Spice bar at Melbourne Qantas Domestic Business Lounge

[RichardMEL]

oh you do remind me that yes in SYD J lounge the bar was self service wine. I totally forgot. That was change from a few weeks prior.

 

[SYD]

oh you do remind me that yes in SYD J lounge the bar was self service wine. I totally forgot. That was change from a few weeks prior.

It was bar service Thu last week, but I did wander over just after noon as the domestic pop corks popped…

 

[Virgin Bart]

Was today the first day?

It was indeed. 18/2/22 for the record. I think it finished in MEL on 23/3/20.

I know for sure ADL QP made their first significant changes on 22/3/20.

 

[sudoer]

I'm usually a big fan of the Spice Bar, but today it was abysmal and I'm kicking myself for not seeing @SYD 's post on the previous page. I present the "chicken and miso noodle soup with soy, egg and sesame"



On paper it sounded like a take on ramen, and I think that's what they were going for, but god this was awful. Almost every ingredient was out of place, but three really stood out:

- The half cup of watery goma dressing poured into the soup as the final ingredient. This is designed to be a salad dressing ffs. I suspect they were trying to emulate goma dare, a thicker and less sweet sauce base. This shouldn't have been an ingredient at all, just make your miso base better.
- The gari (sliced sushi ginger pickled in sweet vinegar) is a palate cleanser rather than an ingredient in a soup. I suspect they were trying to substitute beni shoga, julienned ginger pickled in a much darker plum vinegar with a very different end result. Both are readily available in Australia so I have no idea why they'd pick gari.
- The noodles. I couldn't identify exactly what these were because they were half-cooked, and the soup broth was luke-warm so they never softened. I'm guessing it was run of the mill vermicelli, but I can't work out what made the kitchen think this combination would work? Were they going for ramen? Harusame? We may never know.

The rest was very average - a weak/watery miso broth, a hard-boiled attempt at ajitsuke tamago, where the egg is supposed to be marinated in a mix of soy/mirin/sake/sugar, but in this case the egg was marinated just in soy and extremely salty. Uncooked beansprouts also made an appearance, which is quite uncommon in Japan unless served in a piping hot soup, and there was some dry chicken breast. The only ingredient that actually worked was the kikurage or wood ear mushrooms.

I really hope they lift their game and maybe send a chef on secondment to the JL HND F lounge before trying ramen again. Otherwise they should probably stick to the Japanese dishes which are less difficult to butcher, like curry and gyudon. Or just go back to the satay sticks and larb please.

 

[AIRwin]

I present the "chicken and miso noodle soup with soy, egg and sesame"

Paging @jakeseven7

 

[SYD]

I was concerned about the eyeball looking back at me in mine!

 

[RichardMEL]

Well I am clearly not a Japanese food expert and defer to the experts but I actually quite enjoyed the bowl I had the other day of this dish.

I would note that the noodles were not very good and the miso seemed like it was perhaps more mild on purpose (ironic take on "spice" in Spice Bar?) - a bit like the way a lot of spicy asian and other dishes are toned down in a lot of places outside their home countries eg: Oz, USA etc to more please the local palate (not saying every place does this, but I trust you know what i mean by that).

I thought it was ok without blowing my mind.

 

[Austman]

For the record. Here the MEL J lounge self serve wine on 23rd Feb 2022.

I also noticed that at certain times, the QP next door is again open. It was open when I arrived one morning but closed when I left.

 

[clifford]

For the record. Here the MEL J lounge self serve wine on 23rd Feb 2022.

How wonderful!. Let's hope it stays that way.

I hope to sample it a couple of times in the next few weeks.

 

[Berlin]

For the record. Here the MEL J lounge self serve wine on 23rd Feb 2022.

Never been too impressed by those lounge wines, self serve or not. There are usually much better options on the flight itself which is one of the few redeeming factors still of flying Qantas J.

Very much appreciate the James Squire Orchard Crush cider though that most lounges have on offer. One of my favs

 

[Peasant]

Well I am clearly not a Japanese food expert and defer to the experts but I actually quite enjoyed the bowl I had the other day of this dish.

I would note that the noodles were not very good and the miso seemed like it was perhaps more mild on purpose (ironic take on "spice" in Spice Bar?) - a bit like the way a lot of spicy asian and other dishes are toned down in a lot of places outside their home countries eg: Oz, USA etc to more please the local palate (not saying every place does this, but I trust you know what i mean by that).

I thought it was ok without blowing my mind.

Pretty much my sentiments too, @RichardMEL. I honestly didn’t find it that bad and I quite enjoyed the salty miso. That said, it seemed far from being a ramen to me, so I never made that comparison myself.

The fried rice on the other hand…well I’ve found that pretty bland and miserable.

 

[Virgin Bart]

The Miso is by far the worst I've had at Spice Bar

 

[Austman]

The Miso is by far the worst I've had at Spice Bar

There was the fried rice option. I took that! (by luck? )

It wasn't anything great but I thought it was OK.

 

[Austman]

Or is the lounge offering subdued somewhat because there are avenues for entry to people who maybe haven’t earned their way in, and the onboard offer in business.

The QP next door was closed at the time - so the J lounge was a combined lounge.

Still, even when it's not combined, it's about the standard that's offered in a domestic J lounge.

 

[serfty]

Still, even when it's not combined, it's about the standard that's offered in a domestic J lounge.

Generally this summer, the Spice Bar had been the only shining light.

Qantas Domestic J Lounges - Downgraded F & B?

Has anyone else noticed that in the Melbourne Business lounge.. they have removed all the usual Business grade wines and spirits and replaced them with ‘club’ wine and spirits. So while all the gold members may feel excited about being upgraded when they visit the business lounge.. they are...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[jakeseven7]

Paging @jakeseven7

Looks tres av…

 

[Daver6]

but I think that's part of it.. when the lounge is being used as a combined QC and J lounge the lower standard seems to be used.

We're going way off track here, but if that's the case, just use the QP instead and at least expectations are set.

 

[RichardMEL]

We're going way off track here, but if that's the case, just use the QP instead and at least expectations are set.

ah but then you piss off the J pax/WP's don't you? I know they already are, but at least in the J lounge if you have things like the spice bar (even if the quality seems to be lacking a bit) then those customers feel like they are still getting most of the experience they expect, while they QC customers/Golds etc see it as an upgrade in experience. That's possibly where some of the thinking is at there.

 

[drron]

I am in the Spice bar now. Once again the chicken, miso,noodle soup. No ginger or bean shoots today.


Would have been better if I could put some chilli in it.
Then served some butter chicken.


It was better.
The QP is closed.
Wine is self pourm

 

[Berlin]

I am in the Spice bar now. Once again the chicken, miso,noodle soup. No ginger or bean shoots today.


Would have been better if I could put some chilli in it.
Then served some butter chicken.


It was better.
The QP is closed.
Wine is self pourm

Looks still ten times better than anything you'd ever get served in the atrocious Sydney lounge if you ask me...