FRA: Air France [Economy, International, Long-Haul]

Surprisingly delightful Chinese dish onboard Air France!

With the new year resolution regarding airline meals (read here), I'll begin this year with a review on Air France's Economy Class meals when I departed from Paris-CDG.

Look at Melon who woke up to the smell of tea! :P Anyway, the above picture shows the second meal service, so let's start from the first one.

AF Meal #1

Tomato Salad with Mozzarella Cheese - Taste: 4.5/10

The salad was, sadly, not very good. While the tomato bits weren't overly sour, the mozzarella cheese was kinda stale. I still finished it though.

Rice and Beef with Yuxiang Sauce - Taste: 8.5/10

I closed my eyes to the other choice of main course, which was chicken, tomatoes and wheat berries with vegetables, because it didn't sound very unique and I really wanted to give the Chinese dish a try. It was really beyond my expectation. The beef was cooked till tender in a slightly thick gravy which was flavourful, thanks to the fermented soybean paste. Also, it was spicy enough to tantalise my taste buds.

Bel Paese Cheese - Taste: 7.5/10

Thank God for the semi-soft Italian cheese as I already had enough of camembert. It tasted buttery, but mild. A good company for white wine in my opinion, but I didn't order any wine that day.

Amaretti Almond Cookie - Taste: 7.5/10

The cookie had a strong almond aroma exuding once the packet was opened. The bittersweet taste was delightful, but it was a bit tough.

Sicilian Lemon Tartlet - Taste: 6.5/10

The crust of the tartlet was really aromatic and rich in butter. The problem was the lemon jam which was a tad too strong. After taking three bites, I started to get overwhelmed by the sweet and sour jam. But still, it wasn't that bad.

Bread

The bread was a bit tough. Well, no other comments on that.

Beverages

I chose the ubiquitous apple juice, so I guess I don't really have to say much. They offer the usual stuff, including champagne served as an apéritif. I get tired asking for wine on board because everytime I do that, each and every flight attendant doesn't believe that I'm over 21 and thus I have to take out my passport. Oh well...

AF Meal #2

Smoked Beef, Ham and Cheese - Taste: 7.5/10

Good, all the items served on the plate weren't too salty, and they weren't stale either. Actually, the smoked beef slices were pretty addicting.

Apple and Quince Compote - Taste: 8/10

Perhaps not many of us have heard about quince, which is a plant closely related to apples and pears. The fruit is usually added to apple sauce to enhance the flavour. Anyway, the compote had a nice texture; not too thick and not too thin. While the taste of the quince wasn't distinct, it added a bit of tartness to the compote, making it wonderful.

Fromage Frais - Taste: 7/10

I enjoyed the soft cheese made of milk and cream. It wasn't sickeningly creamy, and it was fluffy.

Bread

While there wasn't much difference between the light brown bread and the one in the first meal service, the dark brown bread was softer and richer in taste.

Beverages

Packed orange juice was served on the tray. It was refreshingly sour with just a bit of sweetness to balance the taste. Afterwards, coffee and tea were offered. The black tea that I chose was pretty aromatic.

At mid-flight, feel free to walk to the self-service areas to get stuff such as cup noodles, sandwiches, ice cream, etc. I just got myself Häagen-Dazs ice cream and hot chocolate, but sorry, the picture was too blurry for me to show. Pika's advice: Be quick and grab the Häagen-Dazs ice cream because there aren't many of them!

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7/10

Ambience: 6/10

Service: 7.5/10

Overall: 6.5/10

I thought it would be great if Air France could improve on the amount of food in the first round, or maybe it's just me who can't sleep well whenever I fly. Service was pretty efficient, and of course, I wouldn't forget one of the beautiful flight attendants on board with her charming smile when I walked around at mid-flight. :D But well, the Voyageur cabin wasn't comfortable.

Air France

Economy Class Cabin

Boeing 777-300ER

http://www.airfrance.com/

*No separate price given as meals are included in the ticket price.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)