I finally had the opportunity to experience the Emirates Lounge Singapore food recently since I was flying back to Australia on Qantas. I had heard good things about this lounge and so I thought it was time I popped in to take a look, and of course try the food! I visited the lounge just as it opened at 5pm and so it was just me and another person in there at first. The buffets were stocked with fresh food and the hot dishes were piping hot. The buffet was set out in a similar fashion to the Emirates lounge in Sydney (the only other one I have visited) in the way it had a long hot buffet and then a circular buffet stocked with individual plates of cold food (I love this!).
What’s nutritious in the Emirates Lounge Singapore?
One of the first things that stood out was the lovely bright colours of the vegetable crudites and olives, and the variety of dips. Fabulous these are available for a snack as vegetables and olives are filled with vitamins and bioactives. The dips included hummus, tabouleh and muhammara, sundried tomato and basil, and citrus cream cheese – what a range! I tried the muhammara and it was delicious.
I loved the cheese had clear signs as to the type of cheese. I’ve come across many cheese boards which don’t say anything about the type of cheese, or it is a bit of a non-descript sign off to the side which is then confusing to match the cheese too. It was brilliant having the little toothpicks with the cheese labels. Cheese is a nutritious wholefood snack when travelling and it is great to have small portioned pieces like this presented on the buffet.
There were small plates of salad on the buffet – the day I visited it was a baby spinach, chickpea, onion and tomato slice. These individual salad portions are a great idea and look to be approx. 1 serve of vegetables – picking up a plate to add to the side of your meal or as a snack is a good way of boosting vegetables intake before flying. However the combination of onion and chickpeas may not be good for some people flying as these can contribute to bloating and other gastrointestinal issues. The portion size of onions and chickpeas is however small and so may be ok depending on personal tolerance levels. Just something to be mindful of when flying as many people get a little bloated just from being in the air.
Also great to see a range of fruits that extend beyond the typical bowl of apples normally seen in a lounge. The range of colours from these fruits help provide a range of bioactives and vitamins. Adding a few slices to your plates helps to add a nutrient boost.
There were small plates of roast beef and prawns available on the cold buffet. The roast beef was served with pickled vegetables and the the prawns were served with asparagus spears. These plates are great wholefood snacks for passengers as they are high in protein. They don’t come with many vegetables on them (the vegetables are more of a garnish) but they are a start. And with the vegetable crudites also available this assists in upping the vegetable options on the cold buffet.
The range of hot dishes on the buffet is not bad. While this lounge is not a la carte the quality of the food was fairly good – similar to some dishes I have had plated in an sit down dining experience in some lounges. I liked the flavour of the food was carried by some sauces but that the dishes weren’t drowning in sauce/mostly sauce – I am sick of sloppy hot dishes on buffets which are mostly sauce! The beef cheek was very tender and the bourguignon sauce was served on the side. The broccolini, carrots and potatoes had lovely flavours and were roasted nicely. The lamb shank was nicely balanced with the rice – nearly half the dish was lamb shank (I couldn’t believe it!). The lamb shank with rice was also flavoursome and I love the ouzi style which imparted lovely flavours and kept the dish light. However the lamb was not nearly as tender as the beef cheek. There was also a Nyonya fish stew which I didn’t taste. The carrots and broccolini were the main options for vegetables – it would have been good to see another vegetable based dish on the hot buffet as the fish stew, the lamb shanks, the noodles and paneer didn’t have many vegetables.
There were small satay skewers available with the satay sauce served on the side with cucumber and Indian mango pickle. Satay sauce can oily in some cases and so being able to add as much sauce as you like is great for helping manage how you feel when travelling.
There was a selection of breads available including a what looked like wholegrain sliced bread and pita breads. I didn’t get a chance to try the breads so I am not sure exactly what all the varieties were. There was a cream of butternut pumpkin soup available near the bread.
Slices of Cantonese duck with barbeque sauce were also available. Be mindful or how much skin you eat as it is quite fatty and before a long haul flight it may be a little heavy for some people.
There were also individual plates of nuts in the bar areas, and these were wrapped in plastic. This is an inclusive initiative to help create a safer space for people with nut allergies.
Not so great. Caution.
Stir-fried vegetarian Hong Kong noodles were available and they were really tasty. They actually had flavour compared to many other stir-fried noodle dishes I’ve had in lounges. While delicious though, noodles prepared like this can be high in calories due to soaking up some oil in the cooking process. And this dish while vegetarian didn’t have many vegetables, it was mainly noodles. The Paneer butter masala can also be a rich dish high in calories depending on the amount of butter and cheese used. Before jumping on long-haul flights it is good to be cautious about the portions sizes of high calorie, fat and refined carbohydrate dishes.
I know, I know… breaks my heart to put these gorgeous little desserts in the caution section. It is a reminder that sweet foods like this can be sources of added sugar, especially if you are in the lounge for a number of hours and end up having a few over time. High sugar foods before a long, sedentary flight, especially in the evening is not great for travel wellbeing. But it is good to see each portion is small and individually plated – this may help reduce the temptation to take more than one at a time.
Candied walnuts and dried cranberries are most likely to have added sugar and so while walnuts and cranberries themselves are nutritious, be careful of the added sugar that may come with these.
Last word on Emirates Lounge Singapore food
I would certainly be happy if I ended up here again. The Emirates Lounge Singapore food was a great experience for a combined business/first lounge. While no A la carte dining area the food served on both the hot and cold buffet was good quality. There were quite a number of staff around who were keeping the buffet clean and stocked. The individual plating of the foods on the cold buffet raised the bar in terms of food experience. I was able to make both nutritious and balanced meals or snacks which I found important. And the food was pretty delicious! Aside from the food the view of the tarmac was gorgeous – something many of the other lounges in T1 at Changi don’t have.
NOTE: All pictures of the Emirates Lounge Singapore are my own and I review a lounge from the foods and menu I see during my visit. There may be different options available at other times.
For more food reviews of Emirates Lounges visit review of Emirate Lounge Sydney (breakfast).
