This was the first time I had tried Qantas business class food flying Fiji to Sydney. I wasn’t really looking forward to 5 hours on a 737 but it has been a while since I had done a trip of this length in Qantas business class so I thought why not give them a go. I was hoping the food experience was a level up from domestic business class or even trans-tasman business class – like just a little extra sparkle. But after flying them I didn’t feel there was much difference and looking it up on their website it seems South Pacific is the same as Trans-Tasman business class dining. So how did I find the Qantas business class food flying Fiji to Sydney? For me it was an uninspiring meal service – unfortunately no extra sparkle found here.
Main Meal Service
There was no beverage served prior to takeoff. Once in the air the cabin crew came around and offered a glass of champagne which they served with a snack of nuts and roast corn.
The cabin crew then came down the aisle with a trolley and began the main meal service. There was no menu card offered to see what the meal experience was offering and the crew didn’t offer up much about the meals. There were two choices of meals – a soy sauce chicken and a fish curry. I chose to try the soy sauce chicken and it was served with a cheese plate and a dessert all crammed onto the one tray. The cheese plate was incredibly annoying to have served on the tray – it was all too cluttered. On a 5 hour flight surely they could have found a way to serve the cheese plate after the main meal. There was no other meal service offered on the flight – it wasn’t a late flight (a 4pm takeoff from Fiji).
Anyway back to the chicken, it tasted salty – too salty for me and so I gave up eating it. The two round patties were potato which is thought was an interesting choice to go with the flavour of the chicken. It didn’t work for me so I stopped eating it. The carrots and beans were great but the portion was incredibly small. The cheese was the best part of the meal yet there were only two crackers served so I quickly ran out of crackers to go with the cheese. I had a mouthful of dessert but it was wasn’t to my taste. Overall a very disappointing meal for business class and this was the only food served on the flight.
Nutrition comment
Where was the side salad? I would have even taken the uninspiring infamous ‘mixed greens’ commonly served in Qantas business class. The colourful vegetables in the chicken dish were barely a garnish. This meal was calling out for a side salad both to offer more nutrients and bioactives, and also more flavour. It wasn’t a balanced meal. The chicken tasted very salty which made me wonder what the sodium level of the dish was. The meal contained low fibre carbohydrates/grains with potato, white bread and white crackers. It would have been nice to have some variety or at least choice here such as a choice of bread roll (this was just served on top of the cheese plate with no choice of bread), wholegrain crackers or more vegetables.
Final word Qantas Business Class Food flying Fiji to Sydney
The Qantas business class food flying Fiji to Sydney felt no different to meal that are served flying between Sydney and Melbourne in business – other than the cheese plate crammed on to the tray. I really do not like business class meals that serve all courses on one tray, especially when there is time to serve separate course. Yes I understand this was a 737 and so perhaps there were some galley considerations and restrictions, however surely there are ways to work around this. Overall I felt my experience was a mediocre business class food experience, especially when competitors are offering business class on an A350 with a more elevated business class product (hard and soft product).
NOTE: All pictures of Qantas business class food flying Fiji to Sydney 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
If you are flying out of Nadi in the morning you might be interested in the food and nutrition review of breakfast in the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge.
