Qantas Business Class meals & menus

[stm1sydney]

note that I believe the 12pm thing has to do with (some) states rules regarding service of alcoohol permits specifying what times they are allowed to (this may now be historic as opposed to current).

Nah, I think just QF being tight and spreading some misinformation (standard practice for QF). As noted earlier, VA opens the bar at 11am across all lounges.

 

[ozflier]

I asked for the options and it was not mentioned.

 

[RichardMEL]

I asked for the options and it was not mentioned.

Doesn't mean it wasn't boarded. It may have slipped the mind of the FA. Unless you asked if any sparkling wine (or "Champagne" even though it isn't ) was available.

I've absolutely seen it on QFLink 717 services.

 

[ozflier]

Doesn't mean it wasn't boarded. It may have slipped the mind of the FA. Unless you asked if any sparkling wine (or "Champagne" even though it isn't ) was available.

I've absolutely seen it on QFLink 717 services.

Good news.

 

[Berlin]

I cannot recall not getting my first meal choice in J (or F) on any airline other than QF and AA.

Add the three big Middle Eastern carriers into that and BA as well. Has happened to me quite recently on all of them, on Qatar twice even. And BA has been consistently bad with it. Other than that, I would agree, can also not think of any other carrier lately.

 

[Berlin]

1st February, QF146 AKL-SYD on A330. Flight was delayed out of Auckland by over an hour and due to bad weather in Sydney, we circled for ages in holding pattern just off the coast from Botany Bay. Arrived home over 2 hours later than usual which absolutely sucked.

Drinks were served on departure and the menu was as follows, already waiting on the seat:


Orders were taken immediately after settling into my seat and well before takeoff. I was really tempted to just have soup and the toastie but the lovely FA who happened to have her last day at Qantas on that flight (she was young-ish, just had enough of it) advised that it’s tiny. So I opted for the chicken instead, not knowing that my partner had prepared- wait for it- chicken with zuccini for me to come home to that night! Pea soup was quite nice though needed some salt and pepper to be added. Funnily, they served a much better and tastier peo soup on exactly the same route returning back to AKL just three days later.


The soup came with the usual tiny side salad, some bread and butter and some super simple oil and balsamic dressing which oddly came pre-mixed in one of those tiny little plastic containers which Chinese take always tend to use for their soy sauce or other condiments.


Then came the main which actually was the best chicken I got on Qantas for quite some time. The “chicken breast” was actually breast rather than the weird cuts of meat with a bone that Qantas sometimes sells as “breast”. Of course the meat was dry as chicken tends to be on an airplane (and, worse, far too often on land as well) but the tomatoes sauce nicely made up for that. The little bake on the side was nice as well, as was the zuccini. Altogether a very tasty main!
I usually love the cheese after the meal but in the other direction I am often far too full after an extended feast in the Flounge. Given the “First” lounge in Auckland is absolutely cough (even no Champaign anymore for the third week in a row now so they might as well really now just renovate and have a combined lounge for Business and First), this was the opportunity to have it. Lovely cheeses and quince paste, not quite what you’d get on EK, but acceptable enough.


All in all a delightful flight if you don’t count the endless delay which I’d blame on the weather, rather than Qantas.

 

[Berlin]

4th Feb, QF145 SYD-AKL on 737.

I had eaten plentyfully in the Sydney Flounge which was amazing as always. Just an image of the duck which was by far my favorite meal on the current menu:



It was soooo good and flavoursome! Anyway, on board of the small 737 I was offered the usual pre-departure drink and had the Duval-Leroy champagne which is quite a decent drop for a NV, actually. Menus were already waiting at the seat and food orders were taken quickly after take off. A pre-meal drink as also offered and as always, I had a rather nice Bloody Marry (Qantas uses American cans of BM mixes on their international flights which is excellent and soooooo much better than some tomatoe juice with a bit of Worcester sauce thrown in).

The menu itself read as follows:


I really wanted the soup and had chicken just on the way over to Sydney (actually- that menu had pea and ham soup AND chicken, quite the same) so I selected pihivier (which is essentially a French-style puff pastry pie) which was expectedly little but asked for a big bowl of the soup as a starter which was no problem at all. Luckily, the soup was WAY better than on the way out and included some really coursely shaved ham that seemingly cane straight “off the bone”- lovely!


It definitely tasted better than it looks but pea soups always look a bit like duck poop and then turn out to taste so good!

Finally the main arrived and at first I found it really lovely.


Rather than some tiny bits of pork, it actually contained one big chunk of pork meat in the centre of it which was a bit chewy but not the worst cut either. To my absolute shock and horror, thet’s snug plenty of wilted spinach into the back of the pocket which was absolutely disgusting. And why do awful green fizzly ingredients never get mentioned on the menu? I loved the peas and beans on the side as they were prepared French-style with onions and bacon, was very tasty. But that spinach... As I always say, Spinach, rocket, Bok Choy and similar things were all brought onto humanity by Satan himself. Bah, bah, bah.

Finished off just with the tiny ice cream as I was too full from the Flounge. All in all a pleasant though not particularly outstanding flight.

 

[kermatu]

Drinks were served on arrival

Never had that before.

 

[Berlin]

Never had that before.

Hahaha, oups! Fixed it (though was tempted to just leave as it was because it’s hilarious!).

 

[kermatu]

The food on evening MEL-CBR flights has improved marginally in recent months. Still small serves but at least something a bit more than just salad offcuts. Have had smoked salmon and potato salad a couple of time. And this roast beef salad most recently:

 

[Berlin]

And this roast beef salad most recently:

Now, that's the kind of salad that works for me: Some nice beef, broccoli, barley... Something else, can't really tell. Looks perfectly decent for a short domestic flight!

 

[kermatu]

Now, that's the kind of salad that works for me: Some nice beef, broccoli, barley... Something else, can't really tell. Looks perfectly decent for a short domestic flight!

Was nice, but not what I'd call dinner.

 

[JJJJJJJ]

BNE>PER 30 Jan lunch service. Sorry about the double menu (don't ask). The soup was delicious, even my husband thought so and he was going to pass on starters completely. The pork dish was lovely... the photo looks disgusting but it was great. Meat is often hit and miss on flights, one piece was lovely the other was a bit tougher but I would certainly order again. For dessert it was the usual Maggie Beer ice cream or a chocolate brownie with cherry puree. Both were lovely and I highly recommend. Crew were fabulous, really very good. They even expertly monitored the "pay-for-economy-ticket-but-prefer-to-use-business-loo brigade" (BRAVO!)
And my husband discovered why the icecream is always rock hard: the icecream is kept on dry ice and it's a nightmare for crew to defrost. Mystery solved.

 

[QF WP]

Solved your menu issue @JJJJJJJ

Dry ice, of course. I leave it on the side until it’s melted because I have almost broken teeth and implements trying to eat some

 

[Beachypete]

Hi all, has anyone had the lunch and or the breakfast menu bne to per in j lately ?

 

[JJJJJJJ]

Hi all, has anyone had the lunch and or the breakfast menu bne to per in j lately ?

I had breakfast last May, is that "lately"? It was a feta omelette and a muffin. The omelette was huge and ok, a bit dry but my husband loved it.

 

[Berlin]

Friday 8th February, AKL-SYD "dinner flight" on A330

After the now usual lack of proper champagne in the so-called "First" lounge in Qantas, I was very happy to being served a nice glass of champagne on arrival in the cabin. Even more delighted was I that the menu happened to not be one that I already had before and it read as follows:



I was very torn between the chicken sandwich and the beef but then decided for the latter because it's such a rare choice on shorter flights to get a proper beef fillet. I knew already that I woudn't touch the pumkin (yikes!) so I asked for a large bowl of soup as a starter which was no problem. Zucchini soup is a bit of a hit and miss on Qantas, only recently I had one that tasted totally bland but I decided to give it another chance anyway.



And alas, this soup this time was so much better! Nicely flavored and went really well with yet another glass of the champers.

As expected, the pumpkin that came with the main looked totally gross but the beef itself seemed to be alright:



Indeed, the meat was really good, both a decent cut and even half way juice which is a rare feat on any airplane! The green stuff on the steak was very parsely-y so also not really adding much to the meal, I would have much preferred a simple garlic butter or something like that. So in the end, it was a slap of meat with two slivers of red onion and (not really visible above) two whole cloves of roasted garlic which was the perfect retaliation to those passengers around me who had decided to have the stinky salmon earlier on

But again, the meat quality made up for it- they seriously somehow made it to end up on the medium side of things which is pretty good:

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And my husband discovered why the icecream is always rock hard: the icecream is kept on dry ice and it's a nightmare for crew to defrost. Mystery solved.

Indeed. Crew have advised me that there's just not space to have 30-50 tubs of ice cream sitting out in the galley to soften up. The 'right' time seems about 10 minutes or so

 

[ozflier]

Indeed. Crew have advised me that there's just not space to have 30-50 tubs of ice cream sitting out in the galley to soften up. The 'right' time seems about 10 minutes or so

BNE-MEL 1110 hrs departure .
Option of pumpkin soup or chicken curry with rice.
I took the former as the least worse of the two options.
My seatmate went for the chicken -the serving looked just like you used to get offered in economy ( not now of course)
Shiraz was drinkable .
Service fine but the food did let the flight down.

 

[Berlin]

Monday 11th Feburary, SYD-AKL 'lunch' flight on B737

I had splendid breakfast in the always gorgeous Sydney Flounge beforehand so what not exactly starving when getting on this flight. As per usual, "Priority boarding" was virtually in-existent as ever so often. Why just why cant Qantas get this right- it's just a matter of staff training and attitude, it wouldn't even involve any additional costs as far as I can see. Easy win, low hanging fruit, whatever management-speak you wanna use. I really don't understand.

Anyway, after the painfully slow queue behind all the riff raff, I was very happy to be offered a pre-departure champagne. As always the Duval Lerois was rather tasty. Menus were already waiting by the seat and read as follows:



Quite a good selection I found, could have eaten many of those options. But as I was quite full already, I decided to just have the beef pie and then asked for a large bowl of the Laksa beforehand. This was not an issue at all and I had Laksa before once or twice on Qantas. Luckily, it didn't disappoint:



Gosh, Qantas does a mean Laksa! Tastes very authentic, is quite spicy and is overall simply yumm yumm yumm. One of my favorite Qantas meals of them all, I can only highly recommending it if you get the chance to try!



The pie itself was fine, nothing extraordinary but exactly what you'd expect. The sides were actually quite good as no vegetables dribbled their water all over the pie crust- those tomatoes were rather well behaved! ;-)

Finally, I decided for the cheese platter and was in luck as they've changed the condiments slightly (and for the better, I think, as I'm allergic to walnuts). I fly this route so often that even tiny changes to the food make me really excited, haha:



Macademia nuts work much better for me as I, well, can actually eat them. And the little dried apricot was also nice as were the actual cheeses- one soft goats cheese type and one rather mild blue vain cheese. Hit the spot perfectly for me!