Fancy flying food
The days of substandard airplanes food are over. Airlines all over the world are boosting their culinary credentials, from introducing ‘chef on demand’ services to collaborating with gastronomic luminaries. Air France announced its partnership with Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud earlier this year, and has now expanded the Daniel Boulud-created menu options across its La Première and business-class cabins until March 2017.
The recipient of numerous awards, Chef Boulud worked together with Michel Quissac, the head of Air France’s Servair culinary division. Both have a reputation to maintain – Boulud has dining properties all over the world, while Quissac has worked with Guy Martin and Joël Robuchon on their inflight menus. It was also a new element for Boulud, who had to work closely together with the Air France catering company to execute and fine-tune his concepts, after ensuring that they could be done in the first place.
So on La Première, Boulud offers an option of Atlantic lobster in a curried coconut sauce with black rice and bok choy, Provençal lamb chop with zucchini pesto and cheesy polenta or peppered beef tenderloin with cranberry, squash and spinach custard. Rounding up the first class options is a tomato-braised chicken and seabass in vine leaves. On business class, there are four entrée options: Salmon with fennel, chickpea and sumac; Moroccan chicken tagine with lemon, cauliflower and couscous; braised chicken Basquaise with chorizo, peppers and saffron rice; and a braised lamb with spring root vegetables and edamame.
