High Tea: Dining at 39,000 Feet

Air New Zealand invites dish to test their new Business Premier menu.

It had been three long years since I last stepped foot on an airplane, and in that time, I never stopped thinking about where I would go or what I would do once the opportunity arrived again. My international itinerary is loaded with inspiring and exotic locations that, in some cases, only came into my peripheral view because of the time afforded to me in lockdown.

So, when Air New Zealand asked me to fly to Rarotonga to test their new Business Premier menu, I jumped at the chance. The caveat being that my stay in Rarotonga would be limited to the airport. Even so, the opportunity to experience international travel once again was too good to pass up.

The evening before take-off, those familiar pre-flight jitters all came flooding back. My trustworthy checklist of essential travel items reassured me that I would not end up with egg on my face should I forget my passport or other required travel documents. Still, a good night’s sleep was hard to come by.

The long ride to the airport under the dark morning sky was all too familiar. And so were the what-if scenarios that began plaguing my thoughts; what if I’m late for check-in? What if I can’t find my gate? But all that goes away soon enough. My mind at 6.30 in the morning, however, is not at its sharpest, as evidenced by the split-second delays in my responses at check-in regarding my Covid documentation and where I was travelling. That’s a new one for me.

Passing through security is always an uneasy experience for me. Every time, I experience this irrational fear that I’m going to be pulled up on something even though there’s nothing for me to worry about. Still, any time someone deems it necessary to swab my laptop, I can only imagine what they’re looking for. Whatever it was, they didn’t find it... this time.

Upon boarding the plane, I just about walked past my seat. Economy class is where I usually park myself but not on this occasion. A front row seat is something I could get used to. From there, it’s all about the suspense of take-off, the waiting, and then the sudden jittering of the plane as the engines roar and the plane shakes, rattles and rolls off the tarmac before gradually reaching a smooth cruising altitude. And then you’re reminded that this is exactly what it feels like to fly again.

Of course, there was still the matter of testing Air New Zealand’s new Business Premier menu – a menu which showcases the best of Aotearoa on a plate, including local ingredients like Southland lamb prosciutto, Hawke’s Bay extra-virgin olive oil and mānuka-smoked free-range chicken from the Waikato.

My introduction to the menu began with the café-style breakfast service, and what would a café experience be without a delicious pastry to kick things off? Even at 39,000ft, where, according to Air New Zealand, tastebuds are suppressed by 30%, my croissant was just as light, crisp and buttery soft as any I’ve eaten before. So much so that I had to ask for another. I also enjoyed a blueberry smoothie and for my main meal, I opted for a full spread of bircher muesli with blueberries, fresh fruit salad and bacon and egg bagel.

I have a healthy appetite, so I was enthused to have such a hearty, well-balanced breakfast to begin my day. I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy free-range bacon and caramelised onions in my bagel, not to mention the gooey melted cheese. Everything felt fresh and was complemented nicely by the sweet chutney. The bircher muesli and yoghurt meanwhile were deliciously creamy and strongly influenced by the hazelnuts and juicy blueberries. Overall, it was a very flavoursome breakfast that I would happily order at any earthbound café.

During the trip back home, I sampled the lunch portion of Air New Zealand’s new menu. The airline welcomes you to their dining experience with a koha from the kitchen, a bite-sized morsel to hero local ingredients. In my case, it was a mouthful of Clevedon buffalo ricotta, Southland lamb prosciutto and tomato gel with balsamic glaze. A nice little taste of home.

The lunch menu, as with the breakfast menu, offers plenty of choice and gives you the opportunity to ‘build your own meal’ with your choice of appetisers, sides and mains, including fresh, crisp salads picked straight from local orchards and fields. Being a meat eater, though, I chose the mānuka-smoked free-range chicken for my appetiser and the Taupō prime beef eye fillet with horseradish jus for my main, with a serving of root vegetables on the side.

The creamy walnut aioli that accompanied the smoked chicken was a delight and worked harmoniously with the sweet cranberries. The beef fillet, on the other hand, is a very generous cut of meat, brought to life by the sweet and smoky horseradish jus. I could have just about drunk it straight from the vessel.

The true highlight for me, though, was the triple chocolate ice cream with caramel sauce and hokey pokey crumble I had for dessert. I admit I do have a sweet tooth, but the rich chocolate ice cream, gooey caramel sauce and moreish hokey pokey set my tastebuds alight. If they are in fact suppressed by 30%, then I can only imagine how much better it would have been had my tastebuds been operating at full capacity.

Even though my trip was brief, I’m grateful to have experienced the pleasure of travel once again. And I’m ready to do it all over again, albeit with a much longer stopover. Air New Zealand’s Business Premier menu offers a great variety of local Kiwi produce, which will be appreciated by anyone traveling far from home, and the build-your-own-meal component is a welcome change to the in-air dining experience.

The new Air New Zealand Business Premier menu will be officially launched and rolled out on all long-haul international routes from October 2022.