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.
Turkish Airlines may no longer offer a first class product, but its meal service remains first class. This week, we take a look back at a particularly memorable meal onboard Turkish from Istanbul to Bangkok.
If you’re not a regular reader to Live and Let’s Fly, I’m on vacation this week and publishing a series of photo reports from a first class trip I took a decade ago. The point is to look back and see how first class has changed over the last 10 years. It’s also fun to look back on this trip especially, which was my first visit to Thailand, Vietnam, and China.
In the case of Turkish Airlines, first class is no longer in existence. But I’d argue the food onboard remains just as good now as it was then. Sure, there may no longer be any caviar, but everything else is pretty much still available (in smaller portion sizes).
The feast began with canapés, including hummus, salmon, and feta cheese wrapped in a cucumber with rosemary. Totally unnecessary considering all the food that would come, but very tasty.
The table was set for dinner, including a rose and bread basket filled with warm bread. The foil to the right of the bread basket contained garlic bread inside…yum.
Next came caviar, served on a three-tired plate with the caviar itself, garnishes, and bread.
I personally find caviar unnecessary, but is has become so synonymous with flying first class over the last couple decades that I’ve come to sort of enjoy it.
Next up, more appetizers. Prosciutto, chicken breast, olives, more feta cheese, this time wrapped in red bell peppers, and eggplant.
Now by this time I could have stopped. I was satisfied and ready for a bed. But the meal was just getting started.
Soup arrived, a smooth cream of mushroom served with crostini topped in black olive spread.
And then a salad, which was not just a green salad, but lettuce with more feta cheese and artichokes.
Are we done yet?
I chose fish for my main course, a sea bass served in a cream sauce with cooked spinach and potatoes, topped in thyme.
My brother had the mixed grill (beef koobideh and lamb chop) served with bulgur, cooked tomato, and cooked green pepper. I tried the beef and thought it was great.
Beyond stuffed, I moved onto dessert, which rolled out on a beautiful cart.
I should have stopped with fresh fruit, but I also had some Turkish pastries. At least I resisted the cheese…
CONCLUSION
And then they had the nerve to wake us up six hours later for breakfast! This was a fabulous feast–I cannot think of another word to describe it. The great news is that even without first class you can still have an excellent meal on Turkish Airlines in business class.
But this meal will go down as one of my largest…ever.
Turkish women. Turkish food and turkish coffee. Try them every chance you get.
Turkish women are great in bed
“The foil to the right of the bread basket contained garlic bread inside…yum.”
I think that is actually the stem for the rose that is wrapped in foil. Otherwise, that is some weirdly shaped garlic bread.
“but is has become so synonymous with flying first class over the last couple decades”
Longer than that…since the late 1970s, I would say.
It was garlic bread, but you’re right the rose was also wrapped in foil.
Even the best in Ecomony.
You had two bread baskets?
No, the garlic bread was served separately in foil.
I have used Turkish airlines to different destinations, and I feel the service depends on the destination. My experience on European flights was completely different to my experience on a flight to Africa.