JPN: Japan Airlines JL723 (Business)
Surely my first time having three bottles of 'sake' onboard!
At the end of our shortest trip ever to Tokyo, Japan, my BFF and I flew with Japan Airlines in the Business Class from Narita International Airport to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Without a doubt, we were really excited to try the carefully curated dishes by the chefs of two renowned restaurants in Tokyo: Kurogi and L'Effervescence.
To tell the truth, Pikachu almost fell down when I was trying to take that photo. Anyway, this post features both the Japanese and the Japanese-influenced French lunch sets.
Pre-Meal Snack & Beverage
To accompany the nice packet of rice crackers, I opted for a bottle of sake (Japanese rice wine) from Raifuku brewery in Ibaraki Prefecture, which was crisp and delicate with a light floral undertone.
JL Meal #1
Spring Haze Appetiser - Taste: 8.5/10
The visually appealing Japanese appetiser by Chef Jun Kurogi made my stomach sing with joy. I especially love the thick raw tuna complemented with vinegared yam slices. The vegetables, such as bamboo shoots, mustard leaves, abalone mushrooms and asparagus were fresh. From the marine department, the simmered prawn, herring-stuffed kelp rolls and jellyfish dressed with sesame vinaigrette were all luscious. The Japanese omelette and and dried mullet roe weren't as delicious, but above average for sure in terms of quality.
Hors d'oeuvre - Taste: 9/10
The French appetiser by Chef Shinobu Namae featured five items (clockwise from top right): horse mackerel escabeche (Spanish dish of fish or meat marinated in acidic sauce), dried shrimp potato salad, conger eel with ratatouille (French stewed vegetable dish), braised duck breast with burdock and asparagus with honey mustard sauce. I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here, but they were all even more gratifying than their Japanese counterparts.
Bread
Even though the French appetiser was decidedly less in terms of quantity, it was accompanied by two bread rolls. Both of them were rather fluffy inside and crunchy outside, but I had a preference for the one infused with green tea. They came with a dollop of butter served at cabin temperature.
Grilled Ginger Beef and Simmered Mackerel with Miso Sauce - Taste: 8/10
For the Japanese main course, I had a preference for the red meat as it was enjoyably tender, made sweeter with caramelised onions and bell peppers. Having said that, it was rather ironic that given the name of the dish, the ginger taste was too mild for me. The fish was adequately succulent, but I found the miso (Japanese fermented rice, barley and/or soybean) sauce to be rather heavy. Accompanying the meat and fish were some pickles, hearty soup and premium short-grain rice.
Japanese Beef Sirloin Steak - Taste: 8.5/10
In the battle of the main course, the Japanese-French dish turned out to be the winner. Sitting on its own jus, the slab of sirloin was more than succulent enough for a medium-cooked steak at 35,000 feet. The high score was also attributed to the Japanese pepper butter that was tasty and aromatic, as well as the sweet sauce made of port wine. Also included on the plate were green peas, which didn't taste frozen at all and a few juicy grilled mushrooms. Pika's advice: Typically, two main course options are available under the Western menu. You can opt for fish instead if you don't like beef.
Soy Milk Jelly - Taste: 8/10
The Japanese dessert featured a block of soy milk jelly that didn't look particularly intriguing, but it was actually quite rich and velvety with a nice aroma of soy. It was unfortunate that they somehow ran out of the other dessert, panna cotta (lit. cooked cream), so we didn't get to try it.
Beverages
Served together with the soy milk jelly was a cup of green tea that was strong and aromatic. Seeing that I was done with my second bottle of Raifuku sake, the flight attendant recommended that I tried the other variant from Niizawa brewery in Miyagi Prefecture, which tasted slightly herbal and savoury. Honestly, I can't decide which one I like better.
Galley Snacks
From the galley, I took a small packet of dry natto (Japanese fermented soybeans) that had that distinctive smell, even though it was pretty mild. I also had a dark chocolate disc topped with crushed peanuts.
JL Meal #2
Chinese Rice Dumpling - Taste: 6/10
For the pre-arrival snack service, we got to choose between a Japanese interpretation of traditional Chinese rice dumpling and ice cream. As interesting as the former might sound, it wasn't particularly good as it wasn't that moist. Also, I wasn't too sure about the ingredients embedded in the glutinous rice, but I think there were mushrooms and chicken.
Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream
Undoubtedly, the vanilla-flavoured ice cream from the famous company founded in 1960 was a better choice.
Champon de Sky - Taste: 7/10
In addition to the two items mentioned above, the flight attendants took the initiative to offer JAL original snack noodles. I've been hearing about the airline collaborating with Nissin all these while, and I finally had the chance to try one of the variants even though I know they can be bought at the airport. I chose champon, a soupy noodle dish originating from Nagasaki, simply because it's not as common as soba (Japanese buckwheat noodle) and udon (Japanese wheat-flour noodle). The savoury taste of the seasoning was accentuated by the dehydrated vegetables that somehow tasted rather sweet. Did you notice that each of the mini fish cakes has the design of an aeroplane on it?
Melon's Rating
Taste: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Overall: 8/10
I'm certainly hoping to try more dishes by other chefs in the panel. Hopefully there'll be a next time!
Japan Airlines
Business Class Cabin
Boeing 787-9
*No separate price given as meals are included in the ticket price.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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