This food review of the gluten free Emirates meal was conducted by Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Mariah Bikakis.
This flight from Dubai to Lisbon was the second leg of my 24-hour journey from Melbourne to Portugal. Needless to say, I was getting quite tired by this time, but excited to see what was on offer for the gluten free Emirates meals on this flight after I had a positive dining experience on the first leg of my journey.
Gluten Free Emirates Meal – First Meal Service
The flight departed from Dubai at 7.25am with the first meal being served at 8.30am. By this point I was getting very hungry, so I was slightly disappointed when breakfast was served and appeared to be more like a snack than a main meal. The crew confirmed my gluten free meal request upon handing me the meal and a description of the main meal was printed on the packaging. The meal consisted of:
- A hot main dish- Grilled chicken lemon wrap (creamy chicken filling with tomato, onion and herbs in a gluten free wrap)
- Fruit salad (rockmelon, grapefruit and strawberry)
- Strawberry yoghurt
- Gluten free chocolate muffin
The special meals were delivered first, followed by the standard meal service 30 minutes later which consisted of a similar small tray of sandwiches with some sides. I had finished eating by the time I was offered a drink – I would have loved even a bottle of water to be served with the meal to keep up my hydration. The breakfast wrap was a novel experience for me – with the top half of the box opening up so that I could eat the wrap directly out of it. Overall, I really enjoyed this dish, the chicken filling was delicious and the wrap was flexible and moist (very impressive for gluten-free bread standards). The wrap was served hot and reheated well. However, the sides were all quite disappointing – the fruit was very bitter and inedible, the yoghurt was not cold and served with a plastic fork, and the gluten-free muffin was a bit dry and dense.
Nutrition comments
Overall, the meal was slightly underwhelming for the first meal of the flight and has some room for improvement in terms of the nutritional value. While there were some diced up vegetables in the wrap (barely 1 serve), it could have been bulked up with some more salad or legumes to add some protein and fibre to keep me fuller for longer. It was unclear if the wrap itself was wholemeal or white as it was dark in colour, but I assume it was unlikely to be wholemeal due to the flexibility of the bread. Serving fruit that was in-season would have also been beneficial to improve the taste.
Gluten Free Emirates Meal – Second (Main) Meal Service
Lunch was served 4 hours after the first meal, and 3 hours before landing. Once again, the crew confirmed my gluten free meal request upon handing me the meal but provided no menu or verbal description of the meal. A description of the main meal component was provided on the lid. The meal consisted of:
- A hot main dish – Pan fried salmon, parsnip puree, green peas and wild mushrooms
- A side – Brown and wild rice with lentils
- Dessert – chocolate cake with icing filling and chocolate mousse layer
- Gluten free white bread roll
- Sides – margarine, cube of cheddar cheese, GF cracker, mixed nuts, small square of chocolate and bottle of water
Overall, this was quite an enjoyable dish with only a few changes that I would have wished for. I was so excited to see salmon being served on board, a super tasty and nutritious fish, which was well cooked and nicely seasoned. The mushrooms and peas were also cooked perfectly and nicely seasoned, and overall the dish reheated well. However, the parsnip puree is as disappointing as it looks – very watery, bland taste and an odd mushy texture. The brown and wild rice side was a nice addition but confusing on how to eat it as it was completely unseasoned and served cold. It would have worked better being served hot and served together with the salmon – I mixed mine into the hot dish which made it a lot more palatable. The chocolate cake was delicious. However as anticipated the bread roll was dry, but it did have a nice sweetness to it. The regular meal service began 10 minutes after my meal was delivered, at which point drinks were offered.
Nutrition comments
Overall, this dish was nutritionally balanced and quite satiating. Salmon is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, and being pan-fried it most likely would have been cooked with minimal added oil. While there was a generous serving of vegetables in this dish- the parsnip puree was not enjoyable. I would have preferred some other kind of grilled/roast vegetables on the side. I was pleased to see a combination of brown and wild rice, and lentils, as the main source of carbohydrates, rather than white rice. This made a higher fibre side dish to keep me fuller for longer with some added protein from the lentils.
Final Thoughts on Gluten Free Emirates meal in Economy class – Dubai to Lisbon
Overall, this was a mostly enjoyable dining experience on the Emirates economy flight from Dubai to Lisbon. Pre-selecting the “Gluten friendly” special meal online via the Emirates website in the days prior to my flight was easy and simple. When compared to the regular meals served on board, I felt as though my gluten free special meals did not differ too drastically and were of similar quality. Providing a printed or electronic menu for the special meals, or for the crew to provide a verbal description of the main meals would help elevate the experience of passengers who have requested special meals. I did, however, appreciate that the description of each meal was written on the lid.
NOTE: All pictures of Gluten Free Emirates meal Economy Class were taken by Mariah and foods reviewed were from the foods given on the flight. There may be different options available at other times.
For more Emirates’ gluten free meal reviews see Melbourne to Dubai.
