It was time to travel to Japan again! Woohoo! We took our usual JAL flight, in Premium Economy. We were interested on what kind of food on plane we were going to get this time, compared to 2017 and 2015. They are always doing their best to improve the quality and flavor, and also, coming up with new interesting menu for travelers. We started out flight with Champagne with Japanese crackers. We love getting some bubbly to mark the beginning of the fun trip!
The first food on plane offering was a lunch, and they had option of Honey Mustard Chicken or Pork Cutlet Curry. We both chose Pork Cutlet Curry. It came with Assorted Trio Cold Meat, Japanese Noodle Soba with Fried Bean Curd, Fresh Salad, and Fresh Fruits. After cleaning our hands with a nice hot, moist towelettes that they provide, we were ready to eat!
Pork cutlet curry was not as good as it looked in the photo… But this is airplane food, so I should not expect the best food. And, considering that fact, it was actually pretty good for an airplane food. I always enjoy soba noodle, a bit of refreshing item anywhere, even on the plane.
The cold cuts and cheese were nice extra items to get you fuller. Salad was super crispy, very fresh indeed. Fruits were perfectly ripe, I am not a fan of sour fruits, so this was great.
Miso soup can also be added to your meal, at your request. It does not automatically comes with it. I guess not everyone is a fan of miso soup?
My favorite part of the meal was the dessert as usuall… The Häagen-Dazs at the end of a meal provides a little sweet ending that makes me happy.
Then the snack time! They had the usual “Sandwich Combo” that they usually have. They had a ham sandwich, which was meaty, and some kind of sweet sandwich. Maybe cream cheese and jam? I liked this one better than the ham sandwich. The bread gets a bit dry, but I think that can’t be helped on a plane where it gets very dry during a long flight…
My favorite snack is still the cup noodle, Udon de Sky! I wish if I can get a box full of them…and guess what, they actually DO sell them! They have several different flavors, and you can really get them by the boxful!
It is made specifically for JAL by Nissin with extra technology. On the plane, they can’t have super hot water due to air pressure. The instant noodle requires really hot water, so they had to make the noodles in a special way. The JAL instant noodles are made so that they cook with low temperature water, and also, it takes longer to cook. This gives the flight attendants more time to distribute them to passengers. Awesome to have such extra care so that we as passengers can enjoy them. They still have the cute little kamaboko that with a plane design, and yes, it is such a great comfort food!
About two hours before arrival to Tokyo, they served another meal. This yes, they had Stir-fried Egg Noodles with Chicken “Yakisoba Style.” It came with Cheese & Crackers, Fresh Fruits, and Yogurt. The Yakisoba was made with very thin noodle, almost as thin as angel hair. I wanted thicker noodle which is more common for yakisoba, but it still was tasty enough. Maybe thinner noodles cooperates better up high in the sky?
They had different kinds of fruits this time, more citrus-y than the first meal. It is good to get some refreshing fruits after a long flight. Yogurt was a nice little item to calm your tired stomach. The cracker with cheese spread is always fun, it had a tiny little kick to it.
After having a great time in Japan with my awesome family, it was time to return to NYC… And here is what the food looked like on the return flight. The menu for the return flight is created by chefs who were the finalists at RED U-35 chef’s competition, which is Japan’s largest culinary competition to discover the young talented chefs of tomorrow. Exciting, right?
I chose the Tri-colored Chicken & “Negi” Scallion Rice Bowl, created by chef Saki. It comes with Lightly Fried Summer Vegetables in Jade Green Gelée, Pumpkin & Raisin Salad, Fresh Salad, Tarte au Citron Orange.
The rice bowl was interesting. It actually tasted better than it looked. The chicken was still juicy and plump, since it was mixed with a nice sauce keep them mist. The orange tart was a nice little sweet, a bit of a fancy airplane dessert. It was refreshing with citrus flavor. Veggies were good too, nice seasoning, kind of comforting side dish.
Pumpkin & raisin salad was more like a mashed potato, but with pumpkin. Light and more whipped, creamy and elegant. Not your typical airplane food for sure, I liked it a lot. The salad was fresh as always, and yes, I did get the miso soup to go with the nice meal.
There was a snack several hours later, Udon de Sky. They did not have sandwich combo on the return flight, but for as long as I get my Udon de Sky, I was happy.
The last food on plane during the return JAL flight is always my favorite. It is a burger that is designed by MOS burger especially for JAL. They call it AIR MOS burger. I had one on the previous flight, and I so enjoyed it! They are one of the most popular fast-food burger joint, MOS Burger (that is Mountain Ocean Sunshine Burger). All the ingredients came separately, I assume so that the burger does not get soggy.
On this flight, they had AIR MOS Teriyaki Burger! First of all, I love teriyaki burger, and I am a big fan of MOS Burger, so this was the best of both world! I put together all the ingredient to create my very own AIR MOS Teriyaki Burger. It tasted pretty darn good!!! I love having a tasty MOS Burger on the flight!
It came with a bag of Poteko, kind of a potato chips, but in a shape of a ring. Love this cute little snacks! I didn’t get to visit MOS Burger while I was in Japan, but I am glad I got to have their burger on the JAL flight!
They have individually packed toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom, I always appreciate this kind of extra service. We can always travel with minty fresh breath… The Japanese flight attendants were very nice and polite. Love the Japanese omotenashi service! I am sure we will be using the JAL flight again for our next trip to Japan. I will be looking forward to more of their tasty food on plane!
JAL – Summer 2019 to/from NYC to Tokyo