After hearing a number of rave reviews about Emirates first class food I thought right I just have to experience this for myself. So I thought flying back from New Zealand to Australia would be the perfect time to fly first class on their A380 since they started up flights again via their 5th freedom rights between Australia and New Zealand. And it did not disappoint! Both the service and the food were outstanding on this A380 flight ‘across the ditch’.
So the table is set… lets take a look at the foods served.

Pre-meal Service
Prior to takeoff the crew offered a variety of dates: plain, orange and almond. I chose almond and it came individually wrapped with an almond in the middle. After takeoff, and prior to the main meal service, a small plate of warm, raw nuts was served with a drink. These nuts were delicious and were a mix of almonds, cashews, pistachios and hazelnuts. The plate was a little larger than a handful, so a pretty good portion size. I didn’t finish them all as I had ordered both a starter and main from the menu and knew they would be served quite soon after takeoff.


Main Meal Service
All dishes on this flight sounded delicious. When I looked at the menu I thought ‘oh wow how am I going to decide’? For a starter I chose the mezze plate and for a main I chose the steak. And they did not disappoint! (Check out the main meal service on Emirates in my other blog)
Firstly the mezze was just so delicious – there were so many amazing flavours. But it was so large unfortunately there was no way I could finish it all. There were 4 dips: houmous, moutabel, muhammara and baba ghanouj which were served with flatbread. Then there was a lamb kibbeh, stuffed vine leaf, tabouleh, labneh with dukkah amd zaatar, and pickled vegetables.

The beef tenderloin was served with potato gratin and green beans. The beans were cooked to perfection – slightly crunchy still which is vary rare on a plane. The steak was also cooked really nicely – pink inside and quite tender. Unfortunately I found the potato gratin quite watery and so I only had a mouthful.

I then chose to have the cheese plate for dessert and that too was delicious. The hard and soft cheese were very creamy. I didn’t try the blue cheese as I don’t like blue.

Nutrition comment
Hats off to Emirates first class food – numerous opportunities to eat healthy foods that are delicious.
I absolutely loved the option of choosing additional sides to the main meal. There were 4 vegetable sides to choose from which was fabulous. And while 2 of these were purely potato/sweet potato they are still vegetables and fairly nutritious. But it is better to choose the colourful vegetable side dishes such as the ratatouille and steamed vegetables, since the mains already come with either potato or rice. These vegetable sides are in addition to the vegetables that are in the actual main meal dish.
The mezze plate I chose for a starter was a chance to get a range of nutrients since there was variety of foods served in small portions (good for helping to reduce how much you eat). Be careful the mezze plate itself is actually fairly large all up and I couldn’t finish it all. But what was good is I could have a few small mouthfuls of a range of different foods, while slowly savouring the delicious flavours. The dips are a source of vegetables with chickpeas, eggplants and capsicums (peppers) being the main bases for the dips served. Also the pickled vegetables (mainly cauliflower) were a lovely addition.
Don’t be too tempted with the sweet foods on the bar. Having come from First where there was a decent dessert menu (I chose the cheese plate but there was chocolate feuilletine or strawberry and raspberry cake available), I didn’t really need to consider having any sweet from the bar. But when I went down to visit the bar there was a giant chocolate cake and range of sweet slices available. Just choose one – either dessert in your seat or something during a visit to the bar.
The nuts served prior to the main meal service were not only delicious but healthy. Served in a small dish of just over a handful (a handful is usually the portion size we recommended for a serve of nuts), these nuts were warm, and slightly flavoured. They didn’t taste very salty which was great.
Bar area of the A380
While the food and service in first class is certainly enough to keep you occupied in your seat for this short flight, I did feel I needed to check out the foods in the bar area. On the bar was a giant cake which was cut into some large slices. While it had chocolate icing, the actual cake flavour was more like vanilla (I didn’t catch the actual flavour). There were also a range of slices available – I tried the chocolate mud cake slice which was pretty nice. Also available in the bar area was a fruit bowl and a bowl containing packaged rolls (a chicken roll and cheddar cheese roll).



Final thoughts on Emirates First Class Food
Loved it! I just loved the food and the service on this flight. What amazed me was the first class food and service provided on such a short flight when other airlines flying this route act more like an extension of an Australian domestic flight. The service and food was impeccable and I would absolutely consider flying this route again if I am travelling to New Zealand in the future. This flight has made me want to try Emirates first class food on a longer haul international flight. Being the dietitian nerd I am the opportunities to consume a range of colourful vegetables during this flight certainly has me impressed as this is fantastic from a health perspective.
And if you are flying out of Sydney don’t forget to check out my review of the foods served in the Emirates Lounge.
NOTE: All pictures of Emirates First Class food flying are my own and I review the food from the menu I was given and the food I ordered on my flight. There may be different options available at other times.
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