Our vegan enterprise class expertise with Etihad Airways

As we learn increasingly press releases about how airways are providing thrilling and nutritious vegan meals of their premium cabins, you’ll presume that now could be the suitable time to show left on boarding as a vegan. Well, we now have determined to doc our experiences on a sequence of flights within the premium cabins with a number of airways. Below you can find our sincere evaluate from a sequence of latest enterprise class flights with Etihad Airways together with what they obtained proper, and the place there was room for enchancment with our *VGML meals.

*VGML is the common airline particular meal code for a vegan meal, and may subsequently be freed from all animal derived elements.

Singapore to Abu Dhabi in Business Class

On our first flight from Singapore to Abu Dhabi, we have been served a salad comprising candy potato, chick peas, roast potato, tomato and blended leaves as a starter. There was no dressing for the salad that means it was dry and missing in flavour. This got here with a small fruit salad and bread with no butter various which was a moot level because the bread was chilly, arduous, and easily inedible. Upon request, the flight service supervisor kindly provided another salad from the principle menu with candy potato, beetroot, walnut and blended leaves. This salad got here with mini pitta breads and a lemon French dressing and was far superior than the VGML possibility that was loaded for us.

The important course was a vegetable based mostly dish topped with nuts, maybe dukkah? None of the cabin crew knew precisely what the dish was, which is usually the case with particular meals, with no title and no description obtainable it’s typically left to guess work. It was fairly flavourful with eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and cherry tomatoes, however actually wanted rice, quinoa or one other grain in our opinion. For dessert, properly, there wasn’t a dessert so we have been provided fruit. Why provide a vegan possibility however then don’t embrace a dessert? Other passengers had a alternative of desserts, and in addition a number of mini Haagen Dazs ice cream pots to pick from throughout the flight. For us, not one of the dishes or snacks that have been obtainable all through the flight have been appropriate for vegans.

Etihad Business Lounge at Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi

It was a wrestle however we obtained there in the long run with assist from the lounge supervisor. Despite a superb array of meals within the gorgeous new lounge all with very clear labelling, there was nothing scorching that was labelled vegan. Plenty of salads, grains, hummus and dips, however we actually fancied a scorching meal. After being provided pumpkin soup which contained dairy, we situated the lounge supervisor and requested her for assist. She spoke to the chef and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than we have been having fun with a trio of curries served with rice. All tasted excellent and it was precisely what we needed, however why not have one or two of those curries obtainable on the buffet? There have been additionally luggage of potato chips, packets of nuts and date bars obtainable which have been all labelled vegan, the date bars have been scrumptious so we took a pair for our subsequent flight.

Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow in Business Class

Due to the timings, we slept by the entire of our flight from Abu Dhabi to London, however have been woken up for breakfast upon request. We have been served a blended bean and avocado wrap, with tomato salsa and rocket. Fresh orange juice, peppermint tea, fruit and a heat bread roll with vegan butter have been additionally a part of our breakfast. We have been very completely happy that on this leg we had another unfold for our bread, and total our breakfast was passable, however not nice.

Etihad Business Lounge at Heathrow Airport, London

The Etihad Business Lounge at Heathrow Airport was the spotlight of our vegan journey expertise on this latest journey. Oat milk lattes, freshly squeezed orange juice, coconut milk chia puddings with blended berries, and a ‘full English’ breakfast full with vegan sausages and toast with vegan butter. There have been salads, hummus, stuffed vine leaves and foul medames too for anybody who fancied a Middle Eastern impressed breakfast. The wonderful labelling and diverse choices made this the proper plant based mostly breakfast. Very spectacular.

London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi in Business Class

So shut but to this point could be the easiest way to explain the vegan meal served on our London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flight. Lunch began with a nutritious lentil and roasted vegetable salad, one other aspect salad with balsamic dressing and a bread roll with vegan butter. Next up was one of many tastiest dishes within the sky we’ve ever had, skewers of tofu and peppers with a flippantly spiced tomato sauce and basmati rice. We couldn’t fault this dish and eagerly awaited our dessert, which if good, would have ended a memorable lunch. But we have been provided fruit. Fruit just isn’t dessert, it’s fruit. Don’t get us improper, we love fruit however it’s a fairly poor various to the nice and cozy chocolate fondants and pavlovas that different passengers have been having fun with. The onboard crew agreed that it was lower than inspiring and hunted down a refreshing citrus sorbet from top quality. This was higher than fruit, however nonetheless wasn’t a heat chocolate fondant and or a pavlova.

Etihad Business Lounge at Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi

Again, zero heat choices within the flagship lounge at Zayed International airport, absolutely it will make sense to have at the very least one vegan possibility? We created our personal mezze platter from the wonderful choice on provide, and it was excellent. No dessert possibility so we loved a few the vegan date bars once more which gave us a candy repair earlier than our subsequent flight.

Abu Dhabi to Singapore in Business Class

Whilst ready to listen to what had been loaded as our VGML possibility from Abu Dhabi to Singapore, we perused the onboard Business Class menu. This was our fourth flight with Etihad in as many days, and up till now the onboard menu had nothing that was labelled vegan and even might maybe be vegan. So it was to our shock that the starters included a vegan laksa soup which in fact we needed to order. It’s sort of unusual that having skilled diverse success each within the lounges and on board with our Vegan Food Quest, that on our last flight there was a vegan possibility on the principle menu? It was certainly fortunate that the vegan laksa was obtainable, because the three programs loaded for my vegan meal have been described by the crew as follows: “For starter you’ve got some chickpeas, for main tomato pasta and fruit for dessert”. How very, very disappointing, uninspiring, and unacceptable. The vegan laksa was tasty, however was missing in a greens or tofu for that protein hit. It was a flavoursome broth, with vermicelli noodles and bean sprouts, very pleasant to eat. The wonderful crew additionally created a vegan mezze platter for us too, with fattoush and beetroot hummus. We definitely didn’t go hungry, however would have beloved a dessert!

We would describe the general expertise as a distinction of properly thought out, nutritionally balanced and scrumptious dishes, and missed alternatives attributable to forgotten objects, unclear labelling and considering that fruit is okay for dessert. The catering on Etihad is of a excessive normal, the great meals was excellent, and taking a look at dishes that different passengers have been served we might see that plenty of thought and energy goes into creating the menus. But as vegan passengers we felt that we have been an afterthought and that we most definitely missed out on the complete enterprise class expertise. The last phrase has to go to the lounge workers and the crew on every of the flights, they performed the whole lot they may to boost our vegan eating expertise, and have been genuinely apologetic on the lacking objects and typically uninspiring decisions, which we appreciated very a lot.

Paul Eyers

Paul Eyers is co-founder of Vegan Food Quest who write about luxurious motels and resorts in Southeast Asia with a give attention to sustainable journey, eco journey and vegan journey. Currently based mostly in Malaysia, Paul additionally writes about sporting occasions and a few of the most interesting golf programs all through the area.