When flying a Oneworld airline with lounge access you are spoilt for choice at T3 London Heathrow with Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Qantas and American Airlines all having lounges next door to each other. And not just one lounge each but Cathay Pacific, British Airways and American Airlines have both a business class lounge and a first class lounge. In many frequent flyer circles the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Heathrow is often suggested to be the nicest of the Oneworld first class lounges in T3. But does it have the best food? I visited the lounge for breakfast and checked out both the A La Carte menu and the buffet.
The A La Carte menu had both Chinese dishes and western dishes, and the buffet had light bites with mainly western flavours. When I visited the restaurant it was full but they allowed you to take a menu and order any of the dishes to other areas of the lounge. This suited me better as I had a very comfy seat in the main lounge area. The lounge was basically full when I visited – I was lucky to get a seat at all. In fact it was so busy it was hard to get pictures in the buffet area as there was a constant stream of people choosing foods to eat.
What’s Healthy?
- The Smashed avocado on sourdough toast was absolutely delicious – one of the nicest breakfast dishes I have had in a lounge. After being in the UK for a while and ordering ‘smashed avocado’ and getting prepackaged avocado it was so nice having fresh smashed avocado. Avocados are a source of healthy fats, folate, potassium, and lutein (an antioxidant), and perfect are for travel. The charred tomatoes were also delicious and the sourdough bread was crispy.
- The fresh fruit bowl offered a nice surprise – fresh grapes! Not something you usually see in an airport lounge fruit bowl. There were also strawberries alongside the apples. There were small fresh fruit pots in the fridge that had melons, blueberries and strawberries in them.
- Chia seed pots – I love seeing these in airport lounges for breakfast. Chia seeds are a fantastic little nutrient powerhouse. They are a good source of protein, soluble fibre and omega 3 fats – all important nutrients to have while travelling. These chia seed pots came with coconut vanilla yogurt and blood orange and lychee compote. Compotes are usually made with sugar so be mindful how much compote you have if it is really sweet. Sometimes if I feel there is too much in the pots I dig past the compote and just have a small amount for taste.
- There were a selection of English cheeses available: Red Leicester, Somerset Brie and a Cheddar. Cheese is a nutritious food and by having both hard cheeses (Red Leicester and Cheddar) and a soft cheese available this gives people with lactose intolerance an option to eat cheese. Hard cheeses have minimal lactose and so can usually be eaten in small amounts by people with lactose intolerance without developing symptoms.
- There was both plain and flavoured yogurt available which is always great to see in lounges. Flavoured yogurts can be high in added sugars and for some people flying they may prefer not to have this extra sugar when they aren’t going to be very active to burn it off. There were also pots of poached plums and peaches in vanilla syrup, along with strawberry Bircher muesli.
- I love these jars of goji berries, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds. They are perfect for adding a nutrition punch to your breakfast. You can sprinkle them on yogurt, cereal and muesli, fruit pots, or add as a side to cheese. Goji berries are a source of iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants such as zeaxanthin which is good for eye health. Chia seeds as previously mentioned pack a punch when it comes to omega 3 fats and soluble fibre – both nutrients that we should be having daily in our diets. And pumpkin seeds, or pepitas as they are also known, are a source of iron, antioxidants, magnesium and fibre.
- Roast pepper, asparagus and feta mini frittatas were available served warm on the buffet. These were the perfect size for a nutritious snack or as a side for breakfast. I really liked there were large pieces of vegetables in the filling – this was a standout for both flavour and nutrition. In some airport lounges I have seen muffins or frittatas described as having vegetables but when you bite into them there is barely a vegetable to see.
- There were some pieces of smoked trout served with thick lemon wedges. While trout is not as high in omega 3’s as smoked salmon, it is still a source and so good to include in your diet while travelling.
Not so great. Caution.
- While the jars of chia seeds, goji berries and pepitas are nutritious to add to cereals, be mindful about the type of cereals available if you don’t add a nutrient boost. Cereals can be low in fibre and have added sugars and salt.
- There were a range of pastries, muffins, cakes available on the buffet. While having a small cake or pastry on occasions is no problems it is important to remember they are not very nutrient dense. And so if having a cake and coffee for breakfast is what enjoy, and you fly regularly, try mixing it up and either add a more nutritious dish as a side, or try alternating and having a pastry/cake on one visit to the lounge and then the next visit choose something else.
- The dim sum were delicious! When I opened the lid so much steam came out and the smell was amazing. Now I know these are a traditional Chinese dish enjoyed by many people around the world (myself included), and there is a place for these in a healthy eating pattern. But when it comes to travelling and airport lounge food I think it is important to highlight that these are best enjoyed as a side and to ensure you try and get a few spoons of vegetables to the other dishes you choose. Dim sum are really easy to overeat and if you then choose a noodle dish that is mainly made from noodles then that can be a substantial amount of carbohydrates and minimal protein and vegetables. Try ordering (or visit the buffet) a side plate of vegetables to go with them.
Final word on Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Heathrow Food
The Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London is a nice lounge with decent food offerings. With both a buffet and A La Carte menu available there is a decent variety of foods available with both Chinese and Western flavours. The food quality and service was exceptional, however I found the buffet offerings not very inspiring in terms of food creativity for a first class lounge (pretty predictable breakfast choices). But while the buffet might have been predictable, it did have nutritious foods to choose from and also provided some lighter bites than the A La Carte menu provided for those not wanting a larger meal.
NOTE: All pictures of Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London are my own and I review the food from the foods available at the time I visited the lounge. There may be different options available at other times.
