Intro
Dirty phone holders and crew that disappear between meals?
Cathay Pacific’s economy food programme works when they focus on Asian cuisine, but falters with generic Western dishes.
Premium economy gets business class meals on better trays, but service consistency needs work across all cabins.
While a frustrating baggage fee experience at Melbourne Airport left me scrutinising everything more closely than usual, flying multiple routes revealed both strengths and areas for improvement.
Economy Class
The meal service began about an hour after takeoff, with printed menus distributed onboard.
What impressed was the choice of three main courses rather than the typical two that most airlines offer – chicken, seafood, or vegetarian pasta, each served with a bread roll and dessert.
When the crew reached our row, I received my wine and ice cream first because they’d run out of trays.
However, the phone holder and cup holder were quite dirty, making me wonder if cleaning contractors had overlooked them.
I tried both chicken and seafood options. The chicken came with rice and vegetables, but the protein was overcooked and relatively dry.
The seafood option performed better, with fish that maintained decent texture despite airline reheating.
The vegetables were crisp rather than mushy, and the presentation looked more appealing.
What saved the meal was the supporting elements. A fresh side salad provided crisp contrast, and the chocolate ice cream was genuinely enjoyable rather than just filling space on the tray.
Between services, the crew disappeared almost completely, leaving passengers to forage in the self-service galley for snacks and drinks.
The second meal offered noodles or cottage pie with berry cheesecake. The noodles delivered much better flavour than the previous chicken dish.
However, what was labelled “seasonal fresh fruit” turned out to be processed fruit that lacked expected freshness and flavour.
Hong Kong To Paris
The Hong Kong to Paris flight offered a mixed experience. Meal portions were generous, but the service had problems.
Once again, crew disappeared between services.
The second flight showed improvement with larger meal portions and an upgraded ice cream experience thanks to Mรถvenpick.
However, I was disappointed to find that I had to clean the tray table myself, especially considering departure from the airline’s home port.
Despite onboard reminders about post-COVID cleanliness, I had to use my own antiseptic wipe to clean my tray table.
On the positive side, there was a well-stocked galley where passengers could help themselves to snacks and drinks.
For breakfast, two options were offered: egg noodles with chicken or scrambled eggs.
Both were satisfactory, with the Western breakfast being particularly enjoyable. The portion sizes were generous throughout.
Premium Economy
Cathay Pacific recently upgraded its premium economy experience, serving meals from the business class menu.
The food comes on larger trays with proper chinaware – a definite improvement.
(Thanks to Cathay Pacific for the below photos)
London to Hong Kong
Lunch featured beef with potato gratin, bulgur salad with salmon, and dessert from Lilly O’Brien’s.
Loved this dish!
Before landing, a Western-style omelette with bacon, potatoes, and fresh fruit was provided.
Hong Kong to Melbourne
On this 8-hour hop, cabin service was exceptional with an attentive crew and lovely meals.
Between meals, snacks like hot noodles were available in the galley, and an amenity kit with essentials like eyeshade and toothbrush was provided.
The meals included Chinese fish with rice and baby Chinese cabbage, plus pork with stir-fried vegetables and apple rice pudding.
Premium economy food was clearly better than economy.
Conclusion
Cathay has announced a Michelin-starred collaboration for economy and premium economy dining, set to begin in early 2025.
This partnership might fix their Western food problems.
Cathay Pacific’s food programme succeeds when it embraces Hong Kong’s culinary heritage but falters with generic international offerings. The premium economy upgrade offers worthwhile improvements, though service consistency needs work across all cabins.
f they put the same effort into Western food that they do with Asian dishes, and get their crew to actually stay around between meals, Cathay could live up to their reputation.
For travellers interested in authentic Asian cuisine at altitude, Cathay delivers when it focuses on its strengths.
The Michelin collaboration shows they know they have problems and are trying to fix them.
