In-Bites Food Menu for Trans-tasman seat+bag flights
Food on Air New Zealand airlines is superb in Business Class, with some very good choices. Economy it is only OK, however it is confusing as to whether you'll get free food in economy.
Long-haul in economy there is free food. Trans-Pacific, where on a 14 hour flight you will get, well really not a lot. As a result regular passengers in economy are used to bringing their own food on board, or for those with access, taking it from the Koru Club. There is also a complete on-demand food and beverage service on the Boeing 777 - just touch the screen at your seat.
Domestic if you want a free feed, you have to fly on a KoruHour flights longer than 45 minutes. Here there is a free breakfast on weekdays before 9am, of muesli or muffin plus newspaper and Robert Harris plunger coffee. From 4.30pm to 7pm there's Kapiti cheese, crackers and grapes or Abe's Bagel bites with Kato Hummus, plus a free wine or beer. At all other times there is a free chocolate chip biscuit or crisps.
Trans-Tasman is the unusual one. It hasn't been helped by Air NZ moving to a combination of a low-cost model with only one class, where some passengers pay extra for their seat and get free food. If you buy a Works or Works Deluxe ticket, you do get free food: comes on a normal tray, and you get free drinks, but you don't get much choice. In effect you just get the same one basic meal that Air NZ used to offer in economy. All other economy class tickets have to order from the In-Bites inflight menu. Prices are in New Zealand dollars and it's rare for the crew to carry much change: other than that you have to pay with a credit card, which may mean you have to pay huge overseas transaction fees if you don't have a NZ credit card.
Metal knives & forks are once again used on all flights.
Long Haul Air New Zealand Business Class food
Menus long haul in business class come around before take off. The first page lists who created the menu, then inside dinner is on the left hand side, and breakfast on the right. The wine list is on the last page, although you can also get a full wine guide with tasting notes.
There is a separate menu on a sheet of cardboard which is handed out on medium-haul business class flights. On Trans-Pacific there is a separate wine list (about 20 pages long, with tasting notes!) however this is not offered on flights to Australia.
Canapes and nuts
Articoke with cream.Mixed nuts.
The difference with a full trans-pacific flight is that you get a canape service before the starter - and pretty good it is too.
However, it does look a little odd. I mean - artichokes?
Starter - Two Prawns
Two large prawns on potato salad, with rocket and three baby tomatos.Cold roll, oil and butter.
Air New Zealand have a problem with the entrees. They always serve up seafood. Great if you like it, but there are many people who don't.
Great potato salad though with lots of flavour.
Starter - Miso tuna
Trio of sesame miso tuna, coriander prawn, smoked salmon, with karengo potato salad.Garlic bread.
This is great if you like seafood - terrible if you don't. And sadly, the kiwi airline doesn't offer a choice of starter..
Incidentally, if you didn't know, karengo is New Zealand seaweed.
Main course - Lamb
New zealand lamb loin with horopito salt, roasted baby potatoes, carrot puree and beans.Garlic bread.
This is the real deal: a decent bit of kiwi lamb, with all the trimmings, done just right with lots of flavour.
Incidentally, if you didn't know, hotopito is New Zealand bush pepper.
Main course - Chicken Thigh
Confit of chicken thight with kumara puree, warm leek, ginger roasted carrots and water chestnuts.Cold roll, oil and butter.
This was one of the worst meals Air New Zealand served up. I was really disapointed with this, which was nothing like I expect it to be.
Oddly, the ginger roasted carrots and water chestnuts were the best part of this, with sumptuous flavour.
Dessert - Lemon tart
Coconut and lemon tart with passionfruit mascarpone.Dessert wines.
Rather disappointing, this is not as good as it looks.
At least the cream is real cream, not out of an aerosol can.
Dessert - Ice cream
White chocolate raspberry ice cream and hokey pokey ice cream with a choclate almond wafer.Dessert wines.
This is more like it: real gormet ice cream, light and creamy with plenty of flavour.
Dessert - Cheese & biscuits
Fine New Zealand cheese with preserved fruit.Dessert wines.
On the ultra long haul flights, you can at least be sure of getting plenty of cheese, in this case it comes around on a trolley and you can select what you want.
Air New Zealand always have a fine selection of dessert wines, and it pays to check these out: some are superb.
Dessert - Cheese & biscuits
Fine New Zealand cheese with preserved fruit.
Things at Air NZ are going downhill a bit: the cheese plate has had some cutbacks, and that includes cutting back on the quantity of cheese, fruit, and even crackers.
Breakfast - fruit platter
Fresh fruit salad with three types of melon and pineapple.Fruit smoothie.
A pretty decent way to wake up after 15 hours over the Pacific, this is pretty good.
The fruit smoothy is great too - so great, I dranki it before taking the picture.
Breakfast - full cooked English
Chicken sausage, mushrooms and roasted tomato relish.Potato, tomato, red onion and cheese omelette.
You've got to hand it to the kiwis. Just when you start to get peckish, they hand you a full cooked English.
But why - oh why - a chicken sausage. Many airlines serve them and it just tastes weird.
Trans-Tasman Air New Zealand Business Class food
In business class Trans-Tasman, the cheese & biscuits will be served on your tray with the starter. On Trans-Pacifics (but not to the US) cheese & biscuits is offered as a separate course.
On all business class flights you get a decent, artistic, salt (white) and pepper (black) pot on the tray.
Starter-Seafood Trio
Trio of poached prawn, with pepper salsa, smoked snapper, palm sugar cured tuna, and red onion compote.Garlic bread, a pat of butter.
Too bad if you don't like seafood: it is one of Air NZ's specialities, particularly with chefs like Geoff Scott (from Vinnies Restaurant in Herne Bay) on board. He's a local Auckland boy, and loves the stuff that comes out of the sea.
On the table you can see the menu, and also the wine list, which you have to know to ask for.
Starter-Bigeye Tuna
Palm Sugar cured big eye tuna, with red onion compote and light New Zealand wasabi creme.Garlic bread, a pat of butter.
Goodness, Air NZ really isn't getting very imaginative. It's been serving up the same starter to the Pacific islands for the past three years now, and there's no hint of a change.
Starter-Tuna
Palm Sugar cured big eye tuna, with red onion compote and light New Zealand wasabi creme.Garlic bread, a pat of butter.
Starter - Pate
Smoked Salmon parfait, with citrus salad and baby greens.Garlic bread, a tub of butter.
Starter - Duck salad
Oriental duck on gingered gourmet coleslaw.The cheese plate with New Zealand cheese and quince paste. Sourdough bread, and a tub of butter.
Beef fillet
Pan seared beef fillet with warm mawakawa potato salad, roasted root vegetables, and cafe de Paris butter.Garlic bread, a pat of butter.
A most excellent slice of beef. It may seem strange having it with potato salad, but in context it works. It really does! The only downside is the veggies, which are as tough as an Anzac's boots.
This is a dish from Rex Morgan, of the Citron Restaurant in Wellington.
Beef
Beef eye fillet steak with golden kumara mash, turnip and green vegitable salad, horseradish and rosemary hollendaise.
Beef Pastry
Camernet braised beef with mini mushroom pastry, root vegitables and rosemary gnocchi.Garlic bread, a pat of butter.
Ah, now this shows some imagination. Admittedly one that's been culled straight from the pages of a Cornish cooking magazine, but it is pretty good, with light puff pastry on the pasty, some decent carrots (done Aldente) and even potatoes that are better than most.
Another dish from Rex Morgan, of the Citron Restaurant in Wellington.
Lamb
A loin of New Zealand lamb with gormet potatoes, glazed witloof, pea puree and roast lamb jus.
Chicken pasta
Chargrilled horopito chicken breast, with pasta balls, brocolli and watercress.
Desert - Ice Cream
Gourmet dessert of Black Doris plum and creme fraiche ice cream and cookies plus cream ice cream.
Desert - Apple pie
Warmed apple and black Doris plum tart with Vinnies ricotta cream.
Not bad at all: even the cream on the top is proper clotted cream, not the expanded polystreen muck you get on some American airlines.
Desert - Strawberry Tart
White chocolate and strawberry torte with strawberry compote.
Desert - Banana Cheesecake
Sticky banana cake with tropical fruit compote.
Desert - Cheese & biscuits
Fine New Zealand cheese with preserved fruit.
Things at Air NZ are going downhill a bit: the cheese plate has had some cutbacks, and that includes cutting back on the quantity of cheese, fruit, and even crackers.
Desert - Cheese & biscuits
Fine New Zealand cheese with preserved fruit.
Coffee and Baileys
Freshly brewed decaffeinated Gravity coffee and Baileys Irish Cream with sweet.
Trans-Pacific Air New Zealand Economy Class food
In business class Trans-Pacific (but not to the US) cheese & biscuits is offered as a separate course (as opposed to the Tasman run when it is on the tray to save time).
Chicken Kiev
A chicken kiev with mushroom butter filling. Rice and pepper with cream cheese side salad.A Luxian chocolate brownie.
Ah. This really can never be considered a "filling" meal for the long trans-Pacific segment of a flight. However, it's all you get before the lights go out and you settle back into your seat to watch the films.
Actually it's not too bad, with some pleasant taste and texture, but the presentation is woeful, and the rather lurid colour is enough to put many off.
Cheese pastry
A cheese pastry with a packet of Tomato Sauce. Rice and pepper with cream cheese side salad.A Luxian chocolate brownie.
Another rather spartan mean on Air NZ.
Non Kiwis should note that Tomato Sauce is what passes for ketchup in these here parts.
Hot cheese toasty
A slab of cheese (tasty brand) between two slices of hot bread.A small chunk of cake. A pot of water.
This is a very poor offering for a 3 hour flight. There is hardly any quantity her, and you do wonder what the point of the small bit of cake is
Pie and Potatoes
A hot beef pie.Three potatoes, in a creamy sauce. A lettuce leaf. A pot of water.
I love this, this is my favourite on the Tasman routes. The pie is done just right, and will no doubt appeal well to the Aussie market.
Odd, though, that the quantity is so small.
Beef & potatoes
A small lump of hot roast beef.Three potatoes, in a creamy sauce. A lettuce leaf. A pot of water.
This is really rather good, although the food comes in very small quantites.
Air New Zealand Trans-Tasman economy inflight meals
In economy on trans-tasman flights, there are two options. You can either buy food on board, or you buy a 'The Works' ticket, which includes meals and films (although Movies are free to everyone on Boeing 777 services, so if you're on this plane, all you buy is the food.
Beef pie
Mince and cheese Maketu pie, with garlic and hers.Tomato Ketchup.
A very good pie indeed, although pricey if you're buying it on board: you might be better buying a Works ticket for just an extra $15, which includes food and drink.
Incidentally, Maketu Pies are an icon of New Zealand's country cuisine. They are made in the sleepy little village of Maketu, and shipped all over the world.
NZ$5.
Air New Zealand Domestic inflight meals
There is only one class on domestic flights.On a KoruHour flights longer than 45 minutesthere is a free breakfast on weekdays before 9am, of muesli or muffin plus newspaper and Robert Harris plunger coffee. From 4.30pm to 7pm there's Kapiti cheese, crackers and grapes or Abe's Bagel bites with Kato Hummus, plus a free wine or beer.
At all other times there is a free chocolate chip biscuit or crisps. You will be offered a cup of tea or coffee. There is no bar on these flights.
Longer Domestic offering
A cup of coffee, a biscuit, and a pot of water.This is the standard offering on all domestic flights.
On flights from the North to South island which are somewhat longer you get an extra pot of water.