Preflight Meal

“Would you like to have chicken, or fish?” asked one of the stewardess. I was on board Batik Air’s flight from Jakarta to Medan when I was offered some dishes by the cabin crew. It was a long flight, almost three hours, and I definitely wouldn’t want to miss on any free food. Unlike Air Asia, where the passengers have to actually pay to get a decent in-flight meals, Batik Air serves food to their passengers inclusively. “Chicken, please,” I replied. 

My food was served on a tray. It was a complete full-course meal with beverage and dessert. My main course consisted of a block of white rice with seasoned chicken, heated frozen veggies, and a bit of stir-fried tempeh. I had the opportunity to chose what I wanted to drink, so I opted for a glass of juice and a glass of water. The dessert, though it wasn’t ice cream, nor fruit, was acceptable as they gave me a solid chocolate muffin. It wasn’t that much of a feast, but it was definitely fulfilling. 

The rice and side dishes ratio was a bit off, I have to admit. The rice was a bit too much for me and I ended up finishing the side dishes first before I could finish the rice. Although in flight, the food was quite flavorful to please my taste buds. 

Of course, my favorite was the chocolate muffin. It wasn’t the slightest bit dry when I expected it to be. I guess the stewardess had the opportunity to heat it up a little bit as it was warm when it was served to me. The insides of the muffin was moist and quite fluffy, and it had this slight stickiness, which I approved. 

I managed to finish my meal and finish a couple episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. before the plane landed at Kuala Namu International Airport. Soon after I got off the plane, I was escorted by an Air Asia staff to my aircraft, which was parked adjacent to where the Batik Air’s airplane parked, and I flew straight to Kuala Lumpur. 

What I Ate In-flight

I have been working with Air Asia for two years now. As you all know, your girl here can't definitely miss out on its' scrumptious in-flight meals, despite the fact that I don't get it for free. I still have to pay for it without no discounts whatsoever even though I'm the one who's driving the iron bird. Though in-flight meals are basically instant food, therefore it's not healthy for one's body, but it sure does give that extra boost of energy when you're starving during a long haul flight. So, here are the collections of Air Asia's in-flight meal I've tasted so far. 

Santan’s Breakfast and Dish Selections of 2019

Nasi Uduk

Don’t expect too much on rice-based in-flight meals, especially the ones from Air Asia. In terms of flavor, this particular Nasi Uduk tasted off compared to the usual Nasi Uduk that Indonesians can get from the side of the streets. Though cleaner, I still prefer the ones that I can get from a local street vendor. 

This dish consisted of a scoop of nasi uduk (regular rice cooked in coconut milk), a dollop of sambal, tempe orek (stir-fried tempeh in soy sauce), some vermicelli noodles, and sliced omelette. If you’re a person who favors flavors, I don’t think you would like this meal. The sambal was not the slightest bit spicy, the rice was lacking of that coconut kick in every bite, the vermicelli noodles were unquestionably bland, as well as the sliced omelette. It may occur to you the fact that our taste buds weaken during flight, meaning that you won’t be able to taste properly like you do on ground because of the altitude and pressure differences, but this was still a lousy dish to indulge in. 

Bihun Bakso Sapi

The same thing with the Nasi Uduk in terms of flavor, yet the extra seasoning of salt and pepper helped a bit. This hot meatball soup was a delight when the temperature inside the aircraft dropped. I expected non from the meatball, but it actually tasted quite decent. And the texture is not that bad, though it occurred to me that it probably contained more flour than meat. 

Again, this one is a cleaner and healthier option compared to the bakso that we can get on the side of the streets. But, of course, it’s instant food in the end. 

Pancake with Butter and Maple Syrup

Now, this is the best breakfast meal of Air Asia I have every tasted! Each serving comes with three pieces of pancakes, a cup of butter, and a cup of maple syrup. I’m not sure whether or not them maple syrups were authentic, but it was quite good. 

I have no complaints towards the pancake itself. They were thick as heck. The surface of the pancakes was quite solid, yet the inside was fluffy and moist. Combine them with the butter and the maple syrup, then you’d get a cafe-worthy breakfast in flight. The pancakes were quite savory. To indulge on the pancake without the condiments is fine, but your girl here is a sweet tooth. Ain’t no maple syrup can be missed!

Roasted Chicken

When I’m on a diet and looking for carb-free meal in flight, I always opt for the Roasted Chicken. Like its’ name, this meal consisted of three cuts of roasted chicken breast, with veggies and black pepper sauce on the side. 

As expected, the steamed vegetables were stale, yet still edible. The chicken itself had a bit of spices and seasoning in it, making it delectable if you were to eat it without the black pepper sauce. Its’ texture is usally a tad bit dry, making it hard for me to swallow most of the time, that’s why I used them black pepper sauce to help make the roasted white meat go down. 

Nasi Padang Uda Ratman

Whenever I feel like having rice on board, my go-to is the Nasi Padang Uda Ratman. Compared to the Nasi Uduk, Nasi Padang Uda Ratman has more flavorful side dishes. It came with a regular rice, served with a heap of sambal ijo, rendang (beef cooked in spices and coconut shreds), cooked cassava leafs, and some sambal teri. This dish is truly a life savior when you’re on board and craving for some good, savory, and scrumptious meal. 

Air Asia's Dakgangjeong

Chef Hong’s Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

All I got to say about this dish is that it doesn’t taste that bad for an airplane food. I mean, come on, y’all ought to know that most of the food being sold in-flight are mostly instant food - most of them just needed to be heated in the oven for a solid 10 minutes and, done, you got yourself a decent meal. But, this new dish that Air Asia launched on the beginning of last month seriously doesn't tasted that bad, as long as you don’t compare it to kkulddak. 

New meal, who dis?

The name’s Dakgangjeong. Although it may be a bit expensive, for a spoonful of rice and five pieces of soggy deep-fried breaded chicken bathed in sweet and spicy sauce, this dish is truly a lifesaver when you’re in a long flight, 35,000 feet up in the air, and craving for some good flavorful chicken to munch on. Happened to me today as I was cruising across Semenanjung Malaka.

Seems pretty promising, yes?

To be honest, the rice was dry and the vegetable on top didn’t do any justice to balance the dry texture of the rice, as they were also slightly parched and the least bit flavorful. The sesame seed drizzled on top of the rice didn’t do much either, when it should’ve been the one that add that extra smoky feeling into the flavor wheel. 

The sight of the Korean chicken

On the other hand, the Korean Chicken itself was overwhelmingly flavorsome. The sweetness from the sauce would just slap you right away the moment you scoop a spoonful of it into your mouth. The flavor was way too strong for me. The chicken was breaded, right, and since they have been soaked into the sweet and spicy sauce for too long they developed this soggy texture on the outside, while on the inside were just solid and slightly chewy. 

It came with this, supposedly, crackling topping of deep-fried batter

Looks crunchy, but not so much.

Fun fact! Our senses degrade the higher we are up in the air, including our sense of taste. This is why airplane food are made super flavorful. Now, this one is overwhelmingly sweet when it was indulged at 35,000 feet. Could you imagine how it would taste like on ground? Goodness.

MUC - DOH

Long story short, I lost the sticky notes that I used to write the in-flight menu during my trip from Munich, Germany, bound for Doha, Qatar - which leave me merely the photos of the food. A bit disappointed though, but let's see what I can do.

Breakfast

Per usual, the stewardess let us chose between juice and energizing smoothie, and I always go with the smoothie. 

In every Qatar Airways Business Class meal, there will always be a bowl of bakery products, appetizer, and main course. There are options you can chose when it comes to appetizer and main course, mostly two selections of meal, yet sometimes three in European flights. 

A glass of Orange Juice and Fruit Smoothie

Muffin from the Bakery Basket

Seasonal Fresh Fruit as appetizer

Omelette, accompanied with various side dishes

My favorite side dish, Teriyaki Salmon

Another option you can have as your main course, a plate of Oriental Fried Rice with side dishes

✈    ✈    ✈

Dinner

Unlike breakfast, the stewardess serve more food during dinner. There are two additional meal during dinner, which are entrée and dessert. As a heavy eater, in-flight dinner is my favorite meal of the day.

A glass of Lime Mint and Apple Juice

Salmon as entrée

My favorite bakery good of all time, Laugen Roll

A bowl of Mint Soup as appetizer

My kind of main course - fish!

Beef as main course for those who are allergic to seafood

Banana Pie Cake and Ice Cream for dessert, yum!

Another Michelin-starred Meal

Breakfast

Mango and Raspberry Smoothie

Smoothies are nice, including this one. I'm not a big fan of anything that has raspberry in it, but this one is an exception, mainly because the mango dominated the flavor. The smoothie was very thick and milky, and not too sweet for my taste. 

Breakfast Bakery Basket: Croissant, Cherry Muffin, Arabic Bread, Brown and White Toast

Who doesn't love a bakery basket, right? There were Cherry Muffin, Croissant, and a couple of toast in my bakery bowl, but I didn't see any Arabic Bread. Either the stewardess ran out of bread, or she forgot to put it in there. 

I started with the Cherry Muffin. Fresh cherries are delicious and juicy, but not the preserved ones. Preserved cherries are bright red in color and tasted like an explosion of sugar. The texture is very different compared to fresh cherries in a bad way. I had to remove it from my muffin. It's a good thing that the cherries were only on the surface of the baked good.

The muffin itself was very enjoyable. Not too sweet, not to tasteless. Very fluffy and soft on the inside, yet somewhat stiff and toasty on the outside. I managed to finish the whole thing because it was just that good!

While I was having my muffin, Mom was having herself some Chicken Curry and a plate of fruits. I didn't get to taste Mom's meal, but I bet they were superb.

Lemongrass Chicken Curry, with Nasi Lemak, Sauteed Green beans, Bell Peppers, and Tomato Wedges

Nobu Fruit Plate (Chef Nobu's Artwork)

Cherry Tomato and Chive Frittata, with Grilled Chicken Sausage, Creamed Shiitake Mushroom, and Sauteed Spinach

The first thing that I ate was the Frittata. The egg-based dished was added with cherry tomato and chive, which didn't made it tasted monotone. It was very solid, similar to a hardened pudding but more stiff, when I was hoping for a more creamy texture.

Them side dishes were delicious as well, except the mushroom. My most favored green from the plate was the sauteed spinach. It was well-cooked and tasted bland in a good way. The crisp leafs were also nice, but it was lacking of dressing. 

I tried my best to like the mushroom but my attempt was to no avail. My first bite of the creamy Shiitake Mushroom was horrible. The creamy sauce was nice though, especially if it was with a plate of steak, but not the mushroom. 

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

The best and my most favorite part of the meal! The salmon tasted great, although not as sweet as it usually tasted like. The skin on the side of the flesh was not crunchy, it became wet and sloppy from the teriyaki sauce, but it was still enjoyable. The only thing that it lacked was another portion.

Main Meal

Nasu Miso (Chef Nobu's Artwork)

The first thing that popped in my mind when I read the name of the food is a bowl of Miso Soup, or Misoshiru. For those who are not familiar with what Miso Soup is, it is a soup made out of broth and fermented soybean paste. It taste savory and salty, most of the time also fishy in a good way. Smelled nice and spicy, and is often added with diced tofu and seaweed, or nori. Other than the fact that the soup is high in protein and vitamin, it is also full of mineral and nutrition. This is why Miso Soup is very popular among Japanese and is considered their cup of tea.

But then, the stewardess came to my seat and served me a plate of a grayish round object, along with a chocolate-colored dipping sauce. "The last time I checked, Miso Soup is liquid," I thought to myself, "what in the world is this?". The gray dumpling-like object had sesame seed on its' surface. It let out a crispy sound when I tried to cut it into half. I don't recall the scent of the food the same as the Misoshiru that I know, it had an alien smell.  

My Mom decided to have a bite first. It didn't take long before she found out what the dish is. It turned out that Nasu Miso is actually Fried Eggplant. "Try it with the sauce, it tasted funny," said Mom. I stick my fork into the eggplant and dipped it into the sauce provided. True, it tasted funny, but in a bad way. The sauce was sweet, as if it was made out of palm sugar and nuts, and it didn't go well with the eggplant. I couldn't finish it, so I gave the remaining appetizer to my Mom.

Bakery Basket: Laugen, Onion, Sourdough, and Wholemeal Roll

My favorite would be the Laugen bread! Laugen bread and Pretzel share the same main ingredients, hence the same flavor and texture. What was lacking from the Laugen bread that night is a sprinkle of sea salt on it. Fortunately, salt was available through out the flight, so I poured some on the bread and indulged.

Clear Soup, with Crispy Rice and Mushroom (Chef Nobu's Artwork)

Why did I ordered a mushroom dish when it's obvious that I dislike mushroom? Well, I hate the fact that I don't like mushroom, so I was determined to make me like it. 

The clear soup was dark red and slightly orange in color. It has various kinds of mushroom decorating the surface of the soup and as well as the bottom. The soup itself was nice, very flavorful and spicy, not to mention hot. At the bottom of the bowl was another food stuff beside mushroom, which was a couple Crispy Rice. Cripsy Rice is, well, a clump of rice that has crispy texture. It share the same texture with slightly burnt rice, all chewy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. Now, this particular Crispy Rice tasted sweet, similar to the kind of rice that we found in sushi. I like it so much, I think it tasted delightful and amusing. 

I ate the mushroom and I tried to enjoy it, but I couldn't seem to like it.. not even the slightest bit! It seemed like another attempt of mine to agree with people about how mushroom tasted nice failed once again. I ended up didn't finish the soup. Fortunately, Mom is a mushroom lover, so I gave my dish to her. 

Braised Bean Curd with Shimeji and Shiitake Mushroom in Soy Sauce, with Vegetable Fried Rice, Kale, Steamed Carrots, and Asparagus

Vegetarian meal tasted bland. The rice was bland, as well as the bean curd, and don't get me started on the steamed veggies. Luckily, there was this gooey soy sauce that made the dish had more flavor in it. The asparagus and the carrots were well-steamed, they were not stiff and tough, yet soft and teeth-friendly. Even if the braised bean curd tasted bland, it was still enjoyable if you eat it with the rice and soy sauce. I like the dish, despite the fact that it was tasteless, because it was made entirely out of healthy food stuff.

Vanilla Pannacotta, with Passion Fruit Sauce (Chef Tom's Artwork)

Pannacotta, ladies and gentleman, is a type of pudding that originated from Italy. The basic ingredients to make Pannacotta are milk, cream, sugar, and gelatin. The Vanilla Pannacotta that I had was my first Pannacotta that I have ever eaten, and it didn't taste that bad.. good actually!

The sweet and stomach-filling Pannacotta had an egg-y and milky flavor in it. Luckily, the sour, yet sweet, Passion Fruit Sauce helped neutralizing the flavor. Pannacotta share the same texture with pudding, but more firm and slightly less creamy. In my opinion, one portion of Qatar Airways' Vanilla Pannacotta will make you feel full, yet only filled half of your empty stomach.

QR671

On January 19, my parents and I hopped into a plane that would carry us to Doha, Qatar. It was around midnight when our aircraft reached a certain altitude in which the seatbelt signs were off, permitting the passengers and aircrew to roam around the aisle. When the steward and stewardess are free to stroll around, and you smell something good from the galley, there can only be one thing . . . flight meal!

Indulgence

Curried Potatoes in Roti Jala

I had this elfin dish for starters. "Curried Potatoes in Roti Jala" is what was written in the Business Class' menu. Judging from the name of the dish, this food must have an Indian touch in it. I have not eat Roti Jala (Net Bread) before, so I had to depend on my imagination to visualize the physical being of the dish. 

When the food came, it was not like how I expected it would be. I thought the dish would, at least, share the same size with my palm and is dark yellow in color from the curry sauce, but it was not. Instead of a messy Indian dish, I got a petite roll of what it seemed to be thin savory crepe with potato salad in it. On the other hand, the whole presentation of the food was simple and pretty, it matched the title "palate pleaser". 

I cut the Roti Jala, along with some Curried Potato, into bite sizes and had a mouthful of it. I thought the Roti Jala would tasted like either Roti Canai, or Roti Prata, but I stand corrected. It actually tasted like savory crepe. And the Curried Potato was far from sharing the same taste with curry. I was hoping for a strong piquant taste of Indian spices, yet I got a creamy egg-like and faintly sour smack. 

Warm Roast Beef and Brie Sandwich, with Caramelized Onions and Mustard Dressings 

The main star of that night's Indulgence, a nice plate of sandwich! In most of my night flights from Jakarta to Doha I always have an encounter with this certain dish. The sandwich will always be filled with beef and cheese, and is decorated with some crisps green on the sides. I usually get the one with thin sliced beef, but this time, I got the thick one. 

The sandwich was warm. That slice of Brie cheese that was peeking out from the sandwich was very gooey and on the edge of melting. Those thick beef let out a nice aroma, especially the part that has caramelized onion on it. 

I had to eat the caramelized onion first before I eat the entire sandwich, because I thought the sweet strong flavor of the onion didn't go well with the bread and the meat. After I got rid the onion, then I proceed to munch munch munch. The purple grayish beef was chewy, making it hard for me to enjoy it, but the Brie was very very nice, gooey, and beyond enjoyable. All in all, it was a lip-smacking and mouthwatering sandwich! 

After I fill my stomach with some refreshment, I immediately fell asleep on my foldable seat. I slept for hours, whereas I usually would just spend hours watching Disney movies on the In-flight Entertainment. I closed my eyes for a second and, the next thing I know, a stewardess named Terra was waking me up and offer me something to eat for breakfast.

Breakfast

Peach, Mango, and Banana Energizer

The energizer was creamy and milkshake-like. The banana dominate the flavor, which I fancied, yet it has the aroma of a peach. As much as this energizer tasted good, my love for Qatar Airways' Strawberry & Banana Energizer is much much bigger.

Breakfast Bakery Basket: Croissant, Pain au Chocolate, Soft Roll, Brown and White Toast

Pain au Chocolate is my favorite! Filled with melted chocolate jam, topped with chunks of chocolate, Pain au Chocolate is similar to Croissant in terms of pastry. It was crunchy on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside. I really enjoyed having a bite of this pastry to start my breakfast with.

Fresh Seasonal Fruit with Honey Yogurt

I was a bit full that morning, so I went with the fruit plate instead of the salad with smoked salmon. There were Pataya, Kiwi, Orange, and Grapefruit, with a blob of sweet Honey Yogurt. It was a light and colon-friendly appetizer!

Cookies and Milk

Since I skipped main course, I took the liberty to ask the stewardess for a glass of fresh milk. Other than the fact that milk will give you energy, it is colon-friendly as well! The stewardess was very kind to give me a pack of Belgian Chocolate Cookies to go with my milk. I opened the small packaging and was welcomed with a couple of dark cookies with chocolate chunks on it. I dipped one into the milk and indulge. Breakfast has never been this good!