Rex Business Class meals

[dylarr]

Breakfast on ZL42 MEL-SYD this morning.

Pre departure drink of sparking or orange juice offered. Meal orders were taken prior to departure and delivered shortly after the seatbelt sign was turned off.

Hot option was an egg and bacon tart with grilled capsicum and mushrooms, a muffin and some muesli with yoghurt which I opted for. Very tasty.

The cold option was some kind of salad (sorry I don't remember what kind).

Really attentive and warm crew. All in all a great product.

 

[Carfield]

August 2023

REX Business Class

ZL 387 BNE-SYD Lv1930 Arr2105



Pre-takeoff beverage – sparkling water or wine



Choice of Korean Spicy Yellowbean cake with rice or Cheese and fruit plate

I chose the spicy vegetarian dish, which was just disgusting.

Thankfully the bagged warm roll was delicious and the F/A did a snack basket run after the meal. She possibly saw the large amount of leftover food.



The service was great but the heavily used ex-VA business class seats were very beat up. If the price was right, I won’t hesitate to fly REX 737 service again.

 

[Justinf]

First time in J with Rex. In fact first time with Rex.
noon Mel-Hba ZL961
loved the lemon in the sparkling water pre-take off.
choice of hot meal of polenta or a cold meal of cured meats etc.
went the polenta and it was fabulous.
the warm bread roll was a fabulous touch.
lucky I like polenta. not a fan of cured meat.
Service by Shaye was terrific.

 

[dk4]

Toasted Sandwich

 

[mad_atta]

Had my first Rex experience yesterday - ZL367 BNE-SYD - scheduled 5pm departure which actually left at 7.46pm. So not a great start... but they did hand out refreshment vouchers, which in addition to the vouchers they usually give for biz pax at BNE due to lack of lounge meant we had $50 to spend between two of us, which went towards drinks that were nicer than we would have found in an airline lounge, so not a total loss.

Once onboard, things improved. We were on an ex-GOL aircraft which had the brand new biz seats (same as Virgin's new seats) but with vast legroom and impressive recline - seemed like around 50" seat pitch. Very nice, but also very space inefficient.

Service was incredibly friendly and proactive. Pre-departure beverages (OJ or still/sparkling water with lemon) were a nice touch. Meal choice was roast chicken or a fairly elaborate sounding salad, both described in detail. I had the chicken, which was genuinely delicious, washed down with Phillip Shaw No.19 sauvignon blanc, which was a decent drop (and several refils offered). Good quality, warmed bread roll on the side. Dessert was a small but delicious lemon cake, plus a small chocolate.

Presentation in cardboard and paper is a bit different, but felt well executed and still relatively premium. Quality and flavour was very impressive - notably better than QF or VA domestic biz meals from last year or two. Colour me impressed (on time performance notwithstanding) especially on a ticket costing less than VA or QF did in coach. Would I fly them again - yes, but the lack of alternative flight options or backup aircraft to adapt to delay situations like this would make me pause.

 

[fly2earth]

Presentation in cardboard and paper is a bit different, but felt well executed and still relatively premium. Quality and flavour was very impressive - notably better than QF or VA domestic biz meals from last year or two. Colour me impressed (on time performance notwithstanding) especially on a ticket costing less than VA or QF did in coach. Would I fly them again - yes, but the lack of alternative flight options or backup aircraft to adapt to delay situations like this would make me pause.

Am I crazy to think that this is better than the Cole-slaw that they serve at some carriers? As in the food that Rex serves is actually presentable (and beautiful even) and looks very edible (very palatable!). And oh that sparkling "sodas" they serve at the beginning of the flight makes me feel as if I am taking SQ or other fancy Asian airlines not the cheap $20 bottle wines that they're trying to get rid of or sell but actual sparking "sodas"
I would readily give up my rights in the lounge and trade it all for the food here. In fact, need to count with both my hands the number of times I have taken Rex J in lieu of other carriers with included benefits now that Rex is my preferred carrier of choice. Kind of ironic but I do think the food looks newer fresher without the fancy plates or weirdly coloured plastic containers. And the desserts feel quite delicate not the Colesworth Arnotts or Timtam cookies that they managed to buy in bulk and give it to the pax (yes I can buy them myself at home but the dessert that Rex serves always surprises me because each time it feels like opening up a Kinder Surprise you don't know what type of special treat they're going to put inside). Everything is perfect, if I were to find one thing to comment on that would be that they don't provide takeaway pyjamas and slippers like that of transcontinental Asian airlines (however none of the other domestic carriers in the world are doing it so kind of irrelevant but that would be my perfect airline because that is the only thing I can think of. Sure, the planes are dated, but can't quite feel it since I am too busy enjoying my meal and refreshments and my plush seat to notice any of those intricacies. If I was sitting in whY I would probably have noticed it more). Really glad someone recommended Rex to me and can't wait to see what my next Rex J flight holds

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Am I crazy to think that this is better than the Cole-slaw that they serve at some carriers? As in the food that Rex serves is actually presentable (and beautiful even) and looks very edible (very palatable!). And oh that sparkling "sodas" they serve at the beginning of the flight makes me feel as if I am taking SQ or other fancy Asian airlines not the cheap $20 bottle wines that they're trying to get rid of or sell but actual sparking "sodas"
I would readily give up my rights in the lounge and trade it all for the food here. In fact, need to count with both my hands the number of times I have taken Rex J in lieu of other carriers with included benefits now that Rex is my preferred carrier of choice. Kind of ironic but I do think the food looks newer fresher without the fancy plates or weirdly coloured plastic containers. And the desserts feel quite delicate not the Colesworth Arnotts or Timtam cookies that they managed to buy in bulk and give it to the pax (yes I can buy them myself at home but the dessert that Rex serves always surprises me because each time it feels like opening up a Kinder Surprise you don't know what type of special treat they're going to put inside). Everything is perfect, if I were to find one thing to comment on that would be that they don't provide takeaway pyjamas and slippers like that of transcontinental Asian airlines (however none of the other domestic carriers in the world are doing it so kind of irrelevant but that would be my perfect airline because that is the only thing I can think of. Sure, the planes are dated, but can't quite feel it since I am too busy enjoying my meal and refreshments and my plush seat to notice any of those intricacies. If I was sitting in whY I would probably have noticed it more). Really glad someone recommended Rex to me and can't wait to see what my next Rex J flight holds

Let's hope they last but they're still flying pretty empty aircraft MEL-SYD a lot of the time! I too really enjoy my flights with them

 

[fly2earth]

Let's hope they last but they're still flying pretty empty aircraft MEL-SYD a lot of the time! I too really enjoy my flights with them

Kind of a selfish thought, but wish they'd stay empty so I have the whole J to myself (not to the point of bankruptcy please)

Call me old fashioned but I think the "delicate" cardboard boxes make the items look more expensive and most importantly more hygienic can't imagine how thoroughly normal airlines wash the dishes given they have so much stuff to attend to and customers to satisfy.

Like I would even hypothetically argue that if they were to sell the meals at a restaurant Rex's menu would come out slightly ahead in price ahead of other carriers (at least one) that's how good it looks to me (maybe I need to get my eyes rechecked)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Kind of a selfish thought, but wish they'd stay empty so I have the whole J to myself (not to the point of bankruptcy please)

That’s the problem, REX business cabins almost never go out with spare seats as they upgrade at the gate last minute, for free.

On two of my last four flights the person next to me commented to the cabin manager just before disembarking how they had a lovely surprise for the free upgrade. That’s all fine, as long as they implement a system where the people paying get first crack at the meal choice!

 

[1022]

ZL413 MEL-ADL 8:55am departure. The day before the flight, EF was showing me in 1A as the only pax in J and all business class fare buckets as availability of 7. Morning of departure the cabin was full apart from 1D. Y looked about 80% full.

My first time in the Rex lounge in the bowels of T4. It’s…quaint. Kind of has suburban solicitor’s office waiting room vibes, which is still better than being out in the terminal I guess! Priority boarding was clearly called and lanes clearly marked. When I approached the podium the agent confirmed “business class?”. Good work!

My aircraft was an ex GOL 738. Note in the pic below how much legroom 1D and 1F score due to the smaller galley up front. OJ or sparkling water were offered during boarding.


Breakfast orders were taken on the ground during a short tech delay. Annoyingly for me as the (I assume) only full fare J pax, the young cabin manager started with 2F and worked her way to 1C and me in 1A last, by which time there was only one of the hot option left. I didn’t catch all the details but it sounded like a cheese and prosciutto toastie. The cold option was a ricotta, pumpkin and mushroom salad. 1C opted not to eat and the cold option sounded more appealing to me.



Also on the tray was a small serve of Greek yoghurt with granola and dried fruit and a warm blueberry muffin. Everything was fresh and tasty. It would have been decent food in a cafe on the ground…apart from the coffee which tasted decidedly instant.

The service from this CM was nothing to write home about. It would have been pleasant and above average for Y service, but totally impersonal and perfunctory for J. Nevertheless I was pretty happy with my second ever J flight on Rex, especially when they were asking not much more than a Red-e when I booked a few weeks earlier.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So ‘bid for uogrades’ clear 3 hours before departure. One or two seats are held for last minute sales. If those don’t sell, they’re offered for free by the gate agent.

It’s extremely rare to have any spare seats upfront, even if only 20 pax in the main cabin.

Agree, really poor form that full fare paying lax don’t get first crack at meal choice. Once the full FF program launches, I hope too tiers are also recognised.

Been enjoying the roast chicken of late. Comes with a crispy breadcrumb and sage stuffing. The hot vegetable tagine with pumpkin dumplings is ok, depending the departure airport. The cold soba salad with chicken breast is good. The salmon salad … dunno, haven’t tried as I don’t eat fish. The final one on the rotation seems to be a roast eggplant with burrata and crispy fried garlic. It’s a bit bland unfortunately, but otherwise fresh enough.

The bread rolls are really delicious, warmed and served with Western Star. Puddings are by Manna from Heaven. Hard to go wrong with those.

The MEL lounge is basic, but has a good coffee machine, delicious fresh wraps, and a full massage chair!

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Here's the morning tea service of scones , jam, cream, sandwiches, cake, chocolate. Fabulous

 

[fly2earth]

Again did not disappoint.

View attachment 383599

Here's the morning tea service of scones , jam, cream, sandwiches, cake, chocolate. Fabulous

My breakfast omelet was a little bit soggy but other than that everything was fine the scone/muffin was piping hot and I got two fills of sparkling "water." Can't get any better than that. I think lunchtime meals are more comprehensive I think i will book flights closer to noon next time (can't wait to see what they have for dinner if lunch is already so amasing!) Luckily this time have on access lounge with another airline later the same day so not big of a deal if breakfast was not ideal meal. First time I had meal a meal onboard Rex that I can live with or without (same with the other airlines' breakfast options I guess Western breakfast just does not go well with aeroplanes especially omelettes), but at least it is not those cheap Cole-slaws you can buy from Colesworth for 4 dollars per box which you feel sick after eating a few bites.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

choice of soy glazed tofu hot meal or ploughman’s platter last night. Allegedly ‘under catered’ so only 2 ploughman’s. But very annoying, the CM started orders from 2F, and after completing row 2 moved to row 1! First time this has ever happened on all my flights, and given I was the sole occupant of the lounge, and combined with a totally unassigned seat map just an hour before the flight, I suspect I was the only passenger travelling on a J class fare. Pretty poor service.

However, the tofu was absolutely delicious and came with one of the best chilli sauces I have ever had, and that’s saying something! I’ll try and find out the origins on the flight next week to see if it’s branded or made in-house. The ploughman’s had ham, cheeses and hard-boiled egg. Also looked very good.

 

[dk4]

Meal as delivered....


main meal unboxed... (vegetarian)

 

[1022]

choice of soy glazed tofu hot meal or ploughman’s platter last night. Allegedly ‘under catered’ so only 2 ploughman’s. But very annoying, the CM started orders from 2F, and after completing row 2 moved to row 1! First time this has ever happened on all my flights, and given I was the sole occupant of the lounge, and combined with a totally unassigned seat map just an hour before the flight, I suspect I was the only passenger travelling on a J class fare. Pretty poor service.

However, the tofu was absolutely delicious and came with one of the best chilli sauces I have ever had, and that’s saying something! I’ll try and find out the origins on the flight next week to see if it’s branded or made in-house. The ploughman’s had ham, cheeses and hard-boiled egg. Also looked very good.

The same order-taking sequence happened to me last month. Similarly I was in row 1 on an J fare and the only assigned J seat at about T-12 hours. Ideally Rex CMs should have on their manifest who the actual paid J pax are. They will soon also need to deal with the “complication” of status soon too.

I believe I read up thread somewhere that their catering comes from a hotel kitchen in Mascot. It definitely looks and tastes more bespoke than the usual mass market stuff from the likes of DNATA

 

[dk4]

Lamb cutlets

As presented


Once opened

 

[tcasfail]

The same order-taking sequence happened to me last month. Similarly I was in row 1 on an J fare and the only assigned J seat at about T-12 hours. Ideally Rex CMs should have on their manifest who the actual paid J pax are. They will soon also need to deal with the “complication” of status soon too.

I believe I read up thread somewhere that their catering comes from a hotel kitchen in Mascot. It definitely looks and tastes more bespoke than the usual mass market stuff from the likes of DNATA

It used to come from the Branksome ex SYD, and flown to other airports in esky’s. Not sure if that’s still the case

 

[Saab34]

It used to come from the Branksome ex SYD, and flown to other airports in esky’s. Not sure if that’s still the case

I see that hotel is owned by the Rex chair, next to Rex HQ. I was trying to work out why a random hotel was preparing airline meals. Makes sense now.

Where do Virgin source their meals from?

 

[AIRwin]

Where do Virgin source their meals from?

I've seen Gate Gourmet catering trucks in the main ports