For this year’s final Meal of the Week, I count down my top 10 airline meals of 2021.
To be clear, these are only the best meals I have enjoyed over the last year, not my top 10 all-time list. I ramped up travel in 2021 compared to 2020, though my number of meals to choose from was still somewhat more limited than in pre-pandemic years. My focus is only on main courses.
10. Cheeseburger + French Fries In Air Serbia Business Class
While not even close to being the best hamburger I’ve had on an airplane, I give Air Serbia high marks for its effort on a very short flight from Istanbul to Belgrade.
> Read More: Air Serbia A319 Business Class Review
9. Steak In ANA Business Class
Good quality steak, loved the sides, but it was left in the oven too long.
> Read More: ANA 777-300ER “The Room” Business Class Review
8. Bircher Müseli in SWISS Economy Class
The only economy class meal to make the cut, this was a very enjoyable breakfast I had from London to Zurich over the summer.
> Read More: Simply Perfect: Bircher Muesli On SWISS
7. Chicken Breast in Alaska Airlines First Class
Roasted chicken clementine proved to be a very tasty meal from Los Angeles to Dallas, including boneless roasted chicken breast marinated with clementine and fennel, accompanied by roasted fennel and clementine slices, saffron basmati rice, and marinated Tuscan kale.
> Read More: Alaska Airlines A320 First Class
6. Cheese Enchiladas In United Airlines First Class
Total comfort food, but these cheese enchiladas are very delicious and I hope they return in 2022.
> Read More: Taste Test – United’s New Domestic Hot Meals
5. Turbot In Lufthansa First Class
A delicous Turbot bouillabaisse (I prefer the German word, Steinbutt) with risoni pasta. This fish was flaky, moist, and tender.
> Read More: Lufthansa 747 First Class Review [2021]
4. Salmon In Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
Flavorful, buttery salmon was a lovely main course on my Virgin Atlantic A350 journey from London to Los Angeles.
> Read More: Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 Upper Class Review
3. Trout In AZUL Business Class
I loved the sautéed filet of Saint-Pierre (trout) with pesto sauce onboard my first-ever AZUL flight.
> Read More: Azul A330-900neo Business Class Review
2. Steak In United Airlines Business Class
Brazil is known for its great steaks and the catering ex-Sao Paulo on my United flight to Houston was great. I really enjoyed my medium-cooked filet topped in chimichurri sauce.
> Read More: An Impressive Brazilian Steak…On United Airlines
1. Chicken Dum Biryani In Singapore Airlines Business Class
This mixture of chicken, herbs, and spices was perfect and I cannot wait to actually visit a Hawker Centre and try an even more authentic version next time I visit Singapore.
> Read More: Singapore Airlines A350-900 Business Class Review
CONCLUSION
Congrats to Singapore Airlines for the victory. Here’s to more great onboard dining in 2022 and hopefully a return to normalcy by the end of the year!
What was your favorite airline meal in 2021?
How your Japanese meal on ANA didn’t make the cut is beyond me. The presentation alone was a thing of beauty.
I’m surprised the Kashmiri chili powder didn’t burn your palate.
Kashmiri chili is not hot
It imparts colour not hotness
Re: “What was your favorite airline meal in 2021?”; three, not 1, not 2, but 3, count ‘em, THREE, Biscoff cookies. United, cattle class, narrow body A3something or B73something, between jerkwater USA and tank town USA !
Agree on the UA cheese enchiladas. Alas, have not seen them in a few months.
Veal cooked in tomato sauce on A3 business MAN-ATH. The presentation was mediocre (particularly since it happens to be a dish created by a well-regarded chef), but the taste was out of this world.
Most of those look delish but I’d whorf if the only choice was Biryani.
There was also an East Asan choice and a Western choice.