First Class, BA286, SFO-LHR

As I mentioned last Monday, I recently took a trip to the island of Mallorca, of the coast of Spain.  I'll get to reviewing all the cuisine on the island soon enough, but to start, we needed to actually get there.

We flew to Mallorca from Barcelona, via London.  I flew with my friend Emil, who flies a lot with British Airways, so, I was welcomed into his world via a companion upgrade certificate.  My first time flying with BA, and I flew First Class no less.  I was thrilled to get to see what flying was like from his perspective.

Since I've reviewed them before, I'll skip the details of the One World Lounges in SFO.  We spent all our time in the First Class section of the BA lounge, and, it was exactly the same as last time - mediocre sandwiches, soups, and snack foods, a nice selection of alcohol.

To start our journey, we were invited to board the flight via “the library”, in the back of the business part section of the lounge.  This was quite novel, but I admit it was really nice to not need to exit and go back out into the chaos of the main terminal.  The calmest boarding experience I’ve ever had.

I was flying with Emil in first class, but we had two colleagues flying with us in business class (Club World).  We had our boarding passes scanned in the library, and I walked down towards the plane with Levi, who was seated in Club World.  I somehow missed the “exit” to the First Class boarding door, and was surprised when we hit a long line of people, including babies and strollers.  I looked back, and Emil was no where to be seen.  Whoops.  I’m not sure if I was just really not paying attention, or they saw Levi and I and assumed that we couldn’t possibly belong in first class?  I sheepishly presented my boarding pass when I finally got to the plane, and said, “uh, I think I missed my exit?”  The friendly flight attended laughed and welcomed me to take the scenic route to my seat. She lead me through business class and to my seat, and made a comment about how I did it on purpose just to get to meet more staff.  I appreciated her fun attitude.

Once I finally reached my seat, it was time to explore.

Guest Seat with slippers, socks, etc.

Waiting for me at the seat was a pair of slippers, socks, eye mask, ear plugs, a thin blanket, and a pair of pillows (a large white one and a smaller grey one).  Within a few moments, an attendant came by with a tray of amenity kits.  She only had men’s kits with her, but promptly returned with a women’s version.

Guest seat with pajamas and amenity kit.

Inside my kit was lip balm, eye firming lotion, regular lotion, toothbrush & toothpaste, a foldable brush/mirror, a deodorant stick, and cotton pads.  Quite extensive, and there was nothing I was lacking.

She also had a tray of pajamas, sized M and L.  After taking one look at me, she offered to go find me a S. I was quite thrilled to be given pajamas that actually fit.  The pajamas were simple, cotton, drawstring waist pant and long sleeve t-shirt.  Comfortable enough, but not fancy, about on par with the ones I received in Premium Economy aboard Qantas.  The Cathay Pacific First Class sleeping suit is much, much nicer, with pockets in the pants, and a button down top, although, comfort-wise, I may have preferred the simple long sleeve t-shirt.

My Seat.

After taking in the amenities, it was time to examine my seat.  We were in BA’s “new First”, so the seat was relatively new and modern.  Along with the airline magazines was a card describing how my seat operated, quite handy, and I wish more airlines did this, as the controls are generally less than obvious.

The seat was comfortable enough sitting up, and adjusted via a knob.  The knob felt much more intuitive to control than the more common seats with multiple buttons to control the seat motion.  There were separate upper and lower lumbar controls.  I did wish the foot rest was independent though, as I like to be able to put my feet up.  The seat was not nearly as wide as the Cathay Pacific First Class seat, but was plenty wide enough for me while seated.

Side Table, Lamp.

Above the controls was a cute little lamp.  It provided light that wasn’t direct and glaring, and really gave a totally different effect due to its real lamp-like nature.  Points for this.  Speaking of light, each seat contained two windows, and the blinds for those were controlled electronically.  I would have never figured out this control had it not been for the card that described my seat, but it was quite handy to be able to so easily put the blinds up and down.  The final component of this area was my side table, where I could put things during the flight, but not during takeoff or landing.

Across from me was an ottoman, which could be used by a dining companion during meal service, and turned into the foot of the bed for sleep.  Unlike Cathay, it was not suitable for storage underneath during takeoff or landing, which made me a bit grumpy, since I am constantly going in and out of my bags, and like to have them easily accessible.

TV, Closet.

Above that was a large TV screen with movies I actually wanted to see, but, given the timing of the flight, I didn’t ever end up even turing it on, nor checking out the headphones that accompanied it.

Directly to the side was a closet, with a hanger, pockets, and a shoe cubby.  It was sufficient to store my shoes in the cubby, and my jacket on the hanger, but little else.  I preferred the Cathay one which was far deeper, and able to store my clothing once I changed into my sleeping clothes.

Overall, the seat was fine, but the Cathay one excelled in terms of actual usability, particularly the storage space.  Throughout my flight I struggled with having no place to tuck belongings, particularly simple things like a water bottle, which was something Cathay seemed to get just right, even in business class.

First Class Cabin.

The first class cabin had a really nice feel, it was far more spacious than Cathay, located in the nose of the plane.  The seats were arranged with 5 each along the windows, and then two extra pairs in the widest part in the middle.  It did not feel like the seats were crammed in at all, and there was plenty of space to move around.

Bar Menu.

Once we got underway, the menus were brought out.  The first few pages held the alcohol selection, encompassing several pages, including a bar menu, champagnes (3 varieties, include rose), white wines (3),  reds wines (4), and dessert wines (2), followed by the dinner and breakfast menus.  I was informed that I could dine any time I’d like, including just getting a quick continental breakfast to maximize my sleep time.  I asked to start my meal as soon as possible, since it was already almost 8:30pm (our flight was slightly delayed), and I normally eat dinner at 6pm.  I knew the full dinner service would take some time.

Champagne Menu.

But first, drinks.

I don’t particularly love champagne, so I was going to skip these entirely, but I know that the champagne selection is a key reason why Emil loves British Airways.  They are known for serving a very good selection, and indeed, they had 3 premium choices, all proper champagnes:

• Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle
• Henriot Vintage Brut 2007
• Taittinger Prestige Rose NV

I asked his advice, and he told me to start with both the rosé and a Kir Royale.  I had my eye on some wines to pair with my meal, so I certainly didn’t want two champagnes to start, so I decided to go for the Kir Royale, as it was more novel than the rosé.

Kir Royale, Nuts.

The Kir Royal is a BA tradition, so I went for it.  I was delighted when the drink arrived with nuts on the side.  Sure, most airlines give you nuts.  But these were not just any nuts, they were warm nuts.  But of course, even American Airlines domestic flights give you warm nuts.  What made these exceptional was the fact that some of them were candied.  The mix contained candied cashews and macadamias, along with plain hazelnuts and almonds, an even distribution of all types of nuts.  They did not skimp on the pricier nuts.  The plain nuts were fine, but the candied ones were just delicious.  Coated in sugar, crispy, and sweet.  And, macadamias are one of my favorite types of nuts.  Major points for BA here.  These were, hands down, the best nuts I have ever had on a plane.

My traveling buddy Emil felt a bit differently, as he does not like sweet things.  But of course, BA accommodated him, by sorting out the candied nuts and serving him only the plain ones.  Seriously.

The candied nuts made me really want a scotch to pair with.  Instead, I had the Kir Royale, which, as I mentioned, I was trying because it is a BA thing.  It turns out, I didn’t really like it.  They used very high end champagne for the cocktail, but it was still a bit too sharp for my liking.  I wouldn't get it again.

Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV Champagne.

Since I didn’t really care for the Kir Royale, I decided, perhaps with a little coaxing, to move on to my next choice, the Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV Champagne. I liked this more than most champagnes, as it had a lovely floral quality to it.  I laughed inside about how my rosé did indeed taste like a rose.

Dinner Menu.

Now it was time to make decisions about food.  I had a really hard time deciding what to order, as I actually wanted many of the selections.  How often do you say that on a plane?

To step back a moment, this wasn't my first time seeing the menus.  I like to do research before any meal, which is usually fairly easy for restaurants given Yelp!, TripAdvisor, FourSquare, etc.  And, I could find plenty of trip reports discussing the particular menus that others had encountered on their flights.  I knew that people generally felt that the steak was always over-cooked, and not a good choice, and that the seafood could actually be decent.  But still, BA doesn't provide the menus online in advance.  This made me a bit grumpy, since I wanted to prepare!  Even American Airlines provides them for domestic flights, and many competitors even allow you to choose your menu in advance to ensure your choice does not run out.  Anyway, after enough research, I learned on FlyerTalk that it is possible to just e-mail (or call) YouFirst, a few weeks in advance, and ask for the menus.  So I filled out the form, and magically, a few days later I had pdfs of all my flight menus in my inbox.  Obviously not as nice as just providing them for everyone, but I appreciated being able to research and scheme about my options.  It was still hard to decide.

There were four starters available:

1. Salmon trio of hot-smoked salmon on fingerling potato salad, salmon rillette and Balik-style salmon
2. Quinoa ravioli with jalapeño sweet chilli sauce and shallot confit
3. English pea soup with yoghurt, Virginia ham and mint
4. Fresh salad leaves with your choice of balsamic dressing or creamy Greek dressing

I would have actually eaten any of these, but I wanted to narrow it down to just one.  Sure, BA would have let me order more than one, but, I didn’t want to totally stuff myself before going to sleep. The salad was the least appealing, as it was just a simple salad, so I quickly ruled it out.  I’m not a huge fan of soup, but Emil says the soup on BA is always quite good, and, if I was ordering a soup, pea soup would be a top choice.  Still, I ruled that out.  The quinoa ravioli sounded really interesting, as I love sweet chilli sauce.  I wondered what was inside the ravioli.  I made a mental note to order it if I decided I didn’t like my other choices.  I still have a bit of buyer’s remorse about not choosing it.  That left the salmon, my top choice for the starter.  I wasn’t alone, most other diners seemed to make this choice as well.

Next, the mains.  Again, 4 choices:

1. Bacon-wrapped fillet of Omaha beef with brown butter and herb risotto, broccoli rabe and brandy sauce
2. Atlantic red snapper with caramelized baby fennel, spätzle, sun-blushed tomato and roasted garlic Kalamata cream
3. French organic roasted chicken breast over potato galette with carrots, courgette and blackberry Port wine demi
4. Grilled prawn salad with blood orange vinaigrette

Obviously, I wanted nothing to do with the chicken.  The fillet actually sounded appealing to me, for some reason, the bacon grabbed my attention, as did the brandy sauce.  But Emil, and many FlyerTalk posts, advised not to order steak ever, as it is always over cooked.  The prawns I would have been happy with, but were not my top choice, so I also skipped those.  The red snapper however sounded great.  I love seafood, and Emil told me that BA always cooks the seafood well.  And I’m a sauce girl, and garlic kalamata cream sounded device.  And spätzle?  Yes.  If the menu stopped here, I certainly would have ordered the snapper.

But, there was another section, the “Bistro Selection”, designed as a couple lighter options, including a fruit and cheese platter, assorted biscuits, or the famous BA bacon roll.  But the final item in this area was a vegetarian pasta dish:  chanterelle mushroom cannellini with blistered tomato, caramelised chanterelle mushroom and smoked aubergine cream.  Normally, I’d go for the seafood, but, I’ve had better experience with pasta on planes, and I’ve been craving pasta lately, so after a few agonizing minutes of indecision, I decided to go for the pasta, rather than one of the standard mains.

Salmon starter and pasta ordered, I sat back to ponder the drink menu once again, to figure out what wine I’d like with my pasta, as I planned to drink the rosé with the salmon.  Pacing myself.

Dining Table, Amuse Bouche: duck spring rolls.

Once I finally made my agonizing choices, my dining area was prepared.

The tray table pulled out to a serious table.  It was very wide, and very sturdy.  If I had a dining companion, they could have sat across from me to dine.  As a sole dinner, the table was ridiculously large.  It didn’t feel anything like a tray table!  A white tablecloth was laid out, along with salt, pepper, butter, a bread plate, and cutlery.  The set up felt like being in a real restaurant for sure.

The only downside is that even when pulled as far as it would move, the table was a bit too far away from me.  With my seat fully up, I still had to lean forward in order to reach my food.  Again, in terms of actual usability, Cathay wins this one, but the table really was nice.

Soon after my table was set, an amuse bouche arrived.  What?  There was an amuse bouche on the plane?  Sure, Cathay had one too, but that was a tiny little bite, served before takeoff even.  This was a full on appetizer, duck spring rolls, with hoisen sauce.

I would have never ordered these since I don’t like duck, but, I do like a good spring roll.  They seemed as fresh as any I’ve had at Asian restaurants, which was a bit surprising, as they clearly had to have been prepared in advance.  The rice paper wasn’t dried out or gummy, the shredded carrot and cucumber inside were crisp.  The duck shreds tasted like … duck, so I didn’t like that part.  The hoisen sauce however was so delicious, and the other components so fresh tasting, that I just picked out the duck and gladly ate the veggie spring roll.

I liked this, but obviously wish it didn’t have the duck, and was shocked by the quality of this amuse bouche.  It made me really look forward to the rest of my meal!  My only complaint?  Not enough hoisin sauce, as I really wanted to smother my roll in it.

Bread Service.

Soon after the amuse arrived, a server came by with a bread basket.  The basket contained white, wheat, or cranberry rolls.  I’m not much of a bread person, and I already had plenty of food coming, but, I couldn’t resist trying the cranberry roll.

Of course, had I known it was sourdough, I certainly would not have done so.  The rolls were served warm, but it was a bit gummy, and stale tasting. And, sourdough, which I hate.  But even if it wasn’t sourdough, it was not good.  I’d skip the bread in the future.

Starter: Salmon Trio.

Finally, time for my starter, the salmon trio: “hot-smoked salmon on fingerling potato salad, salmon rillette and Balik-style salmon”

I was very impressed when this arrived.  No skimpy portions here, each dish in the trio was a sizable portion.  At this point I was glad I hadn’t decide to order that ravioli starter in addition, between the amuse bouche and this portion size, I was certainly going to have plenty of food.  Plus, you know me, I was eyeing the dessert menu!

The three preparations of salmon were accompanied by a lemon wedge, and a caper berry, both very much appreciated, and a slice of garlic bread.

I started with the salmon rillette, inside the little bowl.  It seemed to be a mix of different levels of cooked/cured-ness, half seemed raw, the other half seemed more cooked.  It was good, but the flavor wasn’t that strong, and I found it a bit one dimensional.  I desperately wanted a creamy component to go with it.  I think I was supposed to spread it on the provided slice of garlic bread. The bread had a generous amount of butter and garlic inside, which was super flavorful, but the bread itself was spongy and not warm.  I did end up scraping all the garlic out, it was quite tasty.  Garlic and salmon seemed like a strange pairing though.

Next, I moved on to what I decided must be the potato salad, as nothing on the plate jumped out at me as "potato salad".  It seemed to be the same salmon as the rillette, but layered on top of thinly sliced potatoes, with a cream (crème fraîche perhaps?), garnished with dill.  The potatoes were perfectly cooked, still a bit al dente.  I love classic potato salad, and the cook on the potatoes is a crucial part for me, and so many places fail to get this right.  I don’t want them mushy, but I don’t want them undercooked and hard either.  I like just a bit of bite.  And these were perfect.  The cream was also fantastic, exactly what was missing from the rillete preparation, and it also complimented the potato perfectly.  The dill added a burst of flavor, and I really appreciated the detail of having a tiny little garnish like this.

Finally, the Balik-style salmon.  It was also good, nice firm, fresh fish, but it didn’t have a whole lot of flavor on its own, and again, I wanted something to go with it.  Of course, I also can’t help but compare it to the last salmon I had on a plane, the downright incredible salmon with caviar on Cathay Pacific, which I still think is the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had in my life, not just including on a plane.

Overall, this was a very impressive dish, particularly the quantities, and I loved that they composed it as a trio, fine dining style.  The potato salad was hands down my favorite, and I’d gladly order it again.  The Batik-style was my second favorite, followed by the rillette, as it was just a bit too plain for me.

Main Dish: Chanterelle Mushroom Cannellini.

Soon after came my main dish, the one I picked from the bistro selection rather than the main menu, described as “chanterelle mushroom cannellini with blistered tomato, caramelised chanterelle mushroom and smoked aubergine cream”.  Served on the side was a little dish of parmesan cheese that I could sprinkle on as I desired.

I was momentarily surprised when the dish arrived, and realized that I’d mistakenly read “cannellini” as “cannelloni”, and I was expecting long filled tubes of pasta, not ravioli shaped.

I’m not entirely sure what was inside the ravioli, I think there was mushroom and standard ricotta, but I really did not care for the filling.  It was mushy, and just tasted weird.  The ravioli themselves were cooked ok, and I liked the bit of al dente bite to the edges.

On top was a very thick sauce, “smoked aubergine cream”.  It wasn’t really what I’d call a “cream”, but it had a fantastic smokey flavor, and I really liked it.  It made me wish I wanted bread, so I’d have something to use it on.  Instead, I resorted to using the edges of the ravioli.  The aubergine cream could have stood alone as a soup too, and would have been good that way.

Also included were a bunch of mushrooms on top, not caramelized as advertised, but a bit meaty, decently cooked, and very flavorful.  They went well with the aubergine cream.  There was also a single blistered tomato, which made me laugh a bit. It was also nicely cooked.  I somehow expected the sauce to actually have the tomato incorporated into it, but that was just me making the assumption that pasta dishes should always have a marinara sauce.  Or at least that there would be more than one tomato.  But, when I re-read the description, I saw that this was exactly as advertised, "with blistered tomato", singular.

Overall, this dish reminded me of the ravioli I had on Virgin America, where I liked the edges, and not the filling.  It also just didn’t seem first class quality, which, somewhat makes sense, as it came from the bistro menu, not the full dinner menu.  The gnocchi from American Airlines still remains the best pasta I’ve had on a plane.

I was having serious buyer’s remorse at this point for choosing the pasta, since it wasn’t remarkable, and I’d been so close to ordering the snapper.  Emil however did order the snapper, but was very disappointed with it.  He took one bite, and actually sent it back, saying it was inedible.  Emil is normally a very polite guy, and even if he doesn’t like something, he’ll try a few bites, smile, and say it was fine.  Here he clearly expressed his displeasure.  It truly must have been awful.  He later told me it was the worst cooked fish he ever had aboard BA.  I guess I didn’t make the worse choice, although, I did wish I got a chance to try the spätzle on his.

White Wine Menu.

The pasta came very soon after my starter dish was cleared, and I was planning to order wine to go with it, but my dish arrived before I had a chance.  This was a bit unfortunate, as I had to order after the pasta arrived, and had to interrupt my eating of the hot dish with some wine tasting.

To go with my pasta, I wanted wine, something light that wouldn’t overwhelm the pasta, but I didn’t really want white.  The white wine list had three options, a French, an Italian, and a Californian:

• Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 2009, Domaine William Fèvre, Burgundy, France
• Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC 2011, Stefano Antonucci, Santa Barbara, Italy
• Stags' Leap Wine Cellars Saugivnon Blanc 2010, Napa Valley, California

Red Wine Menu.

Just like the whites, the red wine menu had a French, an Italian, and a Californian:

• Chateau Haut-Bergey 2004, Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France
• Merry Edwards Pinot Noir 2011, Russian River Valley, California
• Ca'Marcanda Promis 2011, Gaja, Tuscany, Italy

I generally liked pinos, so I was going to pick the Merry Edwards Pinot Noir, but Emil suggested the Bordeaux, as he said he thought I’d like it.  He knows my taste in wine very well, so I was going to take his suggestion, but still hesitated, so he encouraged me to ask to just try them both.  The server gladly obliged, giving me a small pour of both.

In the end, Emil was right, I liked the bordeaux more than the pinot, as the pinot was a bit too tannic for me.  The bordeaux was full bodied, but still a lighter style, plenty of flavor but not overwhelming.  A good pick.

Dinner Menu: Bistro Selections, Dessert, Cheese.

As I had said, I was eyeing the dessert menu from the start.  It also contained four options:

1. Forrest berry tart
2. Ginger sponge
3. Cheese Plate (Stilton, Manchego, Rouge Affinee)
4. Fresh fruit

I never pick fruit or cheese, so those were easy to rule out.  I wouldn’t normally even give the ginger sponge a second though, but the server told me that it was served warm, with ice cream.  You know what a sucker I am for warm desserts with cold ice cream!  But, of these choice, the forrest berry tart sounded most interesting, even though I wasn’t certain exactly what “forest berries” were. Of course, Emil, on the other side of the cabin, calls out that I should order both.  The attendant would have been quite happy to oblige, and suggested it several times herself.  I was pretty stuffed at this point though, and I knew there were a slew of items I wanted from the breakfast menu in about 6 hours, so, I used restraint, and ordered only the forrest berry tart.

A few minutes later, I was surprised when the attendant returned, two desserts in hand.  Except neither looked like a forrest berry tart, nor a ginger sponge, and no ice cream was in sight.  I was confused.

She explained to me that one was a tart, but it didn’t look forrest berry to her, so she and the other person in the galley had cut one open, and indeed, no berries inside.  They taste tested it, and it was lemon, not berry.  So, she offered that instead, telling me the whole story.  I was impressed that they cared enough to do the investigation, and didn’t just assume the berries were there somewhere.

Now, I dislike lemon desserts, but she had no way to know that, yet as I said, she brought a second choice with her, and it wasn’t the ginger sponge and ice cream that I’d earlier ruled out.  It was the business class offering.  She said I could have either, or both, of these choices.  The business class one was a passion fruit and mango mousse, another item I wouldn’t pick, but, it sounded better than the lemon tart, and my sweet tooth did need satisfying, so I went with it.  She offered a few more times for me to take both just in case.

Club World Dessert: Mousse.

The mousse was a layered creation.

The bottom was a thin plain cake, a bit dry, very boring.  I didn’t like this component, and only tried a few bites of it.  Atop that was a very light and fluffy passionfruit mousse.  I appreciated the consistency and lightness of it, but I didn’t love the flavor.  As I said, I wouldn’t have ordered this, and the reason is that I tend to dislike passionfruit desserts.  Not that I dislike passionfruit, in fact, I quite like fresh passionfruit, but passionfruit desserts always taste fake to me.  Above the fluffy mousse was a thin layer of mango glee and white chocolate shavings.  I liked the contrasting crunch from the shavings.  On the outside were thin chocolate ribbons, that didn’t extend into the dessert at all.

This dessert was quite pretty, with nice layers and garnishes, although it was given to me with the plastic wrapper still on it.  I’m guessing this is because the attendant is not used to serving this dessert, as I said, it came from business class.

Overall, it was sweet, and light, and looked good, but wasn’t something I’d get again.  I finished all but the cake layer, so it wasn’t bad, just not something I’d pick, which I kinda knew when I ordered it.

Beaulieu La Soucherie 2010.

To go along with my dessert, there were two dessert wines offered, Beaulieu La Soucherie 2010, or Warre’s 1999 Colheita Tawny Port.  I’d normally pick the port, but the description of the Soucherie said that it paired well with pastries and fruit, and since I thought I was getting the berry tart, this seemed like the right pick.

It was super sweet, quite delicious, but paired with the also sweet mango mousse, it was a bit much.  I just finished it separately afterwards.

Highland Chocolates

Just when I thought I was done, the attendant came back with one more sweet offering: an entire box of chocolates, packaged specifically for BA, made by Highland Chocolates.  She offered the box, and as I took a moment to pick one, she just set it down on my table, and encouraged me to take as long as I needed, and to pick as many as I wanted.

While tempted to just take the entire box, I managed to rule it down to three, one praline and two truffles:

• Marzipan Dark Praline: “Pure German marzipan dipped".  This one was made with a dark chocolate shell, and marzipan inside.  For some reason, I really didn’t care for it, the constancy of the marzipan was just a bit strange.
• Garden Mint Truffle: “A refreshing infusion of garden mint”.  Milk chocolate, slightly minty center.  I liked the smoothness of the chocolate truffle, but the mint flavor was not very strong.
• Ginger Truffle: “Nigerian ginger brings out São Tomé’s spicy notes”.  Another dark chocolate, this time with a ginger infused truffle center. My favorite of the group, by far. The ginger was refreshing and light, and like the mint truffle, the chocolate was oh so smooth.

Seat -> Bed!

After all that eating and drinking it was time to check out the rest rooms.

The first class cabin contained two bathrooms only, one was slightly larger than the other and contained a window, but both were quite small.  The Cathay bathrooms were much larger.  The bathroom was equipped with standard amenities: soap, lotion, tissues, and quasi-cloth towels.  The sink was a standard airline sink with an push button that turned it on for a set amount of time.  It made me again realize how much I appreciated the Cathay sink that had an actual on/off.

The first class cabin was 14 seats, and we were only 50% full, and I still found myself waiting to use the bathroom every time I went.  I’m not sure if I just had bad timing, or if this ratio just wasn’t right given the fact that we were all operating on a similar schedule.  I was a bit nervous when I went to change before landing that I wouldn't have enough time, as I waited a really long time, and I knew the seatbelt sign was about to be turned back on.

Once I got up to change into my pajamas, the attendant asked if I’d like my bed made up.  By the time I returned, it was all ready for me, laying fully flat.  On top of my regular seat was an additional thin mattress pad and a duvet.

The bed, like the seat, was no where near as wide as the Cathay version.  It didn’t bother me at all while seated, since the Cathay one seemed ridiculously large, but while sleeping, I would have preferred a bit more space to turn from side to side.

The bed however was quite sturdy.  I’m not sure how else to describe it, but unlike any other airline bed, it just felt solid.  There were no weird lumps or seams where different parts joined.

The duvet was a nice weight, and the two pillows were sufficient.  However, again, the lack of storage space in the seat was annoying, as I had no where I could safely tuck my glasses and other belongings while I slept, besides on the side table, where they were not secure.

While the bed was comfortable, I didn’t manage to sleep.  Some of it was timing.  The flight departed at 7:45pm, and after dining it was probably 9:30pm or so, and I wasn’t really ready for sleep, as I’d been going to bed around 1am leading up to this (not because I meant to, I just wound up really busy trying to finish things up every night.)  But I also knew that the flight was only 10 hours long total, and breakfast would be served 2 hours prior to landing, so if I wanted sleep, I had to do it then.  Everyone else in the cabin went to sleep long before me, and I knew they were more experienced travelers than I.  Try as I might, I couldn’t sleep.

Breakfast Menu.

After a few hours, I could hear others ordering breakfast around me ,so I just gave up and got up.  An offer was quickly made to turn my bed back into a seat, which magically happened while I went to brush my teeth and put my contacts back in.  Strangely, the mattress pad was left behind, although the duvet was taken away.

As I mentioned earlier, I was looking forward to the breakfast service, since I’d seen the menu in advance.  Emil had advised me that he doesn’t ever eat breakfast on the flight, as to maximize his sleep time.  Instead, he eats in the lounge when he arrives in London.  Most others seemed to order the continental breakfast, a quick option offered within 45 minutes of landing, again, to maximize sleep.  But not me.  I wanted a real breakfast!

The menu was fairly extensive, with something for everyone.  It was easy to have a nice light meal, or go all out decadent.  I’m sure you know which route I went.

For starters there were a few light fruity options: chilled fruit juice, an “energizing fruit smoothie”, a fresh seasonal fruit platter, or selection of yogurts (plain or fruit).  Or muesli with apples and coconut, which is what I picked.

Two of the main courses featured eggs, a ridiculous platter of a traditional English breakfast with scrambled eggs, pork sausage, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, plum tomato and rösti potato cake or a Parmesan fritatta with tomato confit, herb potato wedges and fire-roasted pepper sauce.  I didn’t want either of these, since I don't really like eggs, but the final option had been calling my name since I first glimpsed at the menu: pecan waffles with sautéed bananas and cinnamon honey.  Of course I knew the chances of the waffles being good were slim, but I still went for it.  This is exactly my kind of brunch item!

A full selection of coffee and teas were available.

Breakfast Starter: Muesli, decaf coffee.

My table was quickly set again with a white tablecloth, cutlery, butter, jam, and a bread plate.

My muesli and coffee arrived soon after.

Even though I was crazy tired, I went for a decaf coffee, which was very dark and very strong.  I’m still not sure it was decaf, but it wasn’t my style, as I prefer a medium or light roast.  Sugar and milk were offered alongside.

Now, for the muesli.  Let me just start by saying that I adore muesli.  Well ok, I haven't actually liked any I've had within the US, but when I lived in Sydney, I fell in love with bircher muesli.  I desperately hoped that this would be like Australian muesli.  Even on the Qantas flights I took to/from Sydney, the muesli was better than any I’ve had in the US.  But when I recently flew on Cathay, the muesli was just granola-like cereal, not the stewed version I knew and loved.  I had no idea what style this would be.

It was much closer to the Australian muesli, as it was soft and clearly had been stewed together with little chunks of apple and plump raisins.  However, the base was too strong on the yogurt for my liking.  Perhaps it was just the type of yogurt, not my thing.  I did love the consistency, and the shredded coconut on top.

I wouldn’t get this again, but I imagine this was personal preference.

Breakfast Breads: Danish.

A few minutes after I started my muesli, the breakfast bread service began.  Just like with dinner, I was presented with a basket of assorted bread choices, all warm.  This time there were croissants, toast, more of the same cranberry rolls, and danishes.  None looked particularly good, but, I can’t ever resist breakfast pastries, so I selected the danish, not having any idea what kind it was.

Inside was a sweet cheese, which was ok, but not remarkable.  The pastry itself however was as bad as it looked, not flaky, clearly not fresh.  At least it was warm?  I certainly wouldn’t get this again, and didn’t bother finish it.  The little jar of jam it was served with was decent quality strawberry jam by Wilkin & Son, which I’d see again on a later flight with my scones, but didn't make sense with my danish.

English Breakfast Tea.

Around this time, my coffee ran out.  I knew I wanted a hot beverage to go with my upcoming waffles, but I really didn’t like the coffee, so I wasn’t eager for another.  I noticed that everyone else around me had ordered pots of tea, Emil included, even though he wasn’t having breakfast.  Not to stereotype, but, the British are known for their tea, so … I decided to get a pot, even though I don’t normally drink much tea. The selection was all by Twinings, and contained several black teas, some herbals.  Of course I picked the English Breakfast.

The presentation was as cute as you would expect, a full pot, served with a little pitcher of milk, and sugar packets on the side.

The tea was excellent, perfect with milk and sugar.  The British know how to do tea, that is for sure.  I wish that they had Splenda, since I was having so much sugar in my waffles, but they only had regular sugar.

Pecan waffles with sautéed bananas and cinnamon honey.

And finally … the waffles!

Now, I knew I was ordering waffles on a plane.  When I had told my mom I was excited for breakfast and for waffles in particular, she scoffed at me, saying “Julie, you are going to be on an airplane - the waffles will not be good”.  And, she had a point.  My cafe at work makes fresh waffles daily, and I stopped eating them long ago, as they are never as good as I want them to be.  I have specific desires for waffles: crispy outside, moist inside, interesting flavor, and decadent toppings.  Surely, there was no way these would be good.

The description said “pecan waffles with sautéed bananas and cinnamon honey”.  I didn’t know quite what to expect, but I assumed the pecan would be in the waffle batter, that they’d look like thin soggy Eggos, and have some warm bananas on the side, perhaps drizzled with honey.  I also just assumed there would be a pot of syrup, even though it wasn’t mentioned, because, well, don’t waffles always need syrup?

I was a bit wrong in my expectations, in all ways.

First, the waffles didn’t look anything like a thin, flimsy Eggo.  My plate had two waffles, both super crispy.  And, even better, a bit caramelized on the outside.  The pecans were not inside the batter, but rather a garnish on top, a scattering of pecan halves.  While the base flavor of the waffle wasn’t anything remarkable, they really win for the texture.  How they made waffles actually crispy and not soggy and moist from being microwaved on a plane I have no idea.  I was shocked.

I was also wrong to expect a pot of syrup.  Rather, the waffles were drizzled with the honey.  I didn’t taste cinnamon, but it was sweet and sticky, and even though the whole thing was a sweet overload, I couldn’t help by use my waffles to soak up every last drop of the honey sauce.  I would have preferred it on the side though so I could add it as I wanted, rather than having some pieces really coated in syrup, and others not at all.

The bananas were the only disappointment on the plate, a pile of soggy, lukewarm, mushy, bananas.

Overall, this was actually quite good, and I shocked myself by finishing the plate in record time.  I’d certainly order this again, for breakfast, or, even for dessert, as it did outshine the desserts the night before.  It was worth waking up for.

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Somersaults

Somersaults are one of my favorite snack foods.

Like chips, they are the ideal form factor for snacking, perfectly crunchy.  But unlike chips, they offer something nutritionally, as they are made from from sunflower seeds, wheat, and sesame seeds.

According to the company, "Somersault Snacks are a nut-free, healthy sunflower seed snack. Somersaults provide impactful nutrition offering the same amount of protein with just half the fat of a serving of almonds and fewer calories."

Many snack bars make similar claims, but, unlike snack bars, Somersaults are actually tasty, and come in both sweet or savory versions, whichever matches your mood.  I'll definitely continue seeking these out!

Cinnamon Crunch.

"Cinnamon Crunch bakes warm cinnamon into our whole wheat dough to create a delightful yet healthy treat. A little sprinkle of sweetness makes this perfect crunchy snack a coffee pairing delight!"

I really liked this flavor.  Super crunchy, perfect size to snack on.  Hearty from the seeds, only a tiny bit sweet. A healthy tasting, yet slightly desserty, treat.  Some sweetness came from cane sugar, but I tasted the molasses more.  I liked the subtly from added chicory as well.

Perfect for when I want something not quite savory, but not an all out sugar bomb.  I'd gladly get these again.

Dutch Cocoa.

An interesting flavor combination, with the seeds and cocoa.  It wasn't that successful for me, but I guess this is a healthier chocolate snack choice, if you are craving chocolate?

Santa Fe Salsa.

Made with chili pepper, cilantro, a touch of jalapeño and a dash of lime.

These had a nice kick to them.  My favorite flavor, by far.

Salty Pepper, Pacific Sea Salt.

I started with the Salty Pepper.  I really didn't like the pepper.  It was too strong and didn't mix well with the other flavors in the little nuggets.

Yet, somehow, I wound up with another bag of these.  And this time, the pepper was more subtle.  It wasn't awful, but I still don't want pepper on my snacky-snacks!  My least favorite flavor.

Next, I moved on to the simple Pacific Sea Salt, made from salt is sourced from the SF bay.  These were nice and hearty, with a good saltiness, quite decent.  Like all the varieties, I loved the crunch.

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CX0873, Business Class, SFO-HKG

As you read about last time, my recent business trip to Tokyo didn't begin exactly as planned.  I ranted a bit about the disaster that was my JAL flight, or, specifically, lack thereof, so I'll spare you re-hashing it again.  Let's just say that when I finally boarded a Cathay Pacific flight at midnight instead, 7 hours later, I wasn't in the best mood.  I was tired, I was hungry, and I was really questioning my decision to fly the extra distance to Hong Kong, just to connect to Tokyo.

But, I was going to get to Tokyo, and that is what mattered, right?  And, I'd heard many great things about Cathay Pacific.  They are known for really having a premium product: excellent food, great service, modern aircraft.

Now, I have another tragic story.  I wrote a lovely post up about my flight experience, right after my travel, while it was fresh in my head.  I included details of the service, the wonders that were my seat, and of course, a very thorough review of the food served.  And ... I lost it.  I'm not sure what happened, but, the draft of the whole thing I had in Blogger was replaced with something else.

Luckily, I still had my tasting notes, in my handy little food blogger notebook, so I've been able to re-create my review of the food, but all my observations on the actual flight have been pretty lost.  And many subtleties of the meals.  Alas, this is better than nothing right?

What I do recall is that the flight was actually quite nice.  My grumpiness did disappear.  The service was indeed good.  I loved my seat, and it transformed into a quite comfortable bed.  And the 14 hour flight time, which sounded long at first, turned out to be a wonderful length: I was able to settle in, eat a full meal without rushing to get to sleep, change into my pajamas, get a full night's rest, have breakfast, and still not feel rushed.  In fact, I sorta think I'd pick to do this again, rather than just flying direct to Tokyo, particularly if it meant I could fly with Cathay again ... they really are a fantastic airline.

The Seat.

I was seated in Cathay's "new business" class, and it was a very impressive business class offering.  The seat was clearly well designed.  I did find it slightly better designed for sleeping rather than sitting, but, since that is what I'd be doing for the majority of my flight, I didn't mind too much.

My seat had all the amenities you could desire: power, usb charging ports, 3 different lights, a small side table, a large dining table that pulled out, and a cubby where the headphones could live.  There was a pocket for my water bottle, and even a cubby for my shoes.  Easy to find a place for everything.

Large TV screen.

At the foot of the seat was the ottoman, which would turn into the end of my bed once I transitioned into sleep mode.  The seat went fully flat.  I was provided with a very large blanket, comforter style, very comfortable.

The TV screen was impressively large, all touch screen.  I didn't end up using it on the flight though.

Supper Menu.

Once underway, the supper menu was presented.  A single starter (mesclun salad with grilled scallop and sesame oriental dressing) and a seafood or meat choice for the main:

• Cod with sweet wine sauce, served with steamed jasmine rice, baby pak choy and carrots
• Grilled USDA prime beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, yukon mashed potatoes, asparagus and baby carrots

Followed by desserts: a cheese platter (camembert, yellow cheddar, danish blue), fruit, or caramel cheese cake with chunky berry coulis.

For those who wanted a lighter meal, since it was so late, a soup (butternut squash) or salad (mesclun with smoked duck breast, tear drop tomato, fig, and balsamic vinaigrette) were available.

I was thrilled by this menu.  Every single course sounded good to me.  Cathay clearly spoke to my cuisine preferences.

Service began with a hot scented towel.

Drinks: Champagne, White Wine, Red Wine.

Next, the drink menu.  Not extensive, but since I'd spent the last few hours bored out of my mind in teh airport lounges, I'd been drinking, and didn't really care for more.

A single Champagne: Champagne Deutz, Brut Classic.

Two whites:

• Spy Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
• Peter Schweiger Gruner Veltliner Kamptal Terrassen DAC Reserve 2011

And two reds:

• Quincho Reserve Syrah Maule Valley 2010
• Chateau Hanteillan Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2010

But as I said, I didn't have any, I was too burnt out by my travel experience already at this point.

Supper Starter: Mesclun salad with grilled scallop and sesame oriental dressing. Bread and butter.

To begin the meal, we had no choice of starter, which was fine with me, since I love scallops, and would have picked this over many other choices anyway.

My tray also came with water and silverware.  I liked how the silverware packets always contained two forks and knives.

The base of the salad consisted of basic mesclun, just greens, but fresh enough, along with two roasted red peppers and two sun-dried tomatoes.  They added a pop of flavor, but otherwise were quite standard.

The scallops also came in a pair, served cold on top. They were far better than I expected.  Sure, cooked all the way through, not mid-rare, but they were tender and sweet, not rubbery, not fishy, actually fresh tasting.  Both a large size, with actual visible grill marks.

The sesame oriental dressing came on the side, in a little container.  It was sweet, but not overpowering, really, not bad.

I also had the choice of bread, either sourdough rolls, or garlic bread.  Obviously, I went for the garlic bread, since I don't like sourdough.  It smelt incredible.

Sadly, the bread did not taste as good as it smelt.  It was soggy, and very oily.  The garlic flavor was as fantastic as it smelt though.

This dish surprised me.  I had no idea what to expect from Cathay Pacific, although I knew they were known for their cuisine, and this set things off on a strong note.  Not the way I prefer to eat my scallops obviously, but for business class cuisine on an airplane, this was quite good.

Super Main Dish: Cod with sweet wine sauce, steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried pak choy with carrots.

Next up, my main dish was served.  I had the choice of beef or cod, and, obviously, I went for the cod.  I eat a lot of seafood, and cod is always a favorite of mine.

Unfortunately, the main dish was no where near as good as the starter, and not nearly as good as it sounded.

The rice was probably the best part, and that is saying something, since I dislike rice.  Probably not intentional, but the top of the rice was crispy, which I enjoyed.

The fish came as a generous chunk, but was way overcooked, severely dried out.  The veggies were completely mushy, although I appreciated the cute cut of the carrots.  The sauce, always a saving point for me, was kinda ok, a bit sweet.

The only bites of this that I could tolerate was some of the crunchy top rice drizzled with some sauce.

Service throughout my meal was quite attentive, and my dishes were quickly cleared whenever I was finished, or, in this case, when I indicated that I didn't want any more.

Drinks: Spirits, cocktails, signature drinks.

The rest of the alcoholic drink menu contained aperitifs, whiskies, liquors, and beer, along with the Cathay Pacific "Signature Drinks" (the Pacific Sunrise and the Cathay Delight), and, a port.

I decided that my dessert would go nicely with a glass of port.

Supper Dessert: Caramel cheese cake with chunky berry coulis. Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2008.

After the lackluster main dish, I was looking forward to dessert.  While cheesecake isn't one of my absolute favorite desserts, it is one that I do enjoy, and, seemed like something that would be fairly easy to execute well on a plane, since it doesn't need to be super fresh and isn't temperature sensitive.

I was served a very generous slice.  The cheesecake was creamy, which I liked, but was otherwise unremarkable and quite generic.  Where was my promised caramel?  It seemed to just be the little swirl on top, not enough to taste.  The crust layer was thin and was totally lost under the giant slice of cheesecake.

The berry coulis was quite good, and well presented spooned over my slice.  It was sweet, and clearly contained raspberries.

I also enjoyed my port.

Nothing remarkable here, but, I finished quite satisfied.

Decaf Coffee.

To go along with my port and dessert, I also ordered an after-diner coffee, decaf of course.  It was fine.

After-Supper Chocolate.

And to finish the meal, an after-supper chocolate!

Breakfast Menu.

After my slumber, it was time for breakfast.

The breakfast menu began with a slew of light starters:

• Orange or apple juice
• Mango smoothie
• Fresh seasonal fruit
• Natural or fruit yoghurt
• Assorted cereals

Followed by a choice of main dishes:

• Shiitake mushroom omelette with grilled back bacon, roasted yukon potatoes and vine ripened tomato
• Stir-fried e-fu noodles with dim sum and chili sauce
• Seafood congee, served with spring onion pancake

All were served with a bread basket of assorted breakfast breads, served with preserves, honey and butter.

As with supper service, the meal began with an offer of a nicely scented hot towel.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks.

Non-alcoholic choices were fairly standard:

• Juices: orange, apple, tomato
• Soft Drinks: Coke Zero, Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Perrier water, tonic water, soda water and ginger ale
• Coffees: freshly brewed coffee, espresso, cappuccino and caffè latte (regular or decaffeinated)
• Teas: Hong Kong style milk tea, Ceylon, Japanese, jasmine, oolong, Organic selection: camomile, earl grey and peppermint
• Hot Chocolate

I hoped for a Hong Kong style milk tea, and really enjoyed it.  Sweet, creamy, and just caffeinated enough to give me a needed jolt.

Breakfast Starter #1: Mango smoothie. Apple cinnamon swirl, preserves, honey, butter.

Breakfast began with an offer of drinks.  I decided to start with a mango smoothie, as it sounded refreshing and pleasant for waking up on the flight.  It turned out to just be Odwalla brand, very thick.  It wasn't served cold enough for my taste.

Next, a bread basket was presented with a choice of breakfast breads - a croissant, bagel, or apple cinnamon swirl.  I went for the most decadent one, the apple cinnamon swirl.

None of the breakfast breads were served warm, minus one point for Cathay.  Warm breakfast pastries are always better!  My pastry was very generic, a bit stale tasting.  The apple chunks inside were mushy and seasoned with way too much cinnamon.  I did like the sweet glaze on top.

The bread basket also came with my choice of preserves (Bonne Mamman brand, strawberry or orange), honey, butter, or cream cheese.  None of these really make sense given the item I picked, but would have worked with the plainer choices.

So far, not impressive.

Decaf Coffee.

I also ordered a decaf coffee to go with my breakfast.  They didn't have any decaf when they came through with the cart, so had to go fetch it for me separately.  It was very strong and dark, but not that good.  Served with cream, sugar, and Equal.

There was a very long pause between the breakfast breads and the next course.  The breakfast service was much slower than supper, a long, drawn out affair.  I think this was intentional, as the idea behind having supper rather than dinner is that it is expedited so that people can get to sleep.  Still, multi-course long breakfast wasn't quite what I was expecting.  Not that I had anything else to be doing.

Breakfast Starter #2: Granola, yogurt.

Next, a set of light starters was offered from a cart: fruit, yogurt, or cereals.

The fruit platter consisted of melons, pineapple, and strawberry, so I had to decline it, due to my melon allergy.

Cereal was Kellogg's: Special K or granola with raisins, served with milk or yogurt.  The yogurts were Yoplait brand, offered in plain or peach.

I used to love Kellogg's granola, so I was excited to see it.  It had been years since I'd had it.  I decided to get yogurt to go with, in order to make a parfait, and went for the peach.

The yogurt was creamy, but way, way too sweet.  I couldn't stand it.  The granola was pretty much what I remembered, crunchy and good, and I appreciated the chunk sizes, but without any milk and with yogurt that I didn't want, I didn't quite know what to do with it.  I ended up just using the granola as something to nibble on with my coffee while I waited for the next course.  Next time, I'd get it with milk.

Breakfast Main: Seafood congee, served with spring onion pancake

For my main course, I went for the congee.  I'm not really sure why.  I knew I didn't want the omelet since I don't like eggs, and I guess congee just sounded warm and comforting.  Plus, I do like seafood ...

Anyway, it was not a good pick.

The congee was really watery, and quite gross.  It was loaded up with a generous amount of seafood, shrimp, fish, and bay scallops, but tasted really fishy.  The spring onion pancake was crazy oily, wet, and cold.

I was jealous of the noodles and dim sum course I saw several of my neighbors received, and vowed to order that next time.  (Which, I did on my very next flight.  Stay tuned to read about it!)

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