Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific is teaming with Mandarin Oriental to add some more flavour into in-flight dining.
The airline will begin serving dishes concocted in collaboration with the hotel chain from September to December this year, exclusively on First Class between Hong Kong and London.
The “classically simple” dishes will be designed by two leading MO chefs in turn – meals from Michelin-starred chef Uwe Opocensky will be available until October 31, and will be replaced by a menu from Bar Boulud’s Dean Yasharian until New Year’s Eve. All dishes will be seasonally inspired, using only organic ingredients, explains the airline.
“Mandarin Oriental hotels have long been renowned for their excellence and innovation in food and beverage,” said David Nicholls, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s corporate director of food and beverage.
“Our dedicated culinary teams aim to offer stimulating and exciting dining experiences for guests around the world on a daily basis. We are delighted to partner with Cathay Pacific in order to extend these exceptional culinary experiences to the skies.”
The Hong Kong to London menu will feature appetisers such as a terrine of foie gras with winter truffle, asparagus with freshly toasted brioche, and home-smoked salmon with crabmeat and caviar.
Main course options will include organic beef from Brandt Farm in the US, balanced with a combination of celeriac puree and truffle jus, and organic chicken partnered by a wing bone foie gras.
The menu selections from London to Hong Kong will feature traditional bistro appetisers such as fresh Dorset crab and duck liver terrine. Main courses consist of British-origin beef, slowly braised in a rich red wine sauce, which will be complemented by a smooth puree of parsnips, and fillets of lemon sole enriched with a buttery but subtle Grenoble sauce.
Desserts include a tart raspberry filling baked in crisp filo pastry, perfectly balanced with sweet milk ice cream, and a chocolate dome with a deliciously rich coffee centre.