Qantas goes hipster with latest menus

As palates have become more discerning amid the hipster movement and the “MasterChef effect”, so too has the Qantas philosophy behind feeding travellers.

While the carrier has stopped short of offering a fully hipstered-up menu of “free-range water” and “slightly aroused kimchi and kale tacos” foraged from an onboard food truck, the days of “meat and three veg” have gone in favour of ingredients that would have before defied airline food expectations.

Passengers flying domestic business class will now see dishes such as seafood bouillabaisse or fish of the day, sourced from local fishmongers in the port from which the plane departs.

New breakfast dishes include huevos rancheros (Mexican-style eggs) with spicy tomato red capsicum ragout on soft tortilla; and Brookfarm macadamia nut toasted muesli with apricots.

There are hipster offerings: the lunch menu includes a pulled-pork burger with pickled cucumber, sriracha and coriander slaw on brioche bun.

Qantas head of national product and service delivery Helen Gray says as people have got more adventurous so too has the menu.

“We call it the MasterChef effect,” Ms Gray said.

Demand for salads has also soared: kale and quinoa star in dishes in business class and economy.

The carrier is also supporting local artisan businesses, serving hand-rolled butter from Pepe Saya, and a chocolate mousse with sour cherry compote and white chocolate shavings from Madhouse Bakery in Sydney, made to a recipe from celebrity chef Neil Perry’s Rockpool restaurant.

The steamed white fish of the day with mustard greens, gai lan and fragrant rice served with a Jiang Xi chili sauce, is another signature of a Perry’s Spice Temple restaurant.

“Neil’s got a very specific philosophy on that and he believes what tastes good on the ground tastes good in the air,” Ms Gray said.

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Latest comments

Antony Derby says:
November 13, 2015 at 12:40 am
Ms Helen Gray is on some wacky hooch. Is she really serious about her words. I gave up flying Qantas 3 years ago. Star Trek outfits with staff that have a strong dislike for their management. She has been unable to coerce staff to vote employment agreements up. Thank goodness for Virgin Australia, Etihad and John Borghetti/James Hogan. QF have lost the plot and are losing people every day.
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Theresnormissing says:
November 12, 2015 at 3:09 pm
@disqus_aNZsmLnLrr:disqus sriracha is hot sauce made from chilli and vineger. I think it came out of Vietnam and it’s generally used in cuisine from the region eg Pho and other noodle dishes. It’s massively popular stateside and can even be bought in a tiny clip on pack you can take to restaurants with you.
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Theresnormissing says:
November 12, 2015 at 3:08 pm
sriracha is hot sauce made from chilli and vineger. I think it came out of Vietnam and it’s generally used in cuisine from the region eg Pho and other noodle dishes. It’s massively popular stateside and can even be bought in a tiny clip on pack you can take to restaurants with you.
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Peter Hook says:
November 12, 2015 at 12:57 pm
What on earth is sriracha? Mind you, it probably comes from the earth and smells rather like kale. Having said that, i think it is time people realised that producing food that is even half edible at 35000ft is one of life’s remarkable achievements. I never cease to be amazed about travellers’ unrealistic expectations about what can be done in such difficult circumstances. Qantas is doing a brilliant job upgrading their food offer, and while sriracha sounds like something you normally have to visit the doctor to experience, I’m looking forward to giving it a go.
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- Daisy says:
  November 12, 2015 at 3:10 pm
  We’ll be sure to have bottles of it available at Travel DAZE … 😉
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