Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
In case you missed my Etihad First Class Apartment trip report from earlier this week, I want to highlight what was undoubtedly the best meal I have ever had on a flight under three hours.
After takeoff I enjoyed a glass of red wine with snacks including olives, mixed nuts, and wasabi peanuts. The 2006 French Bordeaux was amazing.
A FA carefully set the table for dinner, methodically arranging every item. I appreciated the excellent butter, olive oil, and bread.
The Meal
The mezze included baba ganoush, hummus, and tabbouleh as well as olives, and egg roll and warm falafel. Other than the egg roll, I very much enjoyed it and thought it tastier than the mezze in Emirates first class.
A side salad included lettuce, tomatoes, beets, and onions:
The lamb loin arrived. When ordering, I requested it be cooked medium rare. Now, the moment of truth arrived.
Turns out the chef cooked it perfectly. This was an outstanding main course choice, including the sides of rhubarb, beetroot, and carrots.
Moments after finishing, the chef brought out a nicely-arranged fruit and cheese course with sliced tart Granny Smith apples.
Lastly, ice cream to finish the meal along with a strong cappuccino.
Folks, scheduled flight time was 3hr20min and actual flight time was only 2.5 hours. I have never had such an outstanding feast on a such a short flight.
I tend to doubt that Etihad is viable long-term, but I’ll always look back with great contentment upon this flight.
> Read More: Etihad A380 First Class Apartment Review
I recently flew Etihad A380 F on AUH-CDG and was extremely let down. No amenity kit, $40 champagne, limited menu, no Le Labo, and a scratchy blanket (one that looked identical to the old one but was clearly made from a cheaper material).
A lot of these reviews online are outdated and do not reflect the serious decline in the soft product.
Sorry to hear about the downgrade in service. Did you see my full trip report? I also received no amenity kit. Did not know the LeLabo was cut.