and Ansetts in flight service was outstanding
Somebody asked me the other day what was the best in-flight meal I ever had. The absolute best, by a country mile, was a cauliflower cheese soup (cost probably $2) served on a crowded, late Pan Am B727 from Houston to a frozen New York … but we won’t go there.
But up there with the absolute best was the First Class meal served on Ansett B747-300 VH-INH flying SYD-HKG on 3rd Jan 1995. The choices were:
Appetizers:
Beluga caviar, Pacific seafood parade, Beef tataki, York peninsula baby lobster
Soup:
Double consommé of black hen or Cream of green pea
Main:
Cantonese beef tenderloin,Hot salmon gravlax, Chicken mirin en papillotte, Stir fried scallops and prawns, Teriyaki tofu
Cheese :
range of Australian and French cheese
Dessert :
The magnificent Mckenzie Chardonnay and Macademia Pudding, Chestnut gateau, Sacher torte, Apple and poppy seed crepe
The champagne was Dom Perignon, and the wines were fabulous (but mostly French) .
The menu (and I have it here with me) was hard card bound with solid brass fasteners and the Ansett “star” punched through the card.
I was quite used to premium travel in those days but the Ansett service topped the lot. Super comfortable seats, amazing food, an on-board chef, you name it and Ansett had it. I gather First Class on the B747 only lasted a few months because next time I did the HKG-SYD run it was Business/economy only. But what a First Class!