Our vegan trade magnificence revel in with Etihad Airlines

As we learn increasingly more press releases about how airways are providing thrilling and nutritious vegan foods of their top rate cabins, you may presume that now could be the correct time to show left on boarding as a vegan. Smartly, now we have made up our minds to report our studies on a chain of flights within the top rate cabins with a collection of airways. Underneath you’ll to find our fair overview from a chain of latest trade magnificence flights with Etihad Airlines together with what they were given proper, and the place there used to be room for growth with our *VGML foods.

*VGML is the common airline particular meal code for a vegan meal, and must due to this fact be freed from all animal derived substances.

Singapore to Abu Dhabi in Industry Elegance

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 used to be no dressing for the salad which means it used to be dry and missing in flavour. This got here with a small fruit salad and bread and not using a butter choice which used to be a moot level because the bread used to be chilly, arduous, and easily inedible. Upon request, the flight provider supervisor kindly presented an alternate 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 used to be some distance awesome than the VGML choice that used to be loaded for us.

The principle route used to be a vegetable primarily based dish crowned with nuts, in all probability dukkah? Not one of the cabin team knew precisely what the dish used to be, which is regularly the case with particular foods, and not using a identify and no description to be had it’s regularly left to bet paintings. It used to be beautiful flavourful with eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and cherry tomatoes, however truly wanted rice, quinoa or some other grain in our opinion. For dessert, neatly, there wasn’t a dessert so we had been presented fruit. Why be offering a vegan choice however then don’t come with a dessert? Different passengers had a number of muffins, and in addition a collection of mini Haagen Dazs ice cream pots to make a choice from right through the flight. For us, not one of the dishes or snacks that had been to be had right through the flight had been appropriate for vegans.

Etihad Industry Front room at Zayed Global Airport, Abu Dhabi

It used to be a fight however we were given there after all with assist from the living room supervisor. Regardless of a very good array of meals within the surprising new front room all with very transparent labelling, there used to be not anything sizzling that used to be labelled vegan. A lot of salads, grains, hummus and dips, however we truly fancied a sizzling meal. After being presented pumpkin soup which contained dairy, we positioned the living room supervisor and requested her for assist. She spoke to the chef and it wasn’t lengthy ahead of we had been playing a trio of curries served with rice. All tasted superb and it used to be precisely what we would have liked, however why no longer have one or two of those curries to be had at the buffet? There have been additionally baggage of potato chips, packets of nuts and date bars to be had which have 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 Industry Elegance

Because of the timings, we slept via 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 more than happy that in this leg we had an alternate unfold for our bread, and total our breakfast used to be ample, however no longer nice.

Etihad Industry Front room at Heathrow Airport, London

The Etihad Industry Front room at Heathrow Airport used to be the spotlight of our vegan trip revel in in this fresh travel. Oat milk lattes, freshly squeezed orange juice, coconut milk chia puddings with combined berries, and a ‘complete English’ breakfast entire with vegan sausages and toast with vegan butter. There have been salads, hummus, filled vine leaves and foul medames too for somebody who fancied a Center Japanese impressed breakfast. The superb labelling and sundry choices made this the easiest plant primarily based breakfast. Very spectacular.

London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi in Industry Elegance

So shut but up to now could be the easiest way to explain the vegan meal served on our London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flight. Lunch began with a nutritious lentil and roasted vegetable salad, some other facet salad with balsamic dressing and a bread roll with vegan butter. Subsequent up used to be one of the crucial tastiest dishes within the sky we’ve ever had, skewers of tofu and peppers with a frivolously spiced tomato sauce and basmati rice. Lets no longer fault this dish and eagerly awaited our dessert, which if just right, would have ended a memorable lunch. However we had been presented fruit. Fruit isn’t dessert, it’s fruit. Don’t get us improper, we adore fruit however this is a beautiful deficient choice to the nice and cozy chocolate fondants and pavlovas that different passengers had been playing. The onboard team agreed that it used to be not up to inspiring and hunted down a refreshing citrus sorbet from firstclass. This used to be higher than fruit, however nonetheless wasn’t a heat chocolate fondant and or a pavlova.

Etihad Industry Front room at Zayed Global Airport, Abu Dhabi

Once more, 0 heat choices within the flagship front room at Zayed Global airport, without a doubt it might make sense to have a minimum of one vegan choice? We created our personal mezze platter from the superb variety on be offering, and it used to be superb. No dessert choice so we loved a few the vegan date bars once more which gave us a candy repair ahead of our subsequent flight.

Abu Dhabi to Singapore in Industry Elegance

While ready to listen to what were loaded as our VGML choice from Abu Dhabi to Singapore, we perused the onboard Industry Elegance menu. This used to be our fourth flight with Etihad in as many days, and up till now the onboard menu had not anything that used to be labelled vegan and even may just in all probability be vegan. So it used to be to our wonder that the starters integrated a vegan laksa soup which after all we needed to order. It’s roughly peculiar that having skilled various good fortune each within the lounges and on board with our Vegan Meals Quest, that on our ultimate flight there used to be a vegan choice at the major menu? It used to be certainly fortunate that the vegan laksa used to be to be had, as the 3 classes loaded for my vegan meal had been described via the team as follows: “For starter you’ve were given some chickpeas, for major tomato pasta and fruit for dessert”. How very, very disappointing, uninspiring, and unacceptable. The vegan laksa used to be tasty, however used to be missing in a greens or tofu for that protein hit. It used to be a flavoursome broth, with vermicelli noodles and bean sprouts, very relaxing to devour. The superb team additionally created a vegan mezze platter for us too, with fattoush and beetroot hummus. We definitely didn’t move hungry, however would have liked a dessert!

We’d describe the full revel in as a distinction of neatly concept out, nutritionally balanced and scrumptious dishes, and overlooked alternatives because of forgotten pieces, unclear labelling and considering that fruit is fine for dessert. The catering on Etihad is of a top same old, the great meals used to be superb, and having a look at dishes that different passengers had been served lets see that a large number of concept and energy is going into developing the menus. However as vegan passengers we felt that we had been an afterthought and that we maximum definitely overlooked out at the complete trade magnificence revel in. The ultimate has to visit the living room body of workers and the team on each and every of the flights, they carried out the entirety they might to toughen our vegan eating revel in, and had been in actuality apologetic on the lacking pieces and from time to time uninspiring possible choices, which we liked very a lot.

Paul Eyers

Paul Eyers is co-founder of Vegan Meals Quest who write about luxurious accommodations and lodges in Southeast Asia with a focal point on sustainable trip, eco trip and vegan trip. These days primarily based in Malaysia, Paul additionally writes about wearing occasions and one of the greatest golfing classes right through the area.