Qantas Business Class meals & menus

[tdimdad]

Some gluten-free meals (GFML) from last week. We usually get mainstream meals in this thread but for those who have special meals, it might be helpful to get an idea what to expect from those (comparing notes...).

Breakfast SYD-MEL - An overcooked English breakfast. Edible but next time I'd appreciate something different. No idea what the soy milk was there for.
Lunch MEL-CHC - A beef curry (?). OK, it worked as a meal.
Lunch CHC-BNE - A chicken breast file. The chicken was dry but still this was clearly the best meal of the four. The veggies were cooked just enough and not over. The bread roll was tasty.
Dinner BNE-SYD - A chicken/egg (?) scramble with a bean sauce. Quite decent flavour-wise. The best part was the dessert (coconut slice).

 

[sudoer]

No idea what the soy milk was there for.

I would assume catering are ticking off multiple dietary requirements in a single batch of meals - probably GFML / NLML in this example.

 

[SJF211]

QF1953 - DRW-ADL
SDT: 1815 (Pre daylight savings) EFT: 3:45
The inbound aircraft arrived around 45 minutes late, did actually get an email from QANTAS about 3 hours prior with the rescheduled departure time. We started boarding at 1830 and were finished by 1835 and left about 30 minutes late at 1845. No predeparture service was offered and after take off the drink service commenced but no almonds and pretzels where handled out. That being said there was 4 dinner options, Beef massaman curry with rice, "Kung Pao," chicken, sweet potato salad or rarebeef and soba noodles. I'd been hanging out to try neil's interpretation of Kung Pao chicken so opted for it. As many others have pointed out it was not kung pao at all but it was still very nice, the rice was eh. There was a smoked salmon and grain salad which was also nice. The cheese in cling wrap makes a return also. Ice cream came about an hour before landing but the crew were otherwise absent for the rest of the flight. I tried to sleep for most of the flight and the crew did give me a pillow and blanket which was very nice.

 

[Daver6]

Lobster?

You need to fly QR J for that

 

[I love to travel]

You need to fly QR J for that

View attachment 350695

Or SQ

 

[kamchatsky]

Thank you so much for this thread. I was thinking of redeeming Avios or QFF points for J BNE-SYD for 4, after J SQ flight to BNE. But the food offerings in this thread turned me off completely. Rather just pay Y and eat at Cafe at BNE instead.

 

[Bugalugz]

Flew SYD-PER the other day in J on A330.

The new boarding trial - seemed a bit of a disaster after multiple announcements - signage woulda been good. Plat in J so no issue.......people weren't able to hear and there was plenty of red lgihts/denials to board.

No PDP, well the first time we were at the gate, after the taxi and return we got a PDBP/ADB? beverage.

Brekky was Muesli, Quiche or Fritatta - Fritatta and Quiche were not as described but edible.

I flew VA J PER-SYD 4 days prior and apart from the flat bed, VA service shat all over QF. The crew were good but the catering is woeful, it's like the Y meals 10+ years ago.

To put it in perspective the VA frittata was 3x the size and 100x the taste, didn't taste like freeze dried egg mixed into a baked dish.

QF Crew were good, I was only one drinking on an 0825/11am flight so got well looked after!

 

[DrJ]

I flew VA J PER-SYD 4 days prior and apart from the flat bed, VA service shat all over QF. The crew were good but the catering is woeful, it's like the Y meals 10+ years ago.

Good to hear that VA are doing better, some decent competition from them is the only thing that is going to get QF to lift their catering game on PER flights to something approaching pre 2020 standards...

 

[DrJ]

QF653 SYD-PER Mon Oct 23, 332 Sched dep 1945 actual pushback 1958 (waiting for Int connections) takeoff 2008 ( 34L)

Nice to be back in a J pod after a very uncomfortable flight over in Y on a 738. No PDB offered, not even a water bottle in the basket next to the headphones.

Nonetheless, drinks offered promptly after getting up to cruise, good friendly service by CSM Helen (who gave me the rare WP welcome) and FAs Jack and Kassie.


As the usual Chivas would taste very ordinary compared to the stellar single malts I had just had at the Baxter Inn before leaving for the airport, went with the more than passable Lois Lane blanc de blancs to open the batting. The usual Santos pretzels and almonds accompanied.



Had the beef blade accompanied by potatoes, beans and peas with a side of an Asian prawn coleslaw. The other options were a paella and a vego salad of some description. Wasn't expecting much of the beef, but was melt-in-the-mouth tender, akin to the slow cooked brisket served in the F lounge over winter. The prawns were fresh tasting also. The Clos Clare Hayes Boy 2020 Grenache accompanied, was more than quaffable so allowed myself another glass of this.



Maggie’s morello cherry and dark chocolate almond ice cream finished things off.

Within the expectations of the new normal for east coast - PER J, this was significantly better than average, a good end to a successful SYD trip.

 

[zig]

QF653 SYD-PER Mon Oct 23, 332 Sched dep 1945 actual pushback 1958 (waiting for Int connections) takeoff 2008 ( 34L)

Nice to be back in a J pod after a very uncomfortable flight over in Y on a 738. No PDB offered, not even a water bottle in the basket next to the headphones.

Nonetheless, drinks offered promptly after getting up to cruise, good friendly service by CSM Helen (who gave me the rare WP welcome) and FAs Jack and Kassie.

View attachment 351381
As the usual Chivas would taste very ordinary compared to the stellar single malts I had just had at the Baxter Inn before leaving for the airport, went with the more than passable Lois Lane blanc de blancs to open the batting. The usual Santos pretzels and almonds accompanied.

View attachment 351383
View attachment 351384
Had the beef blade accompanied by potatoes, beans and peas with a side of an Asian prawn coleslaw. The other options were a paella and a vego salad of some description. Wasn't expecting much of the beef, but was melt-in-the-mouth tender, akin to the slow cooked brisket served in the F lounge over winter. The prawns were fresh tasting also. The Clos Clare Hayes Boy 2020 Grenache accompanied, was more than quaffable so allowed myself another glass of this.


View attachment 351385
Maggie’s morello cherry and dark chocolate almond ice cream finished things off.

Within the expectations of the new normal for east coast - PER J, this was significantly better than average, a good end to a successful SYD trip.

I'm not sure Michael Corleone would be as accepting of the 'new normal'

 

[DrJ]

I'm not sure Michael Corleone would be as accepting of the 'new normal'

Oh yes, AJ would be sleeping with the fishes now

 

[KSC]

I've got an overnight flight from SIN to MEL (QF38) next month and it departs Singapore at 11:30pm.

After being in the lounge and eating / drinking there, I'm not sure if I'd want a full 3 course meal at 1:30am (most likely the time that meals will be served), but at the same time - I want the "full" experience as breakfast will most likely be just that - breakfast.

I guess I'll just have to sleep (if I can) very full!

They could go the SIA express option in J SIN to MEL and give no meal on the late 12am flights. That happened to my dad a few months back. Only breakfast in the morning before landing was offered.

 

[anat0l]

I've got an overnight flight from SIN to MEL (QF38) next month and it departs Singapore at 11:30pm.

After being in the lounge and eating / drinking there, I'm not sure if I'd want a full 3 course meal at 1:30am (most likely the time that meals will be served), but at the same time - I want the "full" experience as breakfast will most likely be just that - breakfast.

I guess I'll just have to sleep (if I can) very full!

Weird suggestion... it may not work, but how about asking the crew if they can set aside a "main plate" or two, to be served at breakfast time?

I've tried this before successfully, except I was in Y (got my hot meal tray before landing rather than served after take off, so I could go to sleep nearly immediately). Admittedly, very nice crew and the flight wasn't all that full.

 

[kpro]

Had this Chili Garlic Prawns with rice twice in the past week. Evening flights on QF Link and mainline.

One of the better dishes IMO. Not quite lobster, but good to see some seafood on the menu. Prawns a little overcooked as expected, however the sauce is quite flavourful and has somewhat of a kick to it.

 

[BD1959]

QF127 SYD-HKG 28-SEP-23 (apologies for the delay in posting, just back from UK ... more on the return later)

Boarding was via a Bus Gate being the most notable element of the flight. Thought the food offerings were actually quite decent. Had breakfasted previously in the F Lounge so had no need for snacks during the flight.

Chicken skewers were a standout, as was the Ginger Pork ... the rice cakes melting in the mouth.

Regards,

BD

 

[MelbFlyer]

QF36 Singapore to Melbourne - 19:40 departure, <7hrs flight time.

Pretty average offering compared to the first flight on my OWA (QF29 Melbourne to HK).

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

As much as I rave on about an express meal service, crew were great on a recent QF12. Got a cheese plate and red wine very promptly and excited crew convinced me to have a panacotta then noticed I was done and made my bed whilst everyone else was in the middle of dinner service. This was greatly appreciated and managed a solid 9+hrs sleep which was much needed after a jfk connection.

 

[sww199]

The sorry state of QF dom J on full display recently:

#1 - QF791 - ASP-SYD - 11.50am STD



Omelette with beans, a miserable sausage and a couple of leaves of spinach. Very bland. No PDB, which I think for a 3 hour flight out of hot ASP is pathetic - not even a bottle of water left at the seat. For all practical purposes, this is a lunchtime departure, yet QF only loads breakfast food - ridiculous. The pastry was not bad. Several J pax refused to eat and asked for economy meal or just pretzels instead. The FA was apologising to passengers, saying this is the worst they had seen in several decades with the airline, and suggested passengers write in to complain. Farcical. Regular top ups of drinks offered. Pleasant and efficient service.

#2 QF441 - SYD-MEL - 5pm STD



Beef stir fry with edamame. This was tasty. Pepe Saya butter always nice. Washed down with Lois NV sparkling and a couple of G&Ts, which were very good. Alternative was a soup or a salad. Cake was some dry stumpy thing, did not eat more than a bite. Like with #1, no PDB. Again, how hard can it be? Otherwise pleasant and efficient service, although impersonal. Sad to see the lovely coconut chocolate bar from Koko Black has got the chop!

I found this all frustrating given the new CEO's attempts at the Senate committee to characterise QF mainline as a 'premium' carrier in the Australian domestic market - this, plainly, is far from a premium experience, as I have had more premium experiences with VA, and certainly far more premium experiences with QF dom J several years ago.

 

[Berlin]

View attachment 352165

Beef stir fry with edamame. This was tasty. Pepe Saya butter always nice. Washed down with Lois NV sparkling and a couple of G&Ts, which were very good. Alternative was a soup or a salad. Cake was some dry stumpy thing, did not eat more than a bite. Like with #1, no PDB. Again, how hard can it be? Otherwise pleasant and efficient service, although impersonal. Sad to see the lovely coconut chocolate bar from Koko Black has got the chop!

Mhm, that dinner here looks rather nice and the Lois, while no proper champagne, is certainly a HUGE improvement over that awful Grant Burge they used to serve (in my personal opinion, of course). Pre-departure drinks have long gone in Domestic J and indeed, that's a loss (and I'm not quite sure why as AA for example still even let's you chose your drink up in Domestic Firrrrst- unless you accidentally get a bad crew, that is).

But all in all, this is still better than what you get on many other "legacy" airlines. I've flown BA, AF, Lufthansa and Finnair this year and Qantas blows every single one of those out of the water, especially as the Domestic runs here are often just an hour or so long and some of my European flights were 2-3 hours. Seat is way better on QF as it's a "proper" business seat, crew at least as professional and friendly then their European counterparts (often even more so!) and the food, as disappointing as it can be, is often also better and larger portion. And believe me, the likes of LH certainly also charge you through the nose for a seat in Business class (which would be, as always in Europe, Economy class with a free middle seat).

 

[BD1959]

QF82 SIN-SYD 25-Oct-23

I understand that this is now deemed a "supper service" out of Singapore and that the expectation is that most will have eaten in the Lounges pre-flight. So - why do QF insist on serving a "snack" (as the schnitzel is defined on other sectors) and not a dedicated supper? Stranger still. really ... bread with a sandwich? ... even NP's 3-Leaf Salad would have broken that carb cycle. FA could not remember the wines available, I opted for whaetever the non-chardonnay option was. Subsequent top-ups were provided.



FAs were friendly - and flexible - although I'd booked the breakfast as a dish to be served an hour before landing the FA on my side saw that I was awake 2.5hrs before and brought me my breakfast ....


On landing the usual (not the first time) QF Cancellation gremlins struck again to round off this "premium" experience ... this time with a 7hr bite!! I'm going to start a new thread on this sorry saga elsewhere.

Regards,

BD