My airline journey back to Asia took a strange turn enroute to the Cambodia, Nepal, and Bhutan portion of the trip…which I will save for the trip report…and I wound up on EVA Airways from Taipei to Singapore in economy class on a breakfast flight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the food onboard was very decent.
EVA Airways Economy Class Breakfast On 777-300ER (TPE-SIN)
I was booked in Y-Class and would have used miles to upgrade to business class (30K United MileagePlus), but it was full. Turns out I was fortunate because economy class was less than 1/3 full and I had a row to myself.
Breakfast was served after takeoff. Although there were no printed menus, our choices were displayed on the in-flight-entertainment screen:
First, flight attendants stopped by with a choice of water, orange juice, or apple juice:
Main course choices included:
Egg Fred Rice
with chicken and vegetables (529kcal)or
Creamy Mushroom and Seafood
served with spaghetti (475kcal)
I loved that even the number of calories was included.
I chose the second option, which did not seems like much of a breakfast choice, but I hoped it would be like my seafood dish on Royal Brunei from years ago.
> Read More: Calamari in Coach
The meal was served on a tray with the main course covered. It included a (plain) yogurt appetizer, sliced fruit (apple, orange), and a white bread roll.
Unwrapping it, I found an attractive pasta course with scallops, white fish, and shrimp.
Metal cutlery was used, which is always appreciated.
It was a very acceptable breakfast…as you can see. The pasta sauce was creamy and the seafood was flavorful.
The coffee, however, was something I should have skipped. Coffee is not meant to be translucent.
Overall, though, a very nice breakfast behind the curtain on EVA.
Each to their own but that looks bloody awful!
Pea soup looks awful but when made with a nice ham bone, tastes awesome. You’re probably missing out on some good eats if you’re tasting with your eyes……
I love pea soup. I love oysters too and black pudding and various other foods that don’t particularly look that appealing, although I draw the line at pigs trotters and surströmming.
That meal however looks like congealed slop on spaghetti.
People try to convince themselves that airplane food is somehow edible. I see people doing this all the time, especially in business class and first. They will happily slurp down some sort of nasty ahi tuna salad or– even more disgusting– airplane sushi, and act like they are being treated to a meal at a 3-star Michelin restaurant. Personally, the very best airplane meals I’ve eaten– on long haul, international flights in first/business class on Airlines like Emirates and Singapore Air– have still been atrocious.
Caviar tastes just fine at 38k feet
There’s a world of difference between saying that premium class food doesn’t meet the airline marketing about ‘fine dining in the sky’ etc and writing all airplane food off as atrocious. In the last year alone, I can recall some superb beef in tomato sauce on Aegean, a really solid steak on TAP (these two on short-haul flights too), a delicious smoked salmon breakfast on Aeroméxico and a fair few other business class meals on various airlines ranging from perfectly passable to actually quite tasty, including a very fresh sandwich flying AR in the back of the bus. The only time I went on a flight expecting a really memorable food experience was an ICN-FRA segment in Asiana F (RIP!) where I had ordered the 8-course royal Korean meal- and it indeed turned out to be wonderful.
It’s airplane food…. and it is best avoided.
Agreed.
How did the scallops, whitefish and shrimp get transmogrified into clams?
“Unwrapping it, I found an attractive pasta course with scallops, white fish, and shrimp.”
… “The pasta sauce was creamy and the clams were flavorful.”
Sorry, there were no clams. Meant to write seafood.
Of course, you’re human! And glad to see you fix the errors when pointed out.
Always enjoy reading your blog.
I kept looking at the date of this post hoping it was from April 1st. My hopes were dashed.
I don’t get it. It wasn’t bad.
Many western palates are terrified of foods they’ve never tried. It looks great to me, and I’m sure it blows away anything served by a US carrier in Y.
Actually, my well traveled “Western palette” enjoys many types of food and there are only a few thing I am “terrified” of… and I agree most U.S. carrier Y food is one of them.
I am also very familiar with and enjoy eating seafood at breakfast, especially grilled fish/rice with miso soup and barley tea.
Notice I said tea. The first rule of economy class on ANA is order the tea, not the coffee. Actually the last time I flew ANA was in business and I can confirm it applies there too.
As for the the main dish, in general the ingredients are fine, but that congealed mess posing as cream sauce is a huge thumbs down.
ANA puts US airlines to shame when it comes to food, however, there is no way I would choose this option. More power to you if you if you enjoyed it. The last place I would chance gross cream sauce on seafood is on a plane
Your meal looks delicious and of great value for the flight chosen. It is colorful and presented well for the container it is in. It is something different than a typical western breakfast. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Are you sure that wasn’t premium economy?
Pretty good! if you are into food. Personally, my digestion and metabolism would be badly off, sitting down all that time after a high calorie loaded meal. I would rather ‘fast’ but I would probably eat it!
I’d be asleep after mushroom and seafood option on a morning flight. Egg fried rice and chicken, get my nod. Looks good though.
Yum I’d eat both of those meals in a second. Did you request to try the fried rice 🙂
I’m a big fan of EVA and Taipei as a destination.
Im also lost about where this flight fits in
I was supposed to fly United to Singapore, but it didn’t work out. Ended up having to go to TPE instead. I’m saving that story for the trip report. And other bumblings along the way…
But I’m going to do some rapid-fire teasers from Cambodia, Nepal, and Bhutan so I can get to the actual trip report.
Superb. I love Cambodia and am very keen to visit Nepal and Bhutan!
J on the E-V-A 787-10 is superb imo.
I have just redemed 65k A3 miles to fly 2 pax on a 5.5 hour one-way BR flight CGK-TPE- taxes and charges were barely €80. Only intra Africa redemptions offer better value.
Should have mentioned that this is in business, although it does depart at 14:30 or so, which means that there are no hotel savings to be made.
Very nice. Although australia to Asia redemptions are still better imo. 40k/50k miles for biz/first using aa miles. I’ve recently done Osaka to Tokyo to Sydney in qf biz for 40k and like $44 in tax. Long flight was 9.5 hours. Also ba and Malaysian to Singapore and KL from Sydney.
And in terms of star alliance I’ve used 57.5k UA miles for virgin Australia syd to bne and onwards to TPE on EVA.
Back using 40k LifeMiles via Tokyo on Ana (a rather tired airline these days plus they turn the lights on like 2hrs before landing ugh).
LifeMiles is also 80k on ua from aus to the USA.
That sounds really good value indeed! Admittedly I don’t tend to look at flights to Oceania as my one visit there was pretty underwhelming (Melbourne must be the most boring large city I have ever visited, Auckland felt like an English town from decades gone by, a change in plans meant I didn’t get the chance to visit the South Island…plus the customs agents at AKL were the most obnoxious/hostile ones I have encountered anywhere, and I have been to a lot of ostensibly ‘difficult’ destinations).
Lol. I can see that re Melbourne and Auckland (noting both are amazing destinations). Big difference having a friend or relative on the ground who can show you around those types of cities and/or take you outside of the cities to small town gems.
I lived in chicago for 11 years and the difference between the mag mile type experience and actually getting out to the Neighbour hoods is chalk and cheese.
My most painful experiences of custom agents are lax (numerous times) and Jerusalem. Surprised the kiwis were troublesome
ALWAYS go for the tea on EVA. And every time they offer too because it is fantastic! Was also pleasantly surprised with all of their food offerings on a recent trip from SFO to Bali. Flight attendants hustle around like robots during boarding, meal service, and before landing. Insane efficiency.
Your idea of “attractive” is apparently a lot different than mine. Looks awful.
I’ve flown EVA in coach many times and always enjoyed the food they served.