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’s the fitting time to show left on boarding as a vegan. Effectively, we now have determined to doc our experiences on a sequence of flights within the premium cabins with a choice of airways. Beneath one can find our trustworthy 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 components.

Singapore to Abu Dhabi in Enterprise Class

On our first flight from Singapore to Abu Dhabi, we had been served a salad comprising candy potato, chick peas, roast potato, tomato and combined 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 different 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 primary menu with candy potato, beetroot, walnut and combined 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 primary course was a vegetable based mostly dish topped with nuts, maybe dukkah? Not one of the cabin crew knew precisely what the dish was, which is usually the case with particular meals, with no title and no description out there it’s usually 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 had been provided fruit. Why provide a vegan possibility however then don’t embody a dessert? Different passengers had a alternative of desserts, and likewise a choice of mini Haagen Dazs ice cream pots to pick out from through the flight. For us, not one of the dishes or snacks that had been out there all through the flight had been appropriate for vegans.

Etihad Enterprise Lounge at Zayed Worldwide Airport, Abu Dhabi

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

Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow in Enterprise Class

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

Etihad Enterprise Lounge at Heathrow Airport, London

The Etihad Enterprise 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 combined 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 Center Japanese impressed breakfast. The superb labelling and different choices made this the proper plant based mostly breakfast. Very spectacular.

London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi in Enterprise Class

So shut but thus far can be one of the best ways 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 facet salad with balsamic dressing and a bread roll with vegan butter. Subsequent up was one of many tastiest dishes within the sky we’ve ever had, skewers of tofu and peppers with a calmly 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. However we had been provided fruit. Fruit will not be dessert, it’s fruit. Don’t get us incorrect, we love fruit however it’s a fairly poor different to the nice and cozy chocolate fondants and pavlovas that different passengers had been having fun with. The onboard crew agreed that it was lower than inspiring and hunted down a refreshing citrus sorbet from first-class. This was higher than fruit, however nonetheless wasn’t a heat chocolate fondant and or a pavlova.

Etihad Enterprise Lounge at Zayed Worldwide Airport, Abu Dhabi

Once more, zero heat choices within the flagship lounge at Zayed Worldwide airport, certainly 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 superb. 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 Enterprise Class

While ready to listen to what had been loaded as our VGML possibility from Abu Dhabi to Singapore, we perused the onboard Enterprise 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 may maybe be vegan. So it was to our shock that the starters included a vegan laksa soup which after all we needed to order. It’s form of unusual that having skilled different success each within the lounges and on board with our Vegan Meals Quest, that on our last flight there was a vegan possibility on the primary menu? It was certainly fortunate that the vegan laksa was out there, because the three programs loaded for my vegan meal had 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 fulfilling to eat. The superb crew additionally created a vegan mezze platter for us too, with fattoush and beetroot hummus. We actually didn’t go hungry, however would have cherished a dessert!

We’d describe the general expertise as a distinction of properly thought out, nutritionally balanced and scrumptious dishes, and missed alternatives on account of forgotten gadgets, unclear labelling and pondering that fruit is okay for dessert. The catering on Etihad is of a excessive customary, the great meals was superb, and taking a look at dishes that different passengers had been served we may see that a number of thought and energy goes into creating the menus. However as vegan passengers we felt that we had been an afterthought and that we most actually missed out on the complete enterprise class expertise. The ultimate phrase has to go to the lounge employees and the crew on every of the flights, they performed every thing they may to reinforce our vegan eating expertise, and had been genuinely apologetic on the lacking gadgets and generally uninspiring decisions, which we appreciated very a lot.

Paul Eyers

Paul Eyers is co-founder of Vegan Meals Quest who write about luxurious resorts and resorts in Southeast Asia with a concentrate on sustainable journey, eco journey and vegan journey. At present based mostly in Malaysia, Paul additionally writes about sporting occasions and a few of the best golf programs all through the area.