The 5 best Airline meals

Saveur, the luxury food magazine, voted for the best in flight dining experience with its esteemed panel of judges including chefs, photographers, industry experts travel writers and editors. To get a stamp of approval from all of the above is no child’s play.

Sitting thousands of feet up midst the clouds, the airlines of today take hospitality and service to another level with food comparable to Michelin star chef preparations and a meal served course by course with the best of cutlery and crockery. Dining on flight has become an experience in itself.

5. Singapore Airlines

Trust Singapore Airlines to do everything with great panache and style. With award winning chefs manning the kitchens and menu’s created by their international Culinary Panel the result is sheer culinary bliss.

Passengers are welcomed on board with Dom Perignon or Krug depending on their preference. With a wide choice of alcohol, anytime dining, snacks, appetizers, main course and desserts, each presented in their unique style what more can one ask for. You also have the option of pre ordering your meals 24 hours before takeoff if there is something special that you would like to have.

Singapore Airlines goes one step forward. On certain flights between Singapore and China, first class passengers enjoy an elegant Chinese meal needless to say made of an exquisite array of ingredients.

On Japanese flights and other select routes they offer the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony which is then followed by a Japanese meal served on fine bone china crockery.

Passengers to New Delhi and Mumbai can experience the Shahi Thali which is a meal fit for a king with Indian delicacies that promise to give you a taste of India.

Singapore Airlines is all there to give you an unforgettable experience whilst flying with them.

4. Delta Airlines

Giving stiff competition to any fine dining restaurant is Delta’s in flight kitchen. Their 5 course dining menu has seasonal delights and regional specialties to tickle those taste buds. The menu has been crafted with meticulous planning keeping in mind the sector being flown. Trans Pacific flights offer varied Japanese dishes whereas the South American and Mexico sectors have a spread of Latin American dishes.

The wine collection aboard these flights has been specially handpicked by Andrea Robinson who is one of the only 19 female Master Sommeliers in the world.

3. Etihad Airlines

Middle Eastern hospitality needs no mention. Etihad is definitely proof of this. On board chefs are recruited from the finest restaurants around the world, which then undergo extensive training to understand the taste of wines and to be able to create fusion meals that will go with the wines offered on board.

Etihad takes the trouble of meeting all dietary requirements on board. You just need to inform them and you can be rest assured that the meal will be exactly how you desired it. Its not just the quality of catering but also the presentation that goes to show the details and intricacies the chefs go into to present a world class meal to you. Etihad beckons you to get pampered and treated to an exquisitely prepared meal on board.

With preparations that taste divine, and presentation that is a treat for the eyes, Delta Airlines sure know how to pamper their flyers.

2. Oman Air

Winner of the Reader’s Choice award at Saveur’s Culinary Travel Awards, Oman Air lives up to the expectations.

Going along with tradition, you are greeted with dates and coffee which is a traditional Arabic greeting.

The lavishness of the menu depends on the duration of the flight. In the intimacy of your cabin you can enjoy the exotic dishes all served in China and glassware with elegant cutlery. Dinner commences with a champagne and caviar service followed by canapés, appetizers, an Arabic mezze platter to give you a flavor of the middle eastern flavors. Dessert is indulgence in chocolate mousse gateaux or the baklava or a choice of cheese served with port wine. You can be prepared to be awoken by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and Bircher muesli, yogurt and fresh fruits before the wheels touch the ground and bring an end to this wonderful experience.

1. Emirates Airlines

No one can do it better than Emirates. Having won the Expert’s Choice award for the second time in a row, Emirates rules the skies with its in flight experience. With their signature touch, middle eastern hospitality, flair for opulence Emirates has the Midas Touch.

Seven course meals served on Royal Daulton fine bone china, along with vintage wines makes the entire dining experience almost as if one is sitting in a five star hotel sampling food created by world class chefs. Great care is taken to ensure that the food is healthy and low on salt, fat and added sugar. Passengers are served delicacies like Wild Iranian caviar with sour cream and blinis along with their choice of bubbly. The choice of dishes leave you amazed at the details and care taken to present world class creations that leave you licking your fingers for more.

There is no doubt that with Emirates you are made to feel and treated like Royalty.