Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, Heathrow

Um, wow?  That is what I have to say about the experience of flying Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow.  What an experience this was.

The lounge itself is in the top 5 of lounges I have visited, coming in behind the amazing Qantas First Lounge in Sydney and the amazing Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong, but ahead of any other Heathrow lounges I have visited (including the BA Galleries Business or First Class lounges, even the Concorde Room), and most other international lounges.

But, the arrival experience is what sets flying on Upper Class with Virgin Atlantic apart.  You ... regular Heathrow check in and security, entirely.  I've never experienced anything like this before, and honestly, seems like the closest I'll ever feel to being a celebrity.

The food and drinks are ... ok.  The made-to-order dining plates look stunning, but I didn't actually find the food to be great (particularly compared to SFO, where I really did enjoy the food).

Arrival

I'm glad I did my research about flying with Virgin Atlantic.  Yes, I got an e-mail about arriving at the airport, but really, who reads those?  If you are flying Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, um, you should.  Because you have access to a private check-in and security.  And it is entirely non-obvious, as in, you don't even start by going to the regular drop off location at the terminal.  And you have pre-work to do.  But, wow, it is worth it.

First, you must check in online in advance.  Easy-peasy.  Then, you call a special number ahead of your arrival, and provide the details on the car you are arriving in, plus all passengers in the car, and how many bags you will check.

Once you near Heathrow, you turn off before the regular Terminal 3 drop-off area.  You proceed to a gate.  You drive onto some speed humps, wait for them to verify your car, and then proceed through.  You go up a long ramp.  At the top is a circle, vacant when we arrived.  We pulled the car up, and immediately, the place swung into action.  Not one, not two, but three people were immediately at our car side, ready to take our bags, and lead us inside.  It was surreal.

Lobby.

We were lead into a bright, open lobby, with a mini model plane.  It was empty.  In front was a desk, with a beaming receptionist.

She looked at our passports, and handed us our boarding passes.  Wait, what?  We were checked in.  No ticket counters, no lines, no other people ... that was ... it?

In the two seconds she was looking at our passports, someone tagged our bags and took them away.

I couldn't really believe what was going on.  Is this what it is like for celebrities in normal life?

Security.

My amazement continued as walked a few steps to security.  That is, a vacant hallway, with literally no one in it.  It lead to a belt with trays to put our things on, and a metal detector.

Besides the folks working the checkpoint, again, there was ... no one.  No line, no people.

I've never had such a calm security experience.

Once we stepped through the metal detector, real life resumed again, as we were in the regular terminal at that point.  People, noise, crowds.  Duty free.  A bit of a walk to the lounges.

So, this could be better, if the security opened directly to the lounge.  But seriously, what a check in experience!

The Elevator.

The lounge entrance was on the second level.  Since I had a rolling bag, we opted for the elevator.  Even that was ridiculous.  It had, I'm not joking, a bench seat.  Note that this elevator goes exactly one level.  Ojan tried it out.

The Spa

Once inside the entrance of the lounge, I had 4 priorities: ditch my bags, bathroom, book a spa treatment, explore the food options.  In that order.

Dropping my luggage was easy, right inside the door, and I was handed a tag to reclaim it later.  They asked which flight I was on, and assured me that it would be ready for me once the boarding call was made.

Bathroom.

The bathroom was broken into individual little rooms, not really stalls.  Each had its own sink, cloth wash clothes, nice hand soap and lotion, etc.

Hair Salon.

And then, to the spa I went.  The selection of complimentary treatments was a bit different from other lounges, as, well, a haircut was one of them.  And all sorts of shaving options for men.  You could also pay for a extensive range of other services.

Unlike the BA lounge, availability was wide open, so I opted to make an appointment for 2:15pm, so I could do my massage right before needing to leave, and could use the immediate time to explore the lounge.  Ojan was able to book a treatment at the same time.

It was really rather amazing to see someone getting their hair cut there ... I can't imagine trusting a random stylist!

The salon area was all branded by Bumble & Bumble, and really did look like a real salon.

Treatment Area.

On the other side is the area for other sorts of treatments: massages, facials, hand and feet, etc.  Sadly, body massages are not part of the complimentary service, not even a chair massage.

My first visit, in 2016, I opted for the scalp and neck message, which was a 15 minute treatment in a massage chair.  I had my choice of products to use (one oil based, another tonic, which I went for) and my choice of "inhalants" (lavender or lemongrass).  It really was amazingly relaxing.

The next year, I went for it again.  I was offered lemongrass or lavender scents on my hands to start, and had a deeply relaxing mostly head massage, with a bit of neck at the end.  I'd still prefer an actual back massage, but this was more relaxing than I imagined it could be.

Seating

The lounge is ... well, huge.  It is arranged into distinct areas, so there really is something for any mood.  The areas are all connected and open, but the overall feel is quite tranquil, not loud and chaotic.  There is light music playing throughout.  While the lounge did have plenty of patrons, it also wasn't crowded, you had your choice of virtually any space to pick from. 

Reading Material, Seating.

Right when you enter, there is a large table with assorted newspapers and magazines.  I didn't peruse these options at all.

This also gives you a bit of a view of the main center of the room, with assorted seating, and gleaming wooden floors. 

Bar.

The very center of the space is the huge, huge bar.

There are many seating options right close to the bar, including comfy leather loungers, and other wing chairs, arranged around round tables for four.  At the bar itself is counter seating.

The Den: Game Area.

Another area features carpet flooring, and a pool table.

This is the start of "The Den", sports and hangout inspired, seemingly appealing to the "man cave" sort.

The Den: Couches.

Adjacent to the game area is large couches, that looked perfect for taking a nap, or hosting a large group.

The Den: Leather Armchairs.

Huge leather armchairs, and chaise lounges, offer other "bro" style seating options in the Den.

The Den: TV Zone.

The Den also houses a large screen area, with sports on TV and video games available.

The Den: Candy Jars.

The final element of the den area is a row of candy jars, with mints and sweets.

Sadly, these no longer existed in 2017.

Play room.

The other play area is designed for a younger audience, a colorful play room.  Interestingly, I didn't see any children in the lounge, anywhere.

The Library: Book Wall. 2016.

A completely different experience awaits in the Library, the only area that did have doors to close it off.  This space had a huge wall of books, and, abundant power chargers, for every style of device.

This space was crazy quiet, not that the other areas were loud, but it did not have soft music playing, and, due to the doors, you couldn't hear any noise from the dining or bar areas either.

The Library: Seating.

The library has several styles of seating, including big couches.  It is a large area, and, while we were there, only one other person was seated in the entire space.

The windows in this area are more normal windows, making it feel a bit more like a library/den in someone's home.

The Library: Workstation.

The library also has individual work pods, some that come with laptops if you dont' have your own.

The Library: 2017.

They did renovations.  And they tore down the wall.  And, well, removed the library entirely, replacing it with more standard dining tables.

I'm not sure why they did this, as the lounge has never been crowded when I visited, and in particular, people don't seem to tend to choose the dining seats.  This area was marginally quieter than the main lounge, but, just barely.

Strange Blue Chairs.

Back out in the main room, along the big light filled window area, is a slew of different seating styles.  Some ... were more practical than others.

Like these, totally uncomfortable blue quasi-chairs.

Window Seating.

I took a seat in one of these chairs, and was shocked by how uncomfortable it was.  Still, there really were options, and plenty of spaces to plug in devices as well.

The Loft.

But that was just the ground floor.  You could go up a white marble staircase to reach "The Loft".

This space was incredible, under a cieling of glass, with views of the airport in action.  It was incredibly tranquil, and I couldn't believe that there was no one in this space, besides me!  I had my own level to myself!

Viewing Deck.

But if you really wanted to see the planes, you could climb up two more flights of stairs, to the viewing deck, an outside area.  Yes, outside.  Fresh air.  In an airport.  What!

The Drinks

After taking a quick stroll through the lounge, it was time to set myself up with a drink.

There are absolutely no self-serve options, besides a water station on the bar.  While I understand the feel they are going for, I really would have preferred to be able to pour my own sparkling water, make a coffee, etc.

I started with a glass of pinot, as my server said it was light and not tannic, but, I didn't care for it at all.  It did have too much tannin for my taste.  I moved on to a cocktail.

Cocktail Menu.

Cocktail menus are located on every table throughout the room, and you can order from anywhere from a server, or just walk up to the bar.

Cocktail Listings.

The first page of the cocktail menu is a mix of some signature Virgin Atlantic drinks you can find in most of their lounges, like the "Virgin Redhead", plus a bunch of classics, like a Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Margarita, Daiguiri, Bloody Mary, Martini, etc.

Opposite that is the "Spririt of the Clubhouse" selection, speciality drinks just for Heathrow.

Modern Botany Cocktails.

The final pages of the cocktail menu are a collaboration with the "International Bartender of the Year", with a bunch of botany inspired cocktails.  I'll admit that some sounded interesting, but, I'm not really into floral elements, so I didn't try any.

Mexican Greyhound (2016).

"James Wyld Patron tequila, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, black peppercorns, agave syrup. Shaken."

My cocktail was quite successful.  I really was in a tequila mood on this trip, I'm really not sure why, but it was a theme throughout.  I ordered the Mexican Greyhound hoping it would remind of the really amazing, also Mexican named cocktail I had at The Blind Pig (review coming soon).

I liked it.  It wasn't as amazing as the Blind Pig cocktail, but it was very balanced, a bit tart, a bit sweet, and had a great tequila flavor.

Concrete Sazerac from Dandelyan, London. (2017).

"Stone washed Dewar's 12 scotch, fermented biters, absinthe, chocolate stones."

I ordered this to get the opportunity to try out a cocktail from the famous Dandelyan.

It was pretty fascinating, and no light drink.  At first it looked like a small cocktail, but, I assure you, it did the trick.

Whiskey forward, as, well, there wasn't anything to make the booze, unless absinthe (!) counts?  The bitters gave it even more a touch.

Nice to sip on, and I liked it, but I think I'd prefer it as an evening drink.

In the base of the cup was the chocolate stones.

Three stones.  I thought they were just whiskey stones, that had been soaked with chocolate perhaps?  It didn't occur to me that they would be something I could eat until one of the spa members asked me, "are they edible?".

Well, huh.  I wasn't sure.  And I certainly didn't want attempt to bite into an actual stone and chip my tooth right before a flight.

It made me want to drink my cocktail even faster to reach them, but, with this cocktail, that was not the right thing to do.

Chocolate Stones!

Finally, I got to them.  I very, very tentatively bit into one.  Yup, chocolate!  Hard candy coated chocolate.

These were fairly remarkable, and looked very realistic.  All three stones were a different style.

I liked the shell on the chocolate stones, but didn't particularly care for the mediocre chocolate itself.  I'm also just not sure how they enhanced the cocktail?  I don't think much chocolate got through the shell in order to actually infuse the drink.  Fascinating though.

Decaf Americano (2016).

Later on during my stay, when I ordered dessert, I also opted for a decaf Americano.

It was actually pretty good, and didn't seem instant.  It wasn't as hot as I'd like, mostly likely due to the time it took for someone to make it, a server to come collect it, and then to come find me.  Again, a self-serve option for basic coffee really would be nice.

Decaf Americano (2017).

The next year, I again opted for a decaf americano alongside my dessert.  It was fine, unremarkable, and like many things, lukewarm.

The Food

Of course, this is Julie's Dining Club, and you are likely wondering about the food, right?  I'll get to that soon, I promise.  There are two main food options, made-to-order meals, or, a "Deli".  Neither are self service.  Besides the candy jars in the Den, there is actually nothing self-service.  Again, I sorta wanted an option to grab a bag of chips or a bowl of snack mix.

Dining Area.

I appear to have not taken a photo of the dining room, but, there is a whole section with standard dining tables of assorted sizes.

Place Setting.

Tables in the dining area came pre-set with plates, napkins, and silverware, plus salt and pepper shakers, sugar, and fresh flowers.

You can also opt to order food from anywhere else in the lounge, where servers are constantly roving, and they will bring you silverware and everything you need.

Each table has a number on it, in the dining area and throughout, so that other servers know where to bring each food or drink item as it is ready.

Ojan and I choose to sit at a regular table for our first full meal, but I sat in the library for dessert, and had another snack and cocktail up in the Loft.

Dining

Besides the deli, the food is all made to order, like a regular restaurant, and you order from a fairly extensive menu, ranging from tapas, starters, mains, salads, and desserts, plus a few items for children, that I'm sure adults can order too.  The first page of the menu is breakfast, but, alas, breakfast is only served until 11:30am, so, all I could do is drool over the thought of pancakes.  The menu also contained the Afternoon Tea selection, served from 3-5:30pm, with finger sandwiches, scones, cakes, and a large tea selection.

Ojan wasn't feeling well, and was in a rush to order some food in hopes it would calm his stomach.  As such, we ordered quickly, which meant I really didn't have time to think through the options.  I do blame some of my dislike of the meal on my ordering choices, as they were made hastily.

Overall ... I didn't really like any of the food.  It was beautifully plated though, truly, "restaurant quality".  The food in the SFO Clubhouse was far more enjoyable.  That said, the Deli was great, I just didn't realize it until too late.

While the food looked like fine dining, the service experience wasn't that.  Ojan and I ordered hot tapas, two hot starters, and two entree salads, and they all arrived at once, which isn't exactly what we wanted.  Our table was quickly filled with food that was lukewarm when it arrived, and it got cold quickly.  If I was in a rush though, I would have appreciated how quickly the food all came.

Tapas

"Our Menu of small bites.  We suggest two for a snack, or four as a main meal."

Tapas Menu (2016).

The first section of the menu is Tapas.  How these are really different from the starters I'm not sure, I guess slightly smaller portions?

Anyway, this section had a number of interesting items, really something for every palette, ranging from a warm sausage roll, chicken wings, and chips for more bar food style dining, to hummus and veggies, smoked salmon and avocado salad, and squash soup for the healthy diners, and crispy cockles, confit duck, and gyoza to go a bit more upscale.

I did want to try the sausage roll, but, alas, I was only there for one meal, so, it got cut.  If I had ordered just one more item, that would have been it.

Steamed vegetable gyoza / dark soy sauce. (2016)

The gyoza came in a small steamer basket, served with metal chopsticks on the side.  A nice presentation.  The order contained two gyoza.

The gyoza just ... weren't good.  The wrapper was slimy but also dried out and hard on the edges.  The filling was just veggie mush.  I did not like these at all.

Credit for the serving vessel though.

Tapas Menu: 2017.

The next year, the tapas menu was entirely different, no dim sum, and this time some interesting choices like breaded olives with truffle honey and harissa mayonaise.

Crispy Squid / Chili and lemon salt (2017).

This came from the tapas menu.  Crispy fried squid.

It was ... fine.

It arrived very quickly.  It was lukewarm.  Fairly oily

Not particularly seasoned, and not served with any dipping sauce.

Lackluster really.

Main Menu

Starters / Main Courses / Salads / Desserts (2016).

Next was the main menu, containing starters, main dishes, salads, and desserts.

There were only 3 starters: the same soup as we saw on the tapas menu (perhaps a larger portion?), a chicken bao bun, and smoked haddock fish cakes.  I opted for the fish cakes, Ojan for the bao.

Next were 3 mains: an indian chicken curry with rice, raita, pickles, chuntney, pappadom, and naan, steamed mussels with fries, or the Signature Clubhouse Burger.  We skipped all of these.

I had read many amazing reviews of the indian cuisine served in the Clubhouse, but, alas, it was chicken.  I clearly read through the menu too quickly though, as I didn't notice the fine print until much later: "a vegetable curry is also available".  Doh.  I would have loved veggie curry, particularly since it comes with naan, chutney, pickles, and more.  Next time.

I also missed the fine print under the burger: "a field mushrooms, brie, and truffle burger is also available".  I didn't really want a beef burger, as I assumed it wouldn't be cooked to my liking, but, brie and truffles?  Yes!  I was clearly too excited to read the menu closely.  I wished it was available online so I could have made my decisions in advance.

Then, 3 salads: a Greek salad, a Caesar, and a French bean salad.  These were all large entree salads, and none were standard at all, as in, the Caesar came with bacon and a poached egg, the Greek with tapenade.  I opted for the caesar, trying to at least have some vegetables, and Ojan went for the Greek, just as he did in the SFO Clubhouse.

The dessert menu was a bit sad, Country & Cream ice cream in assorted flavors (you had to ask what they were, and the ice cream was just packaged ice cream), fruit salad (also on the tapas menu, and totally not a dessert), a lemon tart (boo, lemon), and a strange sounding strawberry & cream option (which I ordered, later).

Starter: Smoked haddock fish cakes / pickled cucumber and fresh lemon. (2016).

My starter was the fish cakes, served perched on top of pickled cucumber, and with a lemon wedge on the side.  Like the tapas, it came two to an order, so I really don't understand why they are in different sections of the menu.

The fish cakes were only marginally better than the gyoza.  For one, they were lukewarm.  The cake was a bit crispy on the outside, but mostly just mushy and and a bit fishy inside.  One cake had a dollop of something creamy on top, but there was no aioli or other sauce for the other.  The cucumber was very pickled, crazy tangy.

So, uh, cold, mushy fishy cakes with no sauce?  Yeah, not for me.

For his starter, Ojan had the "Crispy chicken bao bun / spring onion, coriander, and wasabi mayonnaise", but, he got into it before I could take a photo.  He knows better, but, he wasn't feeling well, so I forgave this transgression.  I also wasn't intending to try it, because it was chicken.  But, shockingly, he offered me a chunk at the end, saying I needed to try the sauce.

The bao was warm and fluffy, but it didn't have a bit of sweetness I usually like the bun.  The wasabi mayo however was indeed tasty, creamy, and with a bit of kick.  I see why he offered it to me.  Of all the prepared food we had, the bao with wasabi mayo was the tastiest bite.

Salad: Caesar / anchovies, crispy bacon, poached egg, and parmesan. (2016).

This was a very interesting interpretation of a caesar salad, and certainly not what I was expecting.  Remember when I said I didn't read the menu very carefully?  Yeah, I didn't.  A poached egg on my salad?  Meh, I don't like eggs!

 So, what did we have here, besides the poached egg?

Huge chunks of little gem lettuce.  Crispy parmesan chips.  A huge long crispy crostini.  A long crispy slice of bacon.  A handful of anchovy filets.  A tiny drizzle of dressing.  Micro greens to garnish.

Uh ... caesar salad?

I didn't like this.  The lettuce was fresh and crisp at least, but, the large chunk format was a bit annoying to deal with.  It would have been fine, if it had some dressing, but the salad was entirely undressed, save the little drizzle of dressing on top.  Plain lettuce is not my thing.

Instead of croutons, there was the long, crispy crostini, again, an element that was a bit annoying to deal with. Instead of shredded parmesan, there was two crispy parmesan frico.  They were crunchy, salty, and intensely parmesan, so they were ok.  The bacon was also crazy crispy.

The egg was actually decently poached, the yolk ran out nicely, the white wasn't under, but, I didn't really want a (cold) poached egg in my salad.  I ate it, and some anchovies, to ensure that I had enough protein.  Had I known how great the deli was though, I certainly would have just abandoned this.

Overall, yes, it was beautiful, yes it was a fun play on a caesar, but, it just wasn't what I wanted.

Salad: Greek / broad beans, tapanade, and crispy red onion. (2016).

Ojan went for the Greek salad, which, was only a Greek salad in name.  Yes, it had lettuce (very little), cucumber (mandolined and rolled up), tomato (sundried), olives (as tapanade), and a couple large pieces of feta.  It also had chunks of green pepper in addition to the broad beans and crispy red onions mentioned on the menu.

Ojan wasn't really into this, and wanted a regular Greek salad.  I tried the crispy onions and a sundried tomato, both of which were fine, but nothing special.

Main Menu (2017).

The menu in 2017 was entirely different for the main dining as well, although the signature burger and curries remained.

I skipped the starters, since I started with tapas instead, but my companion had the tuna poke.  I was at my spa appointment when it arrived though, so I wasn't able to try it.

Butter Poached Cod / Mashed Potatoes / Spinach / Caper and Parsley Hollandaise.

Well, this was a lovely plate.  And it was fine.

A bed of raw spinach, topped with mashed potatoes and a piece of cod, smothered in hollandaise, and garnished with crispy capers and some kind of micro green.

The raw spinach was a bit odd of an accompaniment.  Rather hard to eat.  But fine, baby spinach.

The cod was decently cooked, although not as delicate as I'd like.

The mash was crazy rich.  Like way too rich, and over whipped, almost glue-like.

The hollandaise was fine, likely the same as they use on the eggs benedict, but the plate was smothered.  I love this kind of sauce, but, on the already too rich mash, it was just too much.

I did love the crispy, salty, fried capers.  They were great.  

Dessert

The dessert menu was always meager, fruit salad, cheese, and ice cream, and 2 other items.

Strawberries and cream / strawberry jelly, clotted cream and shortbread ice cream. (2017).

Well, this is not quite what I was expecting.  That said, uh, I guess it was what the menu said.

Yes, a cocktail glass full of ... strawberry jello, topped with a few strawberry halves, a sprig of mint, and a scoop of ice cream.

I was expecting clotted cream somewhere, but I realize, it did say "clotted cream and shortbread ice cream".  And I guess I thought that the strawberry component would be, well, something more than just jello.

Anyway, the jello was, jello.  Um, yeah.  I didn't want it, but, Ojan, who wasn't feeling well, actually gobbled it up.  I guess that is what they serve you in hospitals, so, why not?

The strawberries on top weren't particularly good, they were red, but, didn't seem particularly ripe nor flavorful.

And finally, the ice cream.  This was ... ok.  I am pretty sure this was the "Cream Tea" flavor by Cream and Country, as they provide the other ice cream options.  The description of that ice cream reads "Our indulgent clotted cream ice cream receives a luxurious swirl of strawberry compote and is finished with shortcake pieces. This is not your average scone and jam."  This sounds like what I had, and kinda matches the "clotted cream and shortbread" description from the menu.  Anyway, it was ice cream, fairly standard, and yup, it had bits of biscuit in it.

I can't say I was satisfied by this dessert option.

Warm dark chocolate fondant / Chocolate and cherry ice cream. (2017).

The dessert menu again failed to inspire.  Lemon tart or chocolate fondant?  MEH!

Still, I'm not one to resist a warm dessert with ice cream.

Just like the main, it came plated beautifully, garnished with a crumble of some sort, mint, and powdered sugar.

The ice cream said it was going to be chocolate and cherry.  This was not chocolate and cherry.  This was salted caramel.  Way too sweet.  Way, way too sweet.  But decently creamy.

Warm dark chocolate fondant: Inside. 

The dark chocolate fondant was ... fine.  Are we noticing a theme here?

It was a classic molten chocolate cake, nice liquid center, but, the cake was very dry, and the entire thing didn't have much flavor at all.

Very lackluster, and served only lukewarm at best.  I guess it was a nice pairing with the way too sweet salted caramel ice cream?

Deli

The deli area is separate from the main dining area.  At a glance, it looks like a self-serve station, but, like everything else in the lounge, it is not.  Most items are not labelled in this area, and the staff seemed annoyed and somewhat unwilling to tell people what the items were.  Nearly every person I saw go to the deli asked some question, and got back a slightly surly response.  "What is that salad?", someone would ask, pointing at one of 6 salads.  "Salad", was the response.  Um, thanks?  Some signs would really help here.

Deli Menu.

The main menu mentions the deli, and we had walked by it on our way to the dining area, but it just said that at lunch time the deli has cheeses, smoked salmon, charcuterie, salads, and chutneys.  It didn't sound particularly exciting.

It undersold itself.

I honestly wished that I had just chosen to eat from the deli rather than the made to order menu.

Breads, flatbread, cookies (2016).

The first section of the deli is fresh baked breads, in all assorted varieties.  If you want any, the staff member behind the counter slices it to order for you.  None are labelled though, so if you care to find out what they are, you have to ask.

I tried a walnut raisin bread, after hearing another guest rave about it.  It was fine, yes, fresh bread, but, not particularly notable.  Still, much better bread than you normally find in an airline lounge, for sure.

The flatbread/crisp things were loaded with seeds of all types, far more exciting than standard crackers.

The cookie options were oatmeal raisin and chocolate chocolate chip.  I tried the oatmeal raisin, after not being satisfied with my jello dessert.  It was ... fine.  A large cookie, buttery and sweet, not too crispy but not super soft.  But you know I don't tend to love cookies.

An idea for the future though: get cookies from the deli, and order ice cream, and make an ice cream sandwich.  That has potential.

Deli: Breads, Crackers, Cookies. (2017).

The lineup was about the same the next eyar, although the cookies were oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chunk).

My companion had a bunch of the breads, and he enjoyed them, sliced to order.

Cheese, Charcuterie, Chutney. (2016).

"British farmhouse cheese, fine charcuterie from France and Italy, pickles and chutneys."

I didn't get a great angle here, but, this section had several types of cheese in huge blocks, sliced to order, plus a number of different types of charcuterie, and a bunch of pickles, spreads, and chutneys in jars.

I tried the triple cream, and I was rather blown away by how good it was.  Super creamy, great flavor, nice bloomy rind.

I also tried the onion marmalade, and it too was quite tasty, super flavorful.

I realized at this moment that I would have been far happier with these selections rather than the meal I had settled on.  Doh.

Cheese, Charcuterie, Chutney. (2017).

I really liked the brie last time, and I certainly would have gone for it again, but, there were too many things to try, and I never got to this section.

I admired it though, a nice looking selection of both cheese and meat, and some tempting spreads.

Salads (2017).

Next were a bunch of salads, none labelled.  Some were greens based, others grains based.  This is where I heard many others asking for explanations of what the salads were, and getting totally unsatisfactory responses.

I didn't try any salads.

Salads (2017).

The salad line up was different, this time with:

Back row: roasted carrot with cream (not pictured, it was being replenished), a ceasar-ish kale salad, cabbage slaw.

Front row: Orzo salad, cous cous salad, plain greens (no dressing), cucumber and tomato salad.

Shrimp salad, Smoked Fish (2016).

This is where things started to get interesting.

In the little glass jars in front was shrimp salad, lightly dressed with mayo.  I didn't try it because I really wasn't hungry at this point, but I really wished I had that instead of the proteins from my salad!

There were other firm, smoked fish here too, not really sure what they were, I didn't try them.

Assorted Smoked Salmon. (2016).

 Well, geeze.  They weren't messing around here.  4 types of smoked salmon, on wooden boards.

The red one caught my eye, it looked sorta like tuna.  I asked what it was, and I was told "beetroot".  Clearly, it wasn't actually just beetroot, it was some kind of seafood.  Confused, I asked, "like, marinated with beetroot?"  "Beetroot", was the only response.  "Is it salmon?", I asked, again, trying to figure this out.  "It is good, try it" was the response.

Uh, ok.  So, I said I'd try a little.  It turned out to be crazy delicious.  This was seriously good smoked salmon.  Firm, smoky, wonderful.  I tried a bite of one other as well when Ojan got a plate full, and, yup, it too was great.

So if I were to do the lounge again, I'd make some major changes.  Perhaps I would have ordered that veggie curry, or the mushroom/brie/truffle burger.  But really, I would go straight to the deli, load up on excellent cheese, spreads, and smoked salmon, and just call it a day.

Smoked Fish & Prawn Cocktail (2017).

The smoked fish lineup was again impressive.

Nothing labelled, and again really unhelpful staff, I heard several people ask about the beetroot cured salmon, and be told simply "Beetroot", and then be very confused.  "But, its not just beetroot right?  Its fish?", they'd ask.  "No, beetroot, Americans call it beet."  Um, thanks?

Still, a beautiful lineup.

Raisin walnut bread, onion chutney, brie, seeded flatbread, beetroot smoked salmon. (2016).

My hodgepodge platter, assembled not due to hunger, but mostly just out of curiosity, which turned out to be the most delicious stuff from the lounge.

The cheese and smoked salmon in particular were just top notch.

Beetroot Smoked Salmon, Kale Ceasar, Slaw, Prawn Cocktail (2017).

One drawback of the deli is that you can't just get a little of anything, since the servers make your platter for you.  They didn't know that I already had a starter and main with sides, and that when I said, "Please, just a little" of each thing, I really meant it!

Thus, I got a full plate of food.  Sigh.

Since I liked the beetroot smoked salmon last time, I had it again.  And I again liked it, the beet flavor, and color, were great.  It was much better than the salmon.

I also got to try the prawn cocktail that I had wanted to try last time.  It was in a cute jar at the deli, but the server dumped it onto my plate, a pile of shredded iceberg, tiny prawns covered in louis-style dressing, and a lemon wedge, now covered in sauce, and hard to actually use.  This too was just fine.  Not fishy, but again too much dressing (and believe me, I like this kind of thing!), standard ice berg.  Fine.

The thing that looked like kale ceasar certainly didn't seem to be.  Yes, it was frilly kale, it was large shreds of parmesan, it was croutons, but ... the dressing was way too tangy, and just lemon.  No anchovy, no parmesan in the dressing.  Meh.

And finally, slaw.  It was ... just cabbage and carrots, crispy enough, but not particularly interesting, nor dressed.

So overall, this platter was a bit lackluster.

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Stella Popcorn

Another day, another new popcorn brand to review!  Such is life, when you are ... addicted to popcorn.  And snacks and munchies in general like I am.

Stella is a bit of a departure from my regular popcorn brands, in that ... it is from Thailand.  I discovered it in Singapore.

"The first taste of Stella Popcorn came about one day as Stella was popping popcorn over the flame and her mama pulled out a bottle of extra virgin olive oil from her hometown on the island of Sicily, a Mediterranean haven for plump and decadent olives. A good bottle of olive oil is multi-dimensional: vibrant, crisp, and distinctive. Real olive oil speaks highly of its provenance."

Stella Popcorn is different from most popcorn, as it uses olive oil, with a focus on quality extra virgin olive oil (and of course is non-GMO, gluten-free, etc).  This goes for all flavors produced.

And speaking of those flavors, the lineup is pretty unique: the most "normal" would be the simple mediterranean sea salt, or perhaps the sour cream & chives or parmesan cheese, but the range is generally savory and herby.  Think roasted garlic, rosemary 'n herb, tomato 'n basil, and the like.  And then there is ... calamari.  Or, the one I was able to try: honey mustard.  They make no products besides the popcorn.

I'd like to try more flavors, you know, next time I'm able to get popcorn from Thailand ...

Honey Mustard Popcorn

"With a well-balanced of sweetness from the popcorns and a tinge of spiciness from the honey mustard, this snack is well loved by everyone."
I really couldn't wrap my head around this popcorn.

I love honey mustard.  I love popcorn.  I adore honey mustard snacks (like Snyder's, my total goto weakness or Harvey's Pretzels, which were even better!).  So you'd think this would be perfect for me.  I wanted it to be!

But these didn't combine as magically as I wanted.  It was ... odd.  Not bad, but not clearly good.

The popcorn was very well popped.  Big kernels, fluffy.  Great popcorn, really.

The flavor was intense honey mustard, definitely on the sweet side.  Along with the mustard and honey were thyme and parsley for a slight herbaciousness, and even nonfat milk, which I think gave it a somewhat ... "creamy" feel, if that can make any sense.  Oh, and sugar.  There was sugar in addition to the honey (powder).  It was almost too intense though.

I liked the popcorn considerably more frozen - more crunchy, a bit more mellow - but when I got a particularly strong one, it was still just a bit much.  I think it would go *fabulous* in a mix, or perhaps served alongside the right thing (like, uh, pickles and bologna?), but as an individual snack food, it was always just slightly too strong for me ...

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Grilling Leftovers: Sushi Burritos

By now, you know that I throw ... basically everything into my waffle iron, particularly leftovers, when the item has degraded.  And I'm willing to put basically anything into the waffle iron.

It was only a matter of time before sushi went in, right?

Encounter #1: June 2020 

The first time, it was a sushi burrito to be exact.  Not something that holds up well.

Grilled Leftover Sushi Burrito -> Poke Bowl?

What is a girl to do when her partner has leftover sushi burrito, and ... the grill is hot?  Yeah, I didn't waffle it, as the grill plates were in, but I certainly had fun, and completely transformed it.

Leftover Sushi(burrito): Will it Waffle? Well, I don't know about waffle technically, but it sure did work well on the grill.  No reason to believe it wouldn't work in waffle iron.

I used my grilled slices on top of a poke-ish bowl, which was kinda awesome for crunch!

The Original:  Geisha's Kiss. $15.

"Yellowfin Tuna (raw) | Tamago | Piquillo Peppers | Taro Chips | Pickled Cucumbers | Green Leaf Lettuce | Sesame White Soya."

The original?  The second half of my partner's Sushirrito order (which I've reviewed several times, I'm a fan!), several hours later.

It was still good (really a well composed creation), but, it was getting soggy (the taro chips in particular!) and I don't actually like raw tuna, so, I had other ideas ...

Leftover Sushirrito: Grilling.

So yes, I cut off a slice and stuck it into the grill.   I think it was at 350*?  Whatever it had been set on previously, to be honest.

It was basically just a big piece of a sushi roll, on a grill, yes.

After a few minutes, it had stuck to the top (doh!) but looked like the concept was working.

I think it likely was done at this point, in terms of the rice being kinda sticky-crunchy, but, I listed to my common words of "if it gets stuck, just go longer!" and let it go longer.

Grilled Leftover Sushi Burrito -> Sushi Chip?

I set about making my other food, and, I admit, let it go a bit too long.

But, it really wasn't as bad as it looked - the dark was mostly seaweed wrapper, not burnt, as it looked at first.

I cut off a chunk.  Ok, it was actually kind of awesome.  The flavors were all still there.  I tasted seaweed, I tasted the peppers.  And the fish?  Nicely grilled!  Much better for me.

Super crispy, obviously.  Less time would have been more like a onigiri (e.g. a grilled rice ball), and this was definitely very crisp, but, hey, I like crispy things.  I am not sure I'd want to eat it an entire roll as basically .... "sushi chips" though.  (Hmm, maybe with wasabi aioli dipping sauce?)

So I sliced it further, and added it on top of a poke inspired bowl.  Heh.  It totally worked.

"Poke" Bowl! With Grilled Leftover Sushirrito Geisha's Kiss Burrito.

"Romaine / Kale / Daikon
Leftover Grilled Sushirrito Geisha's Kiss Burrito / Trader Joe's Breaded Fish Sticks
Spicy Poke Sauce / Wasabi Aioli
Furikake / Minced Onion / Dried Nori Strips / Wonton Chips"

Yeah, ok, I did like this!  I basically made a poke bowl with it on top.  And many other random things.

I'm a greens type of poke girl (not rice), so my base was a nice mix of romaine and curly kale.  Nice crunch, nice mix.  Glad I had it on hand.  Quickly threw in chunks of daikon for more crunch and juicy freshness, absolutely perfect.  Glad I had that in my fridge too.

I added wonton strips too for additional crunch, but really didn't need them with the crispy sushi "chips" at all, I'm just used to tossing those on.  I left out my usual wasabi peas out of laziness, but they would have been great.

There may or may not have been chunks of Trader Joe's Breaded Fish sticks tossed on as well more after the photo, for more protein - its what I had in my freezer, and honestly, I really do like them! Crispy, nice quality fish.

And I added strips of dried nori, but as the sushi roll had plenty of seaweed flavor in it from the wrapper, and I also added tons of furikake with more nori in it too, I likely didn't really need this.

I sauced it with spice poke sauce and wasabi aioli.  Great mix.  A much more than "generous" amount of furikake and minced onion rounded it off.

Overall, this was, well, a satisfying, totally random, creation.  Crispy base, appropriate poke style dressing, LOTS of crunch, and sushi flavors galore.

Encounter #2: July 2020

A few weeks later, I did it again, this time with just leftover, mediocre, grocery store sushi.

The original: Krab Crunch Roll.

The original was a "krab crunch" roll, or something like that, with crab stick, carrots, and cucumber inside (usually avocado, but I'm allergic so I had them prep it fresh and leave out), covered in crunchy bits, and drizzled with tons of sriracha aioli.

It was fine, better than I expected for sushi from a grocery store in NH, and likely helped along by the crispy coating and generous sauce.  I didn't finish it though, and the leftovers ... well, without all the sauce and crunch (gulp, I used them all on the portion I did have), it was a bit lackluster.

So, into the grill I put a slice.

The original: bits of sushi roll broken up.

I also ripped apart several slices, extracting the fillings to toss onto the poke bowl I was attempting to build, and just grilled the pieces of rice (now hard, and bo-oring).

Grilled leftover sushi roll!

I grilled them all up, not too hot and not too long this time, and got lovely grill marks.

I chopped up the rice ones a bit more once cooked, and used as a topping on my poke bowl.  It actually worked great - crispy, glutinous, little chunks.  Wonderful chew and texture.  Definitely improved my bowl.

The full slice was fine, but, I think just the rice was better suited, and keeping the other ingredients just to toss in "fresh".

I really do recommend this, if you have leftover sushi you'll just throw out otherwise ...

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Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic, SFO-LHR

Update Review, Nov 2017 travel 

Flight: VS 42, SFO-LHR

Departure Time: 8pm

Aircraft: 787

Seat: 9A

Our flight was slightly delayed in boarding, then more delayed as we hung out on the tarmac, but in the end, we only took off 30 minutes late.

Since I've reviewed the aircraft and experience before, I'll only highlight any changes here.  The seat, amenity kit, pajamas, etc were unchanged from my flight a year ago.

Service was great, very efficient.

Starters & Bread Menu.

The first page of the food menu was the starters, a soup and two salads:

• Parsnip & parmesan soup
• Grilled prawn papaya salad
• Greek feta salad 

Warm breads:

Served with your choice of warm artisan breads: Dark pumpernickel, Sourdough pistol, Mini brioche.

Credit to them for a Thai salad, and not just mixed greens.

Light Meal.

I went for two starters (and dessert), to compose a light meal, since I had eaten in the lounge already.

Mains Menu.

Next was mains:

• Fillet of beef
• Duck confit and red cabbage
• Vegetable Thai green curry
• Tuna nicoise salad

I give them credit for not having chicken, and a veggie main that wasn't a pasta, and formed a coherent meal with the papaya salad starter.

I skipped the mains, since I ate in the *excellent clubhouse* (the lounge), but and I wasn't particularly inspired by these choices (although I did like the sound of the mustard mashed potatoes and creamy wild mushroom sauce with the beef!).

Pudding Menu

And finally, a sad selection of dessert:

• Toffee ginger pudding 
• Blueberry cheesecake

These were nearly identical to my previous flight, with cherry cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding.

Cheese & Port.

The last page of the food menu encouraged us be sure to save room for cheese and biscuits after the pudding, and listed out the items available at the bar.

The cheeses for our flight were as follows, each with an extensive description.

• San Geronimo
• Californian Blue Cave Aged
• Rouge Affine

Crisps and wine.

My previous flight began with an offer of a hot towel, but none were given on this flight.  Our drink orders were taken as soon as the FAs were able to get up, and delivered one by one promptly. 

I selected one of the red wines, Côtes du Rhône.  I asked for a small pour, but got a very generous one.  It was fine, not particularly interesting.

I also opted for sparkling water, and I was thrilled that throughout the flight, whenever the FAs passed through offering water, they always offered both still and sparkling to everyone, carrying bottles of each with them.  I drink a lot of sparkling water, and appreciated it being treated as prevalent as the still.

Our drinks came with an offer of "crisps", plain salted Route 11 chips.  They were classic kettle style, basic chips. Fine, not interesting.  I preferred the seasoned ones last time.

Parsnip and parmesan soup.

"A winter warming soup, creamy and tasty, topped with parmesan croutons."

My first dish was the soup.

It was actually pretty good, served piping hot.

Creamy, comforting, a bit cheesy, good texture.  It tasted ... well, like parsnips.  Perhaps not for everyone, but, good enough.

Grilled prawn papaya salad.

"A Thai inspired vibrant green papaya salad served with spicy grilled prawns - looks good but tastes even better!"

My second dish, also a starter, was the papaya salad.

This was quite decent.

Fresh, crisp green papaya.  Really refreshing on the flight.  There were two slices of very spicy hot peppers as well, and some kinda soggy cashews.  Overall not much flavor though, I'm not sure it had any dressing?

The serving included 3 chilled prawns, decently cooked.  Not rubbery, not fishy, well spiced.  Way better than I expected.

Garnish included a lime to squeeze over it all, and a spring of parsley.

It was nice to have a light dish like this on the flight.

Toffee Ginger Pudding.

"Its hard to resist this enticing combination of spicy ginger pudding with a warm, sticky toffee sauce served with a generous spoonful of cream."

Since I didn't love the cheesecake last time, I opted for the toffee ginger pudding, even though I'm not a huge fan of the spices that usually go along with ginger.

Um, this was delicious.

It was served warm, smothered in sweet sauce, and topped with a large spoonful of cream.

The pudding itself was slightly gingery, with little bits of chewy ginger studded throughout.  It was spiced, but pleasantly.  It was crazy moist, mostly from the sauce.

Now, that sauce.  It wasn't "sticky toffee" really, more like a thin caramel, but it was sweet, and it was plentiful.  I thought I wouldn't finish it all, particularly because I didn't actually want to be on a sugar high as I was intending to sleep soon, but ... the pudding, dragged through the sauce, was just too good.  It complimented the ginger flavors so well.

The very generous dollop of cream was needed to counterbalance all the sweet.

Overall, I really found this enjoyable.  Warm dessert, good flavors, sweet, creamy.  Sure, not a dessert I'd go out of my way for, but for something served on a flight, it was far better than expected.

Breakfast Card.

Breakfast orders are taken by filling out a card, collected once underway.

The menu was nearly identical to my previous flight: Kellogg's cereals, muesli, porridge, fruit salad, and yogurt to start, two baked goods (this time a croissant or chocolate croissant), and a customizable English breakfast, bacon butty, or peach crepes for the main.

I was a bit sad, as I was hoping for something different, at least with the main dish options.

Breakfast.

Once I was visibly awake, my mug of coffee was brought over, and the rest of my order confirmed.  My tray arrived a few minutes later with my full line up on it.

I appreciated the full hefty mug, but, the coffee itself was pretty horrible and acidic.

I moved on to decaf next, and while clearly instant, it was better.

Muesli.

I forgot my own tip to ask for the milk on the side, and thus my muesli was basically the same as last time: a pile of mush, in lukewarm milk.  

The muesli was good though, loaded up with sooo many things: bits of chocolate, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, bits of apple, bits of dates, and other dried fruits I couldn't quite identify.  If only it wasn't a pile of mushy oats and rice puffs.

Next time, seriously, milk on the side!

Peach Crepes, Chocolate Croissant.

Peach Crepes

I didn't care for the crepes last time, but I selected them again, to give them another chance.  Plus, I liked the cream last time.

This time they were even worse.

The crepes were gummy and dried out on the edges.  The peaches were way too seasoned with cinnamon and other spices I didn't like.  No dollop of cream.

Absolutely nothing good about these.

Chocolate croissant

I also opted for a chocolate croissant, and it was plated with the crepes.  This was less than ideal, because the horrible flavor sauce got onto the croissant and it was all soggy from that liquid.

The croissant itself was decent though, it did have a flaky exterior from being baked/warmed up, and the chocolate inside was warm and melty.  Not a great baked good, but at least served warm.

Sausage.

I asked for sausage from the full breakfast lineup, I'm not really sure why.  I guess I wanted something in case everything else wasn't very good.

I was served two really decent sausages.  Browned on one side, crispy casings, juicy flavorful inside.  Definitely "mystery meat", but, isn't most breakfast sausage?

In particular though I was impressed with how crispy and juicy it was.

Chocolates!

Still not quite satisfied, I asked if they had any chocolate.

A few minutes later, a FA came over with a tray with three types of mini Ghirardelli chocolate (milk chocolate with sea salt almond, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate caramel and one larger bar of dark chocolate with himalayan salt.  He said I could have them all.

This hit the spot quite nicely!

Original Review,  Sept 2016 travel (published, July 2018)

Flight Details: VS 42, SFO-LHR, 9:10pm departure.

This was my first time flying with Virgin Atlantic.

My journey started in the Clubhouse, where I had a lovely meal, and then we proceeded to the gate.  As I noted, the Clubhouse is landslide, so we had to leave the lounge with ample time to deal with security, which turned out to be frustratingly slow, even though we had Priority.  We wound up with no extra time on the other side, and boarded immediately.

Upper Class Cabin.

This was also my first time, finally, on a Dreamliner!  I was impressed with how spacious the cabin was, the ceiling so high, even though I've been on many huge aircraft before.

Amenities

Amenity Kit.

Boarding was relatively quick and easy.  Waiting at my seat was an amenity kit, with standard crappy earplugs and eye mask, pen, toothbrush and paste, socks, and some lotions.  As I settled in, pre-takeoff drinks were offered (orange juice, sparkling, water).  The seat had a little tray that pulled out for drinks, very convenient.

Soon after, I was offered a “sleeping suit”, pants and long sleeve shirt.  The long sleeve shirt was a pretty standard t-shirt, cotton, slight v-neck.  The pants were … interesting.  Drawstring waist, pocked on one side only, and, uh, drawstrings at the ankles.  Mine ended up being way too short, but I imagine that actually being kinda nice, so your pant legs don’t ride up?

Bathroom.

The bathroom was fairly standard, nothing was particularly interesting about it.  It wasn’t strangely large, it had the basics and nothing more.  Paper towels were paper, not cloth.

Bar.

One flagship feature of the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class brand is the bar.  Yes, they devote a fair amount of floor space to a bar, where you can wander up and order a drink or grab a snack, or just socialize with other guests.  It has bar stools.

I was amused when I looked up and saw that a few people choose to actually have their dinners there.  I mean, why not?  It was likely more comfortable than our seats, and then you had no risk of making a mess at your seat.  Hmm.  Next time.

At some point, very late in the night as they weren’t there the first few times I checked, a snack basket and fruit basket appeared.  Fruit was apples, pears, bananas, grapes, and a few other things.

Snacks included assorted chocolate bars, crisps, caramel corn, shortbread biscuits, granola bars, olives, and assorted lollies.  No nuts.

The Seat

Seat 7A.

The cabin layout is ridiculously spacious, single seats along the windows, with a single row down the center.  All seats thus have aisle access and feel extremely private.  I was in seat 7A, on the even more private side of the cabin, since the middle row faced away from me, so the wall that was the back of their seats is all that I could see.

The seat was a little narrow, not a problem for me while sitting, but I could imagine it feeling claustrophobic if I were bigger.  

USB and regular power ports were available, the seat had a little cubby for water/glasses/whatever, a slot of magazines, and general nice touches around.  The lighting however was awful.  Maybe I just didn’t find another lighting control, but the single light above really failed to illuminate.

At the foot of the seat is an ottoman, and we were allowed to stow bags under it, a fact I appreciated.  Overhead storage bins were huge and spacious.  Seriously, we could have brought all our bags on board if allowed!

The ottoman doubled as a seat for a dining companion, if you wanted to do that.

For dining, a large tray table pulled out, and it slid forward and back far enough that you could push it back to get in and out of your seat while it was still down. One point for that.

The seat wasn’t particularly comfortable to eat at.  Sitting upright at a a table was bit awkward.  I wondered if it would actually be better to sit on the ottoman.

It also wasn’t particularly comfortable for lounging, as it didn’t really recline nicely.

For sleep … also not great.  It did convert to a fully flat bed, like those on Air New Zealand (which I've reviewed many different times).  As a bed, it was sturdy, but, it was really, really hard.  And still very narrow.  On the plus side, the little tray for drinks doubled as a perfect bedside table for my glasses, and the other cubbies were all within reach.  Water bottles were provided.

For bedding, we had a very thin mattress pad, a blanket, and a single pillow.  As always I asked for extra, and was able to get a very small thin extra pillow.

Overall, having pajamas, a full blanket, a big pillow, and a real bed in business class is obviously great, but this wasn’t the most comfortable.

Entertainment Center.

The entertainment center featured movies, music, tv, games, and more.  It was easy to use and I had no problems navigating it or interacting with it, which, I can’t say is normal.

Next to that you can see my drink table, very handy throughout the flight.

There was wifi on the plane, at least, there was supposed to be.  And, i could connect to the access point.  I was never able to login however, as I got an error page every single time I tried.  I’m not sure if it was the fault of some corporate setting on my laptop blocking everything.

Fancy Windows.

Another feature of the Dreamliner is the fancy windows.  Rather than shades you lower and raise, they dim.

The Drinks

Drink?

The menu is two sided.  From one side, it opens up to show the drink menu, cutely labelled “Drink?”.

For wine options, there is a single sparkling, 3 red, and 3 white.  As in the Clubhouse, I was drawn to the cocktail menu, although all the cocktails were quite fruity.  They even had a non-alcoholic mango/lime/lemonade/cranberry selection.  There were also standard bar selections, soft drinks, juices, tea, and coffee.

Our drink order was quickly taken once underway (oh, pre-takeoff we were offered water, orange juice, and sparkling, as standard.

Creole Sour Smash, Sparkling Water.

“Made with Gentleman Jack, a taste of Tennessee meets the tropics in this sour blend.”

I was pretty surprised by how sweet and fruity this was.  I guess it did say “meets the tropics”, but, this was really just fruit juice, mango I think, mixed with some alcohol that was way too strong.  I just really didn’t like it at all.  I kept accidentally trying to drink out of the pretty purple swizzle stick.

The sparkling water was fine.  We were also provided water bottle in a little cubby in the seat.

2013 Cotes de Beaune Villages, Domaine Joseph Drouin, Burgundy, France.

“Light in color but certainly not in flavor, this Pinot Noir is crafted by family owned house of Joseph Drouin from sixteen different vineyard sites around the city of Beaune.  Delicate violet-like red fruits combine with a wonderful harmony of flavors on the palate.  An all time food favorite.”

Since I hated the cocktail, I moved on to wine, and asked for a small pour.  It was fine, inoffensive red wine, not too tannic, very drinkable.

The Food

Dinner

Hello you.

Flipping the menu over to the “Hello you” side I found the food menu.

Since I ate a full meal in the lounge, I didn’t want a second full dinner, but, I knew I’d get puckish before breakfast.  I opted for just a starter and dessert, since I skipped dessert in the lounge.

Options for starters were a soup, a salad, and a timbale.  “What’s a timbale?”, my companion asked.  I laughed, as the only place I ever see these is on flights.  A selection of 3 warm breads was offered next.

Had I wanted a main, choice were beef fillet, chicken, vegetarian ravioli, or a salmon salad.

I had my eyes on dessert, er, pudding, of course, and both options sounded good, a complete contrast to the lounge.  I had him order me the second one.

Finally, a selection of cheeses, that all did sound pretty good, but, I skipped.

Seasoned Chips.

After drink orders were taken, we were offered hot, scented towels.

Alongside our drinks, some “crisps” were offered.  They were seasoned, I think sour cream and onion.  I really enjoyed them, flavorful, and nice and crispy.

Table Setting.

After a short lull, a FA came through to prepare our tables, setting them with a tablecloth.  Soon after, a trolly came down the aisle offering additional beverages and hot rolls.  At this time, my table was set with silverware and little airplane salt and pepper shakers.  Our side was served last.

Starter: Crab Timbale.

“Timbale of crab with soba seaweed noodles and caviar - a light and indulgent treat”.

Starters were delivered one by one as they were ready.

Presentation-wise, this was lovely.  A tower of crab, topped with a little seaweed salad, and the tiniest little mound of soba noodles.  On the side was a couple pieces of frisee, a tiny bit more seaweed, and a tiny bit more soba, along with two little piles of bright green “caviar”.  The base of the timbale was a yellow pickled daikon.

The seaweed salad was good.  The soba was fine.  I liked the crunchy daikon.  But … the crab was fishy and I didn’t like it at all.  Good thing I wasn’t really hungry.

Main: Four Cheese Ravioli.

“Fresh pasta pockets packed with a four cheese filling and sautéed spinach, topped with a roasted tomato sauce and shavings of Italian cheese.”

My companion ordered the ravioli, and I of course got the first bite.  He offered!

It was … fine.  The pasta was a bit al dente in the “baked too long in the oven” sort of way, and it was kinda slimy.  Not awful, but, clearly not freshly cooked pasta.  The spinach was a mound on top, actually pretty good, nice flavorful, tender spinach.  It was all coated in the light red roasted tomato sauce, a kinda salty tomato sauce, with a slightly roasted flavor I guess.  The cheese on top was good.

Overall, fine, but, I didn’t feel like I missed out.

Pudding: Cherry Cheesecake.

“Luxurious, decadent cheesecake with a lovely cherry tang.  New York style cheesecake at it’s best”.

I ordered my dessert back when I ordered the starter an drinks.  As others around me finished their entrees, I assumed my dessert would come.  I watched tables get cleared, and person after person get dessert or cheese.  No dessert was coming my way.  My companion had also ordered dessert when main orders were taken, and after his tray was cleared, he was asked if he wanted dessert.  He repeated his order of the cheesecake.  Moments later, it was delivered.  I interrupted, asking for the sticky toffy pudding.  Around me, everyone else got dessert.  Still none for me.

Luckily, he ordered the cheesecake for me anyway, since I wanted both desserts.  He took one bite, and handed it over.

Cherry Cheesecake: Side View.

It was not quite what I expected, I think I thought the cherry component would be 1) red and 2) perhaps on top.  Instead, the cherry bits were actually located throughout the cheesecake and were mostly yellow cherries, although the cheesecake had a pink hue, which may have also been cherry?  There was subtle cherry flavor throughout.  The cherries were kinda mushy.

It had a somewhat strange consistency, not bad exactly, but not thick and luxurious.  The base wasn’t a graham cracker crust, instead it was a thin layer of sponge, I think lemon flavored?  Mushy, and not what I’d expect as a crust.  Not, uh, “New York style”.

On the side was a tiny bit of whipped cream, from a can.

This, like the ravioli, was fine.  Not good, not bad, but, fine.

Pudding: Sticky Toffee Pudding.

“A wonderful simple pudding, gloriously sweet and sticky perfectly paired with a spoonful of cream. Go on. No one’s watching.”

I waited a very long time for that sticky toffee pudding.  At some point, I decided that it must be served warm, so that is why it was taking so much longer.  Around me, everyone was having their seats converted into beds.  I was still waiting.  Finally, finally, it came.

It was indeed served warm, well, warmish.  Not exactly hot.

I took one bite.  WOAH.  Sweet.

Let’s rewind.  I’ve only had sticky toffee pudding a handful of times in my life.  Never in the UK.  And I’ve never liked it.  I wasn’t really prepared for this level of sweetness.  It took a few tentative bites before I really got into it.  At first, it was just too much.

The cake was not particularly interesting, molasses based I think.  The very, very center wasn’t covered in the sticky sauce, and it was kinda dry.  But the rest?  Absolutely soaked in sweet, sweet, sweet, sauce.  Thus, crazy moist.  Did I mention, sweet?  On top was also one single nut, I think a pecan, but it was gone before I knew it.

The base of the bowl was a pudding of cream, and, more sweet sauce.

I think I liked this in the end, but, it was about 100x sweeter than even I wanted.  I needed to alternate bites with the cheesecake.  It would have been glorious with some vanilla ice cream, and, if it was actually hot.

At this point, overindulgence + sugar coma + wine/cocktails coma set in.  I guess that meant it was time for bed?

[ Side note: I recently learned that the Sticky Toffee Pudding Company makes these puddings!  If that name looks familiar to you, it is because you can buy them in Whole Foods.  Which you should.  And serve them warm.  With ice cream.  You are welcome.  I've since had them *many* more times, and I adore them.  Reviews coming soon of course.  They also make a fabulous ginger version! ]

Breakfast

Breakfast Card.

Located inside our dinner menu was a breakfast card, to fill out in advance.  Options here were fairly extensive, starting with “Cereals/Fruit: A Good Start” with cereals (classic Kellogg’s, plus hot oatmeal, plus muesli), yogurt and fruit.  Next was the “Bakery” with croissants and hazelnut chocolate twists), and hot options of “The full works”, a full english breakfast, the “Smaller appetite? Why not try:”  bacon butty, or “Something lite”, aka, crepes.  You could pick and choose any individual components, which I thought was a nice touch.

Breakfast was delivered one by one, starting from the front of the cabin, as the crew worked to turn the beds back into seats.  They started about 2 hours out from London, which, given the short flight length, was a little sad.  Dinner finished 2 hours 45 minutes into the just over 9 hour flight, so, that left only 4 hours for sleep.  Oooh.  We were all done eating with more than an hour to go.

Breakfast: Muesli, Hazelnut Chocolate Twist Croissant, Peach Creepes, Coffee.

A little round doily was set on my tray first, and all my items arrived at once.  My order wasn’t quite accurate.  My crepes came with bacon on the side, which I didn’t order, and my coffee cake with milk, which I didn’t order.

Muesli

Muesli is something that I sometimes love.  This … I did not love.  It was regular cereal style muesli, not bircher.  On the plus side, it had a mix of all sorts of things, oats, rice puffs, a ton of different seeds, bits of nuts, dried apples, dried raisins. But, it was just a pile of mush.  I have no idea when the milk was added, but it was clearly in advance.  I did not like.

My companion opted for the porridge, which arrived well after his meal.  I didn’t get a photo, but took a bite.  It was actually pretty good, not standard oatmeal, short grains, nicely cooked, not too mushy, and with plenty of brown sugar mixed in.

Hazelnut chocolate twist croissant

My bakery item was served slightly warm, so it had that going for it.  But the pastry was not buttery, it was not flaky, and it was spongy and pretty gross.  You know me and baked goods, but still, this wasn't good.

The warm chocolate hazelnut filling however was tasty, and I extracted as much as I could.

Peach crepes

Interestingly, the crepes had a second option, “With streaky bacon”.  I thought it odd to have that explicit as a side, when you could opt for bacon or sausage from the English breakfast above.  Anyway.  I didn’t opt for the bacon, but I got it anyway.  It was almost crispy, but mostly just greasy.

The crepes were not very good.  Lukewarm.  The edges dried out and crispy.  I’m not sure who thinks crepes would be successful reheated on a plane?

The peaches were slightly spiced with cinnamon I think (and maybe nutmeg?)  I would have preferred without the spices, but, I imagine most folks would want this.  They were not fresh peaches, more like canned, but at least they weren’t in a sickly sweet compote.

On the plus side, there was a scoop of clotted cream not mentioned on the menu, and that was tasty.

So, overall, not so good.  I salvaged the peaches, cream, and chocolate hazelnut filling, and some nuts and pumpkin seeds from the muesli, but good thing it was 5am in my world and I wasn’t actually hungry.  

Coffee

My coffee was rather cold and light brown.  Hmm.  I ordered it black.  I inquired, “does this have milk in it?”  My FA said yes.  I asked for black.  He came back with a black coffee, this one piping hot, and much better.  Good coffee?  Nah.  But it was drinkable.

Later on I opted for a decaf, and it was clearly instant, but again, not bad.

I liked the large size mug.

Bacon Butty with Brown Sauce.

My companion went for the Bacon Butty.  He has had some great breakfast sandwiches on flights before, so I was eager to try it.  The roll was spongy and soggy and greasy, the bacon was flabby style, and I don’t like brown sauce.  Glad I didn’t get this, and, he was probably glad I didn’t want to steal it.

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