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First-class meals onboard Dubai flight

First-class meals onboard Dubai flight
Smoked duck breast with red cabbage. Photo/PD/ FAITH KYOUMUKAMA

Faith Kyoumukama

Welcome aboard. I am your flight purser today. In case you won’t make it for takeoff, don’t you worry; you will catch the next flight. 

Let’s talk about flight meals….  Emirates Airlines is uncorking its finest wines at the Capital Club in Westlands, Nairobi.

This is after taking food and wine lovers through normal flight experience procedures.

I imagine myself on a trip to Dubai, smart enough to save some new Kenya shilling notes by flying economy class.

Of course, I would be better off flying business class because of the associated perks.

Just like the French Benedict monk Dom Perignon said, “Come quickly, I’m tasting the stars”, that’s exactly what I want to do on a five-hour flight. 

Capital Club

This airline serves more than 80 different champagnes, wines and ports in a day.  And  I am not the only one who likes the finer things in life. The fine-dining class of strange menus at the Club is on, so let’s join them. 

For starters, we have lobster with Beluga caviar miso and soy vinaigrette, paired up with a glass of Dom Perignon champagne for an overall classic combo (a combination for the uninitiated).

Beluga caviar consists of roe, in simple terms eggs, of the beluga sturgeon, Huso Huso. It’s a fish primarily found in the Caspian Sea, ranked among the finest caviars globally. Its taste is enhanced by dry champagne.

Up next and one of my favourites has to be the pan-fried scallops, served with Balsamic vinaigrette and arugula.

A scallop is a type of shellfish in the family of clams, mussels and oysters. This dish is paired up with a Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc.

It’s delicate fruit flavours and the acidity balances and matches the rich flavour of the scallop; the wine taste lingers even when the scallops are eaten with the salad. 

In between sips of water to clean our palettes are three more courses (and wine glasses) to go. Relax; it’s a five-hour flight. 

Next on the plate is smoked duck breast with red cabbage. The wine in line is a 2017 Chateau Pichon Lalande.  

The red cabbage does not quite resonate with my taste buds, but the acidy of the wine helps cut through the rich flavour and textures of the smoked duck.

The characters of the wine help carry the savoury and spice flavours of the duck. The wine is to be served at 15.5 degrees centigrade and can be put in a decanter way in advance.

The cool almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.  

Salted caramel

Already, I am experiencing a sort of food coma.  But in order to experience the menu properly, I have to keep my foodie hat on, so I keep going.  Another main course comprises Lamb thyme and potato gratin served with a 2015 Vilafonte M series wine.

The wine palate is soft and inviting; with a good weight and composure, which pairs well-considering lamb tends to be fatty.  

And as they say the best is served last, dessert comes through, with a bow from the hostess. Usually, I would pass, but there was no way I can let salted caramel pass me by. Served with a French mi cuit of chocolate and paired with a 1978 Dows Colheta, this is the perfect ending. 

It’s called a mi-cuit because it’s ‘half-cooked’. Just a warm chocolate-warmed lava cake, with incredible acidity, which helps balance the sugar…. I am dozing now. Only to be brought down to earth with, ‘Cabin crew, prepare for landing!”.  

Behind all these tasting notes, Emirates invested over Sh135 million in its wine and spirits programme last year working with vineyards and distillers around the world.  

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