Written by Adrian Eugene Seet on
Qantas has resumed daily A380 services between Singapore and Sydney, Melbourne and London on 25 March 2018. The A380 features 14 seats in First, 64 in Business, 35 in Premium Economy and 371 in Economy. The First Class cabin will be at the pointy end of the main deck while Business Class and Premium Economy Class seats take up most of the upper deck. Economy class is located on the main deck while a small cabin of Economy seats are located at the back of the upper deck. Flights between Singapore and Brisbane or Perth will be continue to be operated with the Airbus A330.
Have you ever wondered what do First class customers eat on-board?I was invited to an intimate media session just 12 days before the A380 takes off from Singapore to have atasting of the in-flight a la carte dining experience designed by Neil Perry, Qantas’ consulting chef for over 20 years. Food is cooked and blanched on-board, and not just reheated. Healthy options are also offered on-board for customers who would like to eat healthyor light. The mission of Rockpool and Qantas was to be the best five-star restaurant in the sky.
The five-piece cutlery set in a brushed stainless-steel finish is designed by David Caon for Qantas. David has also worked alongside Marc Newson on the Airbus A380’s concept business class seat as well as the airline’s lounges in Singapore and Hong Kong. The new range represents an 11 percent reduction in weight across the fleet which translates to an average annual savings of 535,000 kilogrammes of fuel.
In First, Wine and Champagne flutes are available to guests, an added glassware luxury reserved exclusively for these pointy end customers. A stemless wine glass that can also be used for water, soft drinks & beers as well, while a stemless champagne glass can also be used for water, revitaliser juices and Japanese beers are deployed in Business class.
Practicalityis vital inflight. The 16-piece Noritake Fine Bone China crockery by David Caon is used on-board in First and Business. The grey ink motif on the signature plate and canape dish is the result of a collaboration between Neil Perry and David Caon.
The Appetisers & Starters
The moment your table is set up for meal service on board, you will be in for a fine dining experience, the same experience you would expect when dining in a restaurant on ground. Appetisers are individually plated and all courses can be paired with a glass of champagne, red or white wine.
Some 250 wines have been selected by the Qantas Rockpool Sommeliers, a team of 16 highly experienced sommeliers and mixologists. Some of the cabin crew have undergone training to be part of the Sommeliers in the Sky team.
The Spice Temple inspired Szechuan chicken salad with cucumber, cashew and sesame or the grilled prawns with pickled celery, green olive and pine nuts pair well with the 2016 Pierro L.T.C. Semillon Sauvignon Blanc or the 2015 Mosswood Chardonnay.
The First Suite in the A380 allows guests to dine together. The ottoman converts into another seat in the suite so you can have a romantic meal
The Mains
Did you know that Qantas serves up over 600,000 steak sandwiches in First each year worldwide?
The mains are plated meticulously to tease your olfactory senses. They not only look and smell good, they taste so good.
For the mains, we tried three choices on top of a salad of baby cos, radicchio and frisée with Rockpool vinaigrette.
There was the Jiangxi snapper with steamed greens and fried rice if you are in the mood for Chinese. The Tomato braised lamb with glaed fennel and chickpea fries was cooked to perfection. The well-seasoned tender lamb was not gamey. The beef fillet with rosemary potatoes, green peas and mustard is a must for meat lovers.
These mains can be paired with the 2016 Cullen Cabrenet Merlot or the 2013 Voyager Estate Shiraz.
Desserts
End your meal on a sweet note with desserts paired with a selection of coffee and tea.
Enjoy the other luxuries on-board in Qantas’ International First. Change into a unisex navy and black trim Qantas First pyjamas made of 100 per cent cotton with matching slippers. Martin Grant, Qantas’ Creative Director of Fashion designed the pyjamas as well as the amenity kit that contains a mask that cups your eyes and travel socks to keep your feet warm, ASPAR by Aurora Spa products, a dental kit, ear plugs and deodorant.
