Flying to the USA was a great opportunity for me to experience Japan Airlines Business Class food flying Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita). I previously had travelled Sydney to Tokyo (Haneda) in business class on Japan Airlines so this was a great opportunity to check out the Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) route. The main meal served was breakfast just after takeoff on this early morning flight (7.30am), whereas the Sydney to Tokyo (Haneda) flight I previously took was a 9am flight and the main meal served was lunch just after takeoff.
Japan Airlines Business Class Food Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) Menu
The 10 hour flight from Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) left at 7.30am with a Japanese or Western breakfast served as the main meal and then a choice of Japanese or Western plate served prior to arrival. They did not have the usual larger ‘Anytime Meal’ seen on many Japan Airlines flights, but they did have a limited menu with sandwiches, cheese, fruit, noodles or crisps.
Main Meal Service
There were no refreshment drinks (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic) served while boarding which was disappointing. After takeoff apple juice was served as a refreshment before the main meal service. There was no other choices available other than apple juice. A bag of Japanese rice crackers with almonds was served as a snack with the pre-main meal refreshment.
The main meal service began about 1 hour after takeoff. The international starter was smoked salmon, pickled beets, pastrami, egg and lemon herbed cream cheese – and it was delicious. I was a little skeptical with the description as I knew JAL’s starters are usually served as small little portions of 3-4 bites. But I have to say I was surprised – I quite enjoyed it. The whole dish worked and the flavours were lovely together. The lemon and herbed cream cheese and the lemon olive oil offered a lovely zing. The bread rolls were awful, I never really like their bread as I find the rolls either dry or cake like. The yogurt was a plain yogurt with a hint of cinnamon, oats, pepitas and berry compote. The International main meal was a pretty stock standard breakfast with an omelette, a sausage, baked beans, corned beef and potato hash – nothing very innovative here. The omelette had capsicum (peppers) and a small amount of cheese. The omelette was fairly nice – not too cheesy and the eggs seemed fresh. The corned beef hash was roughly mashed potato (very lumpy) and had a slight mustard flavour. The sausage was soft – the outside skin was not crispy.
I have also included a picture of the Japanese breakfast starter which included simmered celery, fresh fruit, Japanese omelette with simmered prawns, grilled chicken and marinated tuna.
Nutrition comment
The breakfast meal was overall fairly balanced – it was great it was a higher protein breakfast without too much refined carbohydrates. The starter was a good source of protein. The smoked salmon is a source of omega 3 fats which are anti-inflammatory and so great for health. Omega 3 fats are an essential fat that we need to get through the diet. Marine sources of omega 3, such as fish like salmon, are particularly useful for the body. The golden beets were also a standout of the starter. Beetroots are a fabulous vegetable containing a range of nutrients and bioactives important for good health. One feature is they are a source of nitrates which can help relax our blood vessels, improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. So a great vegetable to include regularly in the diet.
Second Meal Service
The second meal service was a choice again of a Japanese meal or International meal. I chose the Japanese meal of Teriyaki chicken which came with miso soup, carrot and bean sprouts, Japanese pickles and a New York cheesecake. The teriyaki chicken was delicious – the chicken was moist and with a just the right amount of teriyaki flavouring (not too much that it made it too salty). The vegetables on the side were also delicious and were cooked lightly leaving vibrant colours and a slight crunch to the beans and capsicums (peppers). The carrot and bean sprouts salad, and Japanese pickles were delicious accompaniments.
Nutrition comment
There was a decent amount of chicken in the teriyaki chicken dish. While this might sound like a fairly funny thing to mention, sometimes these sorts of meals on a plane are mainly rice without much meat, or the meat is fairly poor quality and mainly fatty, gristle. The overall meal was fairly balanced as there were a number of side dishes served with the teriyaki chicken dish. If it was just the teriyaki chicken dish served it would not have been a balanced meal as it the vegetables on the side seemed more like a garnish. One small flower shaped slice of carrot was quite amusing and certainly seemed it was there for a decoration rather than a part of the dish. The sides of sprouts, pickles and miso soup were nutritious sides and added to the overall vegetable content of the meal. Without these sides the vegetables on the teriyaki chicken plate would have not have had enough vegetables to make a balanced meal. Green beans, capsicums and carrots are also not vegetables that are prone to causing bloating so these are great additions to dishes when flying.
Snacks
There was a snacks basket available in the business class galley which served a range of pre-packaged snacks. The Cheese Snack and Almonds which are usually seen on a JAL flight were of course in the basket along with plain crisps, dried squid, rice crackers, cake and cookies. The chicken sandwich was in the shape of a small triangle and had a small amount of chicken slice of lettuce.
Nutrition comment
The snacks in the galley were all prepackaged and fairly processed. It is important to look closely at the labels on the packages if you have food allergies or intolerances as the rice crackers in the green packet did not state in English on the front that the rice crackers were actually a mix of rice crackers and almonds.
Final word Japan Airlines Business Class Food Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita)
I had an enjoyable flight in Japan Airlines Business Class Food Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) however I didn’t love how they served the main meal service as the first meal. Being an early morning flight the main meal service was breakfast which was not very inspiring. The breakfast was still a number of courses and was one of the best breakfast meals I have had on a plane in a while. However it was still early and I would have liked to have had the main meal service at a later time in the flight. I have been on another airline flying out of Australia on a similar length flight and with a similar departure time. A decent breakfast was served immediately after take off and then a 3 course meal was served later at around lunchtime. I thought this was much better as I was able to enjoy the main meal service in a slow and leisurely way and with some really innovative and delicious meals. Perhaps Japan Airlines might like to consider this for the future. But I love the Anytime Meal concepts in Japan Airlines Business Class and this flight was no different – the menu was more limited than other flights but it still had a range of choices.
NOTE: All pictures of Japan Airlines Business Class Food Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) are my own and I review the food from the menu I was given, the menu on the website at the time and the food I ordered on my flight. There may be different options available at other times.
For more reviews of Japan Airlines Business class food check out my review of Sydney to Tokyo (Haneda), Japan Airlines Business class food Boston to Narita, and the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Haneda. If you are travelling from Tokyo Narita check out my review of the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge.
