There is a lot of hype around this ~17 hours flight – the only direct flight from the west coast of Australia to London in the UK (see my review of the Qantas Perth International Lounge). So naturally I was very curious about the Qantas business class food London to Perth. Being a flagship route, with wellness initiatives apparently woven through the flight, would the business class food be a standout? So I recently flew from London to Melbourne, via Perth, (see review of the Perth-Melbourne leg of QF10) to see first hand what the Qantas business class food was like on one of their longest flights.
Qantas Business Class food menu
On boarding there were two menus on my seat – one was a breakfast menu which they requested was filled out prior to take off and handed to crew. I found this a little odd as with so many hours onboard there was no rush to get the last meal served, or need to optimise sleep as they recommended to go to sleep approximately 1 hour after the main meal service. Drinks were served prior to takeoff – bubbles or sparkling water. I asked for a still water which they were happy to provide.
Pre meal service
There was a premeal service with a drink offered and a small plate of almonds served approximately 1 hour after push back from the gate. The almonds were not served warm.
Main Meal Service
The main meal service began about 30 minutes after the drinks service. A small bowl of mixed leaves was served with a slice of bread and butter. No extra virgin olive oil was offered. I chose the wholegrain sourdough. Unfortunately the bread was barely warm by the time it got to me (seat 3A) and the butter was rock hard. I chose the terrine for a starter which was served with frisse lettuce, sourdough cracker and two little cornichons. The terrine was described as duck, pork and pistachio terrine and it tasted fairly nice. However I did not know what the white chunks were (were they fat?? – they just seemed very large and uniform to be fat).
For a main meal I chose the seared beef fillet with salsa verde, asparagus and cheery tomatoes. The vegetables were cooked really nicely and had a lovely flavour. The salsa verde was also really flavoursome with a hint of chilli. The steak itself was quite tough unfortunately. It was very hard to cut and was quite chewy.
The cheese plate for dessert came with 3 types of cheeses, a date, some sort of paste (I think it was quince paste), 3 water crackers and 2 fancier crackers with dried fruit and seeds.
Nutrition comment
The wholegrain sourdough was a standout for me – it is not often you get this on a flight. While many flights have sourdough bread it is usually white bread. Wholegrain bread is more nutrient dense than white bread. The terrine was quite a large slice for a single person to have in one sitting. This would have been very energy dense. It would have been better to have been served about half the size and then have other foods on the plate too – like a small platter. The vegetables with the steak were really vibrant colours and seemed to be cooked lightly. This helps with nutrient retention. The bowl of mixed leaves is always a welcome addition – the more vegetables the better in my mind. However I found even with the dressing the salad to be quite plain and a bit bitter. I could see for some people this might be a polarising choice.
Second Meal Service
I was uninspired by the breakfast menu, especially since I was landing about midday in Perth (and like many passengers was transiting to the east coast of Australia which meant it was mid-afternoon there). So I asked the cabin crew when I submitted my breakfast card if there were enough meals could I please have the breakfast salad along with the scrambled eggs, instead of cereal or toast. And I had a nice surprise at breakfast when this was able to be accommodated. Unfortunately I thought the breakfast salad was a bit…weird. It was a good concept but I found the execution was not great. It was served extremely cold. And I know you are thinking, lots of salads are cold, and yes this is true. But the zucchini was raw (extremely crunchy) and so when it was really cold (like straight out of a very cold fridge) it just had no flavour. There was also a lot of fennel (under the eggs) and it was very plain tasting, again the cold temperature was not helping this. The marinated tomatoes were nice. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection but served… yup you guessed it… freezing cold.
The scrambled eggs dish came with hashbrowns, bacon and baked beans. Again great concept, but poor execution. The scrambled eggs were incredibly wet with a weird taste (nearly fishy… I wondered if they used omega 3 enriched eggs????). The bacon was tough like leather, I could barely cut it, and the hash browns were more like mashed potato rounds rather than a rosti style hashbrown. So again unfortunately I didn’t like the dish.
Nutrition comments
I loved the concept of a breakfast salad – there needs to be more innovation when it comes to vegetables at breakfast time (more than just the standard cooked tomatoes and baked beans). So I applaud Qantas for having this option on the menu. However I think it needs to be amended to make it more appealing to a wider audience such as serving a warm salad (or at least not borderline freezing). The variety of vegetables in the breakfast salad is to be commended and it was great to see the inclusion of chickpeas which are a source of plant protein and soluble fibre and low GI – these are very complementary to the eggs which are high in protein too. Just be mindful if you are prone to IBS that chickpeas may contribute to bloating.
Snacks
The snack bar mid flight had a fresh fruit plate – I had a mandarin and it was delicious. There were also crisps, shortbread and chocolates available in the snack bar. Coconut water and sparkling water were also available.
I chose to try the flatbread with lamb mid flight as I did get hungry. I was surprised to see just how much lamb topping was on the flatbread. I was expecting a lot less so it was nice to get a decent portion of lamb with some pine nuts. It was quite flavoursome with a hint of heat (spiciness). I would have loved a few more slices of cucumber. The mint leaves were a fabulous addition – so fresh!
Final thoughts on Qantas Business Class Food London to Perth Australia
The Qantas business class food was ok on the flight, but it did not really feel like the menu on a flagship route. In fact I thought it fairly uninspiring. But I did love that there were nutritious foods on the menu and that you could eat a fairly balanced meal. I didn’t like that breakfast was the second meal served despite landing in Perth around midday. There was plenty of time to have the second meal service a couple of hours before landing – not rushed to be served 1.5 hours before landing. The lights in the cabin were turned off about an hour after the main meal service and you were recommended to sleep then. So there would have been plenty of time to have a nicer, more leisurely second meal service. Overall the foods and menu didn’t really feel any different to a flight that would be 10 or 12 hours. I was expecting something a little more standout to be honest – nothing technically wrong with the business class food but I thought there could have been something more special done with it.
Flying Qantas Business Class from London Heathrow you might also be interested in my review of the Qantas London Lounge food and the Qantas Perth International Lounge. I have also conducted reviews on the Qantas Business Class Lounge in Sydney International and Qantas Business Class Lounge Sydney Domestic.
NOTE: All pictures of Qantas business class food London to Perth 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.
