AMEX Centurion Lounge by Pontus, Stockholm Arlanda Food and Nutrition Review

For this Oneworld gal there were not many lounge choices to visit at Stockholm Arlanda. I was flying Business Class with Finnair and was directed to Norrsken lounge. After a brief 2 minute look around that lounge I left swiftly (a story for another review), choosing to check out the AMEX Centurion Lounge by Pontus instead. I had never visited an AMEX Lounge run by Pontus so was rather curious about the food (but have been to AMEX lounges before such as this previous review).

And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. While the menu was not extensive, the food was delicious and good quality. There were both small dishes and larger meals, along with some snacks, available and so a number options available for different appetites which was great.

The service was very prompt and attentive, making for a nice lounge experience, especially since Europe was in the middle of the first Omicron outbreak and there were some restrictions when travelling in force still which was affecting the service and offerings of many airlines.

So would I go back next time I am travelling from Sweden – absolutely I would!

Ok AMEX Centurion Lounge by Pontus – lets see what you are offering.

What’s Healthy?

• Rye bread and smoked salmon – this is one of my most favourite food combinations both from a taste and nutrition perspective. So I was delighted to see this on menu. And let me tell you this one did not disappoint. A very generous serve of salmon on 1 slice of rye is a very perfect portion size – providing a filling meal from the protein in the salmon and the fibre from the rye bread. This dish is full of healthy fats with a generous dose of omega -3 fats from the salmon. The beetroot salad also provided a powerful nutrition punch, as beetroot is a rich source of bioactive compounds which have the potential to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vascular-protective health benefits.

• While I did not try the Brie salad, the ingredients looked fairly healthy. Again, what I loved was the focus on including colourful ligonberries and beetroot, with their rich red pigments providing a good source of anthocyanins (ligonberries) and betalain (beetroot). These compounds can provide antioxidant benefits to the body which is great for health.
  
• Rye bread with crushed avocado and eggs offered to Centurion members for breakfast would have to be one of my favourite breakfasts from a nutrition perspective.

Not so great (caution).

• Swedish meatballs served with mashed potatoes, cucumber salad and ligonberries is a dish I saw many times in my travels throughout Sweden and it appeared here on the Amex menu as well. While I love the pickled cucumbers (they provided a lovely tangy flavour, and possibly some fermented food benefits depending on how the pickles were prepared), unfortunately they are more of a garnish on this dish. It would be great to see another 1-2 spoonfuls of them on the plate to provide more than 1 serve of vegetables. The ligonberries are a good source of quite a number of nutrients and phytochemicals, notably vitamin C and anthocyanins, and certainly add a nice nutrient punch to the dish. But unfortunately the cucumber and ligonberries aren’t enough to pull this dish out of the caution section (as delicious as it is). The mashed potatoes made up a large portion of the dish, and these were quite creamy. It is hard to know exactly what was in them, however there is a chance there was cream/ butter/milk which would increase the energy content of the potatoes. Also it is hard to tell with mashed potatoes exactly how much you are eating – how many potatoes were used to make the dollop you see on the plate. For me that is one of the challenges when I am not making them myself – did I just eat the equivalent of 2-3 potatoes? Something for you to consider. If I have mashed potatoes in a lounge or while travelling I will usually only eat half the portion served to me (or less). That way I get the taste and can enjoy them, but I don’t overeat and can be mindful about how much I have eaten so I can be a better judge on what to eat when flying. Also the sauce in the dish is a creamy sauce and so again can be high in energy. All up, this dish has the potential to be quite hearty and heavy – so be mindful of portion sizes and how often you choose it.

• The other main dish was pork belly with cabbage, mashed potato, and an apple sauce – again similar comments to the meatball dish. Pork Belly can be quite a fatty cut of meat and high in energy. Serve this with mashed potatoes and only a small amount of vegetables and the dish can be quite a heavy one. So again be mindful – you could even ask for more cabbage and less potatoes when they serve it.
  
• The main breakfast on offer – two kinds of pastries and a sandwich – is quite carbohydrate heavy without many nutrient dense foods. While the sandwich is turkey and cheese (which are sources of protein), it depends on whether these are heavily processed varieties i.e. how much processing these foods have gone through and how much salt and preservatives have been added, to make a clearer call on healthiness. Also the yogurt does not state whether it is a plain yogurt or one with added sugar. I was not here at breakfast so I could not order the dish, but just some pointers for you to look out for if you do find yourself in this lounge before 10am.
  
• The Express Class breakfast offered to Centurion members also has the potential to be high in sodium and preservatives with bacon and sausages included in the dish. Again I was not able to to order it to see what the portion sizes were like, nor what the scrambled eggs were likely made from. So just be aware that this dish has the potential to have a number of unhealthy qualities and to be careful when ordering it.

Last word from travel food and nutrition review for AMEX Centurion Lounge by Pontus, Stockholm Arlanda

The AMEX Centurion Lounge by Pontus was a nice surprise and I would absolutely visit again next time I am flying out of Stockholm Arlanda and was on a Oneworld airline. While the menu was not extensive, the food was delicious and of pretty high quality. Yes, there were some menu options that weren’t overly healthy. But there were also some dishes that were healthy, and some that had healthy elements to them which is great to see.

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NOTE: All pictures are my own and I review a lounge from just the foods and menu I see during my visit. There may be different options available at other times.