Virgin Australia Business Class - Meals, Menus & Service

[toowongman]

I don't understand why the dinner service seems to have no dessert (other than Luke Mangan's balls) but the afternoon service does??

Yeah. VA narrow-body catering is a random mix of good and bad. Unlike the lounge which is just bad. I like eating, it's one of life's pleasures. Might give QF a spin for a few sectors and see how it is over there.

 

[serfty]

what, pringles and chocolate bars?
...

Don't forget the LM pies on the MEL CNS route ...


... wait a minute - when were VA going all inclusive for longer flights?

 

[Fruitcake]

Shouldn't flights over 3 hours have courses rather than a piece of fish, a roll and a cake on the same tray?

No, they shouldn't. I've got better things to do than wait for individual meal courses to be delivered on a domestic flight.

 

[brad330]

Is that all you get for a 3.5 hour flight?!? They charge $1000+ for this?!?

Shouldn't flights over 3 hours have courses rather than a piece of fish, a roll and a cake on the same tray?

Welcome to my world! I fly CNS-MEL regularly and have complained about the meal service multiple times and noted that the website says 3 corse. It's 10 mins shorter than PER-MEL and there is no problem with limited catering capacity as flights to CNS are no longer return catered!

 

[Plutonus]

I don't understand why the dinner service seems to have no dessert (other than Luke Mangan's balls) but the afternoon service does??

I thought all services except dinner do, albeit in the morning it's a fruit salad type dish.

As a sweet rather than savoury person the lack of dessert on dinners is soul destroying, and I'd rather do afternoon snack flight.

 

[bullerdude]

Welcome to my world! I fly CNS-MEL regularly and have complained about the meal service multiple times and noted that the website says 3 corse. It's 10 mins shorter than PER-MEL and there is no problem with limited catering capacity as flights to CNS are no longer return catered!

That's just poor form VA... yet another difference in the advertised vs delivered product.

@VFF - If your reading this thread can you please provide some feedback.

 

[Ansettaddict123]

On the wilted and sad salad front, maybe it has something to do with the caterers sending it up in the bowls ready presented?
Lower humidity in the cabin + something as easy to ruin as leaves and it's almost guaranteed that you're going to have a bad time.

Again don't know if this is actually the case, but it seems to be the only thing that can explain the recurring theme i'm picking up here...

 

[JessicaTam]

On the wilted and sad salad front, maybe it has something to do with the caterers sending it up in the bowls ready presented?
Lower humidity in the cabin + something as easy to ruin as leaves and it's almost guaranteed that you're going to have a bad time.

Again don't know if this is actually the case, but it seems to be the only thing that can explain the recurring theme i'm picking up here...

Not that I am an expert on VA meals, however QF pre-plate their J salads and they turn out ok.

 

[Jousams]

This is something I have raised on this form a few times. Meals such as the salmon one above would be SO MUCH BETTER/ACCEPTABLE if they were served on a plate NOT A CASSEROLE DISH. I don't know what makes JB/LM think that this is acceptable....

 

[straitman]

This is something I have raised on this form a few times. Meals such as the salmon one above would be SO MUCH BETTER/ACCEPTABLE if they were served on a plate NOT A CASSEROLE DISH. I don't know what makes JB/LM think that this is acceptable....

Because what is not acceptable to you is perfectly acceptable to some others.

 

[toowongman]

This is something I have raised on this form a few times. Meals such as the salmon one above would be SO MUCH BETTER/ACCEPTABLE if they were served on a plate NOT A CASSEROLE DISH. I don't know what makes JB/LM think that this is acceptable....

One step at a time. First they need to get the stuff they put in the dish right, before getting pedantic about the dish itself

 

[drewbles]

Welcome to my world! I fly CNS-MEL regularly and have complained about the meal service multiple times and noted that the website says 3 corse. It's 10 mins shorter than PER-MEL and there is no problem with limited catering capacity as flights to CNS are no longer return catered!

I should hope it was dead

And CNS-MEL is around 250 miles more. That's more than 10 minutes, headwinds/tailwinds depending.

 

[elemist]

Has anyone got a copy of the Per - Syd Rtn Menu in J currently?

 

[QF WP]

elemist, let me get my iPhone fired up and I'll deliver the menu.

 

[QF WP]

Wed 22nd VA 958 BNE/SYD:



Char grilled eggplant? with mozzarella. Nice

Orange cake was a bit too dense for my liking, but nice taste

 

[QF WP]

Current menu for elemist:

 

[QF WP]

Wed 22nd VA569 SYD/PER:

Pre dinner drink and warmed nuts:


Starter: (Tandoori spiced lamb)


Bloody beautiful. Lamb tender and perfectly cooked, vegetables colourful and spicy.

Main:

Disappointing on a couple of levels. Had ordered the snapper but the FA came to tell me that basically, the oven had overcooked the fish to the point it wasn't able to be served under Virgin guidelines. Had to accept the beef, which whilst nicely cooked, had large swathes of gristle through most pieces. Service recovery was good - multiple apologies and handed me a bottle of the Scotchmans Hill Pinot Noir as we descended.

 

[QF WP]

Whoops, photo from above:



My wife on a later flight (Friday, MEL/PER) had the snapper but it was too spicy for her - didn't enjoy it. YMMV.

 

[serfty]

Here's a more widespread excerpt from the current menu:

 

[serfty]

Some photos: (Click on them to enlarge)

Westbound:


Tandoori Lamb


Snapper

Eastbound:


Prawns


Lamb Shank


Ocean Trout


Cheese