Virgin Australia is mixing it up with a new menu in business class on its domestic and international routes. The meal selections have been masterminded by the airline’s consulting chef, Luke Mangan.
Mangan’s vision for the new dishes aims for lighter and healthier options which he claims aligns with the demands of today’s business traveller. The Australian chef and restaurateur maintains that an increasing number of people are leaning towards a cleaner and fresher approach when it comes to their inflight meals in business class, such as a salad or soup.
The new menu options will be available from March on domestic flights, and in June for international flights.
Lucky business class travellers can look forward to dishes such as falafel with roasted mushrooms on domestic routes, and a beef wonton soup with Szechuan pepper on flights from Melbourne to Hong Kong.
When asked how Mangan and his team in their Test Kitchen determines what goes on the domestic and international offerings, Mangan puts it down to several factors. Such factors include flight duration, destination, and time of day with the key consideration being time.
Other standout dishes on the new menu include a barbequed braised beef short rib served with potato and ricotta gnocchi, truffled pecorino and basil, and a ginger and shallot steamed barramundi with black bean and broccolini (from Sydney to Los Angeles).
Menus on domestic flights change every six months with meals offered being on rotation during this time, whilst on international flights the menu is a seasonal offering (depending on the route) where the menu is tailored to the cuisine of the destination. Mangan asserts that he and his team are determined to ensure Virgin Australia business class guests receive a great variety of dishes on their flights.
