps, but I decided to just get the Fast Dine, even though I wasn’t trying to be fast in particular, but because I wanted something light.  It was then that I noticed there wasn’t really a salad on the menu at all, besides the prawn starter, if that counts.  No simple green salad for someone who wanted something truly light.

My tray showed up immediately once the cabin crew were allowed to get up and move around, before the others were even served drinks!  Interestingly, it also contained one of the starters.  I wasn’t expecting that.  It also had no dessert!  That was the part I cared about! (Don’t worry, it came soon after).

Fast Dine Starter, Bread.

"Wholegrain sourdough bread, black olive bread."

I started with the bread, dry, and stale, a slice each of the wholegrain sourdough and the black olive from the main menu.  Slightly warm.  The only bread I would have picked from the menu was the garlic bread, and it wasn’t on my tray.

Next, the bonus starter.  I still don't understand why I got this.

"Prosciutto with preserved figs, bocconcini, and green olive and basil dressing."

I intended to have Ojan order this so we could try it, so I was actually glad to receive it.  The prosciutto was basically just ham.  It had no flavor, it was kinda limp.  I didn’t not like it.  The bocconcini balls were entirely flavorless, indistinguishable from little balls of rubber.  Did not like.  The “green olive and basil dressing” was a bunch of chunky olives, which at least had flavor, but, I wasn’t really into this either.  The figs were fine.  I passed this off to Ojan.

Fast Dine Main: Sweetcorn and saffron soup.

"Sweetcorn and saffron soup with blue corn chips and sour cream."

I was hoping for a nice creamy corn soup.  While I not normally a big soup eater, I like corn soup.  And soups can be done well on a plane.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste the corn at all.  Unlike the starter, it had flavor, but in this case, it was all just saffron.  So much saffron.  I don’t particularly love saffron, but even Ojan, who does like saffron, thought this was way too much.  There was a little drizzle of sour cream and some unremarkable blue corn chips on top.  At least they were added freshly and weren’t soggy.  Neither Ojan nor I liked this at all.

I also had a glass of mediocre pinot, a bit too tannic.

Main Meal Service: Beverages, Starters.

After all the quick dine folks were served, then regular meal service began.

Starters and drinks are served from the cart, followed by a passed bread basket.  The main dishes were brought out individually.  Yes, this all happened after my entire meal had been served, and I was actually done.  They were serious about the quick dine!  It worked well actually, since Ojan snacked on my offerings first, and then we moved on this his.

Starter: Grilled Prawns, Garlic Bread.

"Grilled prawns with pico de gallo and jicama cucumber salad."

Ojan had the choice of either of the starters listed on the menu.  Since we both tried the prosciutto starter with my meal, Ojan opted for the other choice of grilled prawns.  We had no hopes for it compared with my starter, since seafood seems like it should be harder to do well than prosciutto, and fresh vegetables should be harder than cheese, but, we had no desire to have more of the prosciutto one, so we gave it a try.

It was much, much better.  The prawns weren’t rubbery and seemed pretty fresh, not fishy.  The pico de gallo was fresh and decent, the tomatoes not too mushy or flavorless.  The cucumber jicama salad was refreshing, crispy, and again, pretty fresh tasting.  It wasn’t an amazing dish or anything, but it was all better than expected for a flight, and much better than the choice I got.

The passed bread basket had all three breads, and Ojan smartly went for the garlic bread.  It wasn’t warm, and was soggy from way too much butter, but, it was loaded up with garlic, and that was quite nice, better than the plain breads at least.

So far, he was definitely faring better than I.

Entree: The Burger!

"Angus beef burger with pickles, Monterey Jack cheese, grilled bacon, and jalapeño mayonnaise."

The main dish he had to order before takeoff, just like me, and, at my encouragement, he selected the burger, perhaps a strange pick for a flight, but it turned out to be a great one.

Neither of us were interested in the chicken, and I was already getting soup, so that left just the burger or salmon.  The salmon sounded interesting too, and many others on board got it.  I admit, it looked good.  Very generous sized pieces of salmon, thick, and it didn’t look overcooked or dried out.  But I had read a number of reviews of different burgers served on board Air New Zealand flights, and people seemed generally happy with the burger.  

Interestingly, they served the hot meals all grouped by the entree, so they served all the salmons, then all the burgers, and then all the chickens.  I imagine this gives them better control of the quality of the food coming out?  It does make sense in that regard, but would perhaps be odd if you were dining with someone.

The burger came with plenty of great sounding toppings to: Pickles. Bacon.  Jalapeño mayonnaise.  Sure, I would have picked a different cheese than Monterey jack, but still, this sounded promising.  And it was.

We were immediately impressed with the burger when it arrived, on looks alone.  3 slices of actually red tomato, two large pieces of crispy baby gem lettuce, 3 pickles, and little pots of a tomato relish and jalapeño mayonnaise were on the side.  The burger had tons of perfectly melted cheese and a generous amount of bacon on top.  The bun looked to be a brioche.  Wow.

This looked better than burgers I've had at many restaurants!

Assembled Burger.

Ojan set to assembling the burger, slathering the bun with mayo and relish, loading it up with toppings.  We were both amused by the bun size however, far smaller than the patty.  It looked like a messy disaster was about to be unleashed, particularly interesting given that we were on a plane.

Anyway, it was actually quite good.  The patty was a decent size and thickness, well seasoned, although cooked well done.  With all the toppings, it didn’t seem too dry.  The cheese was perfectly melted and there was plenty of it.  The bacon wasn’t a crispy style as I’d prefer, and it was a bit fatty, but, hey it is bacon, and bacon, cheese, and beef are all good things, particularly when combined.  The lettuce was indeed crispy.  The tomato wasn’t mealy.  The jalapeño mayo had little chunks of jalapeño in it, although it wasn’t really spicy.  The relish or whatever it was was very flavorful.

The individual components were all good, and combined, it really worked.  We were both quite impressed.  I thought I wasn’t hungry, and that I didn’t want more than a bite of this, but, well, I had far more than one bite.  Amusingly, the part I liked the best was the tomatoes, slathered with mayo and relish, since Ojan abandoned them.  I basically got my “salad”, albeit one loaded with mayo, after all!

I’d definitely get a burger on this flight again, particularly if I wanted a full meal.

Fast Dine Dessert: Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Once I asked about my missing dessert, it showed up.  Dessert, usually my favorite part of a meal!

It was a layered creation, 3 layers, with a puddle of whipped cream and two raspberries on the side.  The bottom layer was a basic white pound cake.  You can guess how much I liked that, boring.  Next was the raspberry mousse.  It wasn’t creamy like I was hoping, but it was very fluffy and airy, and had intense raspberry flavor.  The white layer must have been white chocolate, but it didn’t taste like anything besides subtle sweetness.  It had the same crazy fluffy texture as the raspberry layer.  On top was … red.  I think it probably was red sugar crystals that somewhat melted?  I’m not sure, they didn’t have flavor.

The whipped cream on the side was just cream, not actually very sweetened.  The berries were fresh enough.

Overall, it was … fine.  If I got it in a restaurant, I would have been sad.  If I got it in my cafe at work, I probably wouldn’t have finished it.  But, given no other option, it was sufficient I guess.  Again, I wasn’t really hungry in the first place, and it was weird to be eating at 11:30pm anyway.

Alongside a had a glass of port.  I didn’t really like it either.

The main dessert was Air New Zealand’s famous ice cream.  They are known for the ice cream, from a gourmet ice cream producer in New Zealand, always an interesting flavor, served with toppings.  I was sooo looking forward to this, since I like ice cream, but alas, for our flight, the selection was tiramisu flavor with chocolate sauce.  I knew better than to have caffeine at night, particularly when I was going to try to sleep.  But I really, really wanted it.

Breakfast

Breakfast Menu.

Like “Fast Dine”, a “Sleep-in Breakfast” option is available for breakfast, that includes just fruit, yogurt, cereal, and a bakery item.  You indicate that you'd like this through your entertainment system (or perhaps tell the flight attendant).

Otherwise, breakfast service starts with “Wake-up Drinks”, with a choice of juices or a smoothie.  Our smoothie option was a raspberry and pomegranate smoothie, juices were apple or orange.  These were brought around on a platter as everyone was waking up, I think designed to get some commotion in the cabin to get us all out of bed.

After the drinks, our main course breakfast orders were taken.  I do prefer how most other airlines seem to take your breakfast order the night before, to maximize sleep time better.  It was also served further out than other similar flights I've taken, which again I didn't really like, I wanted more sleep!

But anyway, “From the Pantry” we could select:

• Fresh fruit salad
• Low fat plain yogurt or low fat plain yogurt with wild berries
• Honey nut granola
• Toasted fruit cereal

And “From the Bakery”

• Croissants
• Whole wheat, white, or raisin pecan toast with our choice of marmalade, strawberry jam, Vegemite, or Marmite.

And finally, the hot items, “From the Stove”:

• Poached eggs on toasted butter baps with bacon, steamed spinach and hollandaise sauce.
• Herb scrambled eggs with chicken and apple sausage, sautéed potatoes, and tomato relish.
• Cinnamon French toast with blueberry compote and vanilla cream.
• Warmed bagel with grilled bacon, spinach and cheese offered with caramelized onion jam and barbecue sauce.

Since the flight was reasonably priced, pretty much all of my co-workers chose to take it, just on various days.  The day before me, a large group of them travelled, and of course, they all gave me their reports.  They had the same menu we did.

The poached eggs got unanimous negative reviews, so, that was obviously out.  I do like bacon, spinach and hollandaise, and I wondered what on earth “toasted butter baps” were, so I was curious about that dish.  (It turns out, baps are just english muffins, and really, this was just eggs benedict).  Many people around me ordered it, and they actually all liked it.  I saw a lot of finished dishes, and honestly, it did look good.  Perhaps my co-worker who hated this was just unlucky?

The scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, and breakfast potatoes is one I’d obviously never go for.

The bacon sandwich got all rave reviews from co-workers.  Apparently this thing has caused a bit of an outrage amongst Air New Zealand frequent flyers however, as it recently changed.  Before it was a bacon roll, and now it is a bagel.  Folks are very upset with the change.  Anyway, my friends all loved it, bagel or not.  A warm breakfast sandwich with bacon and cheese, and tasty spreads, seems hard to resist, right?

Well, that is, except for when there is a choice like french toast!  So of course I got the french toast, and sorta made Ojan get the bacon bagel.

Breakfast Cart: "From the Pantry", coffee.

The first round of breakfast came on a cart rolled down the aisle, the “From the Pantry” items.  These were all cold options.

The fruit salad contained assorted melons and strawberries, which I skipped due to melon allergy (luckily there was no watermelon, which I’m severely allergic too, but other melons I react to as well, so I never really eat them).

I’m not sure what brands the yogurts were, as they were not in individual pots, but rather in large serving dishes.  One was plain and the other had fruit mixed in, both low-fat.

The cereals were also served from large containers so I’m not sure what brands they were, but we had two options, a "honey nut granola" or a “toasted fruit cereal”, which looked just like Raisin Bran to me.

From the Pantry: Yogurt.

I didn’t particularly want any of the Pantry items as I wasn’t hungry yet, but I opted for berry yogurt with granola sprinkled on top mostly out of boredom.  The yogurt wasn’t very good, clearly low fat, gritty, not creamy.   Mixed in were strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, more of a compote than fresh berries, but all tart and flavorful at least.

I also had coffee, regular, since I knew it was going to be a long day.  It wasn’t bad actually, and I even drank it black.  I appreciated that they served it in a nice big mug.  I hate how quickly my drinks tend to run out on flights!

Decaf French Press.

Soon after, a tray came around with “From the Bakery” items, warmed croissants and assorted toast with spreads.  This was a bit funny given the main dish options.  I opted for the french toast main, so having toast before french toast wasn’t really fitting.  The guy in front of me ordered the eggs benedict, and when they offered him the toast, he was like “Doesn’t mine come on english muffins?”  And the flight attendant said “Well, yes”, and he was like “so … why would I want toast now?”  Ojan’s selection was the bacon bagel, again, it came with major bread component.  So only one dish out of the 4 choices would have made any sense with additional toast, yet they seemed surprised we were all turning it down.

I also ordered a decaf coffee, since I didn’t want to overdo it on caffeine right away.  I was thrilled when an entire french press was brought to me!  I totally expected instant coffee.  I can’t remember the last airline that served me real decaf coffee.  More major points to Air New Zealand!  It wasn’t awesome or anything, but, hey, it wasn’t instant.

Breakfast Entree: French Toast.

“Cinnamon French toast with blueberry compote and vanilla cream.”

As I mentioned, hot breakfast orders were taken before the cart came through with pantry and bakery items, but after the wake up drinks, while our beds were still being made up.  The hot selection was a no brainer for me.  I adore french toast, pancakes, and that sort of thing, so, no question.  And I’ve actually had some really good carby breakfast items on a plane, like the epic pecan waffles with sautéed bananas and cinnamon honey on my first class British Airways flight. 

The Air New Zealand breakfast menu always contains a french toast or pancake option, with fun toppings, and people seem generally happy with them, but I wasn’t able to find out anything about this preparation in particular before my flight.  Still, french toast, fruit compote, and cream?  Sounded great to me.

The serving was three slices of french toast.  I tried each one, but the french toast just wasn’t good.  It was only lukewarm, just like my pancakes on Qantas.  It was mushy and soggy, not crispy on the outside or moist on the inside, not eggy.  It was intensely cinnamon-flavored, but too much so, not good.

The blueberry compote was sweet, but again, just not very good.  I didn’t expect a nice fresh blueberry sauce or anything, but this was just mush and included a bunch of stems.  The little dollop of vanilla cream was nice enough.

It was served with a cute little pot of syrup, clearly not real maple syrup, but at least the syrup was provided on the side for me to add as I wanted.

So overall, I didn’t like this at all.  I ate the fruit and cream, and I tried bites loaded with all different amounts of syrup and cream and fruit, but alas, I couldn’t salvage it.

Breakfast Entree: Bacon Roll.

“Warmed bagel with grilled bacon, spinach and cheese offered with caramelized onion jam and barbecue sauce. “

As I mentioned, I encouraged Ojan to get this, and of course, I had my share of it.

Just like dinner, he easily won this round.  The bagel was warm, decently toasted actually.  The bacon was crispier than in the burger.  The cheese was well melted.  The spinach was a nice “healthy” component against the heavy cheese and bacon.

It was warm, comforting, and perhaps a bit much after the bacon cheeseburger, but really quite satisfying.  The onion jam was also a nice touch, but I didn’t try the bbq sauce, as I’m not sure how that makes sense with the bagel.

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