CX teams up with Black Sheep Restaurants
Corn, Shrimp and Chipotle Salad with Lime Vinaigrette and Coriander Cream
Cathay Pacific Airways is elevating its Economy Class inflight dining experience with a new menu developed in collaboration with Hong Kong’s Black Sheep Restaurants.
It is the first time Cathay Pacific has partnered with a prominent restaurant group to develop a menu for its Economy Class cabin. Starting in November, passengers traveling in Economy Class on flights from Hong Kong to long-haul destinations can enjoy dishes created by the restaurant's chefs, inspired by popular dishes from across its portfolio of restaurants. Meals will change on a regular basis and new menus will also extend to regional routes at a later stage.
Black Sheep Restaurants has two Michelin Stars and has 24 restaurants serving many cuisines. The dishes curated for Cathay Pacific have been designed with the modern traveler in mind, allowing them to try new cuisines and offering greater choice.
Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific's General Manager of Customer Experience and Design, said in an October 29 announcement: “Our home city has a food culture that is both eclectic and vibrant, and this new menu celebrates that with dishes spanning a multitude of different cuisines. Not only does it build on our core of authentic, heart-warming classics from our Hong Kong Flavors concept that rolled out earlier this year, it also adds a whole new dimension to the quintessentially ‘Hong Kong’ culinary experience our passengers can look forward to every time they fly with us.”
Black Sheep Restaurants Co-Founder Syed Asim Hussain added: “Our most significant source of inspiration has always come from travel, and we see every journey as its own adventure. Through this partnership, we are excited to bring our brand of thoughtful storytelling through food to Cathay customers in these carefully considered dishes and hopefully offer them a little inspiration, whether their journeys are just beginning or coming to an end.”
Cathay Pacific’s new Economy Class menu is inspired by South Asian favorites from New Punjab Club, Hotal Colombo and Rajasthan Rifles; Vietnamese from Chôm Chôm and Le Garçon Saigon; and flavors from Hong Kong institutions such as Osteria Marzia, Buenos Aires Polo Club and Maison Libanaise.
Appetizers focus on bright, fresh flavors and unique ingredients, such as with the Shredded Chicken and Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing – a twist on the iconic Vietnamese goi ga salad. Meanwhile, mains have been designed to encapsulate wholesome and delicious comfort food, notably the hearty Braised Beef in Red Wine with Green Beans and Lemon Gremolata. The menu also includes a selection of exciting meat-free options for passengers to enjoy, including Sicilian-style Penne alla Norma with Eggplant, Ricotta and Basil or the vegetarian classic Broccoli Mac and Cheese.
Cathay Pacific has also brought back its popular Betsy Beer with a new taste available to passengers on long-haul flights in all cabins.
Betsy Beer became an instant hit for the airline when it was first rolled out in February 2017 to First and Business Class passengers on flights between Hong Kong and the UK. The beer takes its name from “Betsy,” Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, which flew passengers around the region in the 1940s and 1950s.
Passengers visiting Cathay Pacific’s lounges at Hong Kong International Airport can also enjoy a bottle before they board their flights.
The new Betsy Beer is a citrus-forward Pale Ale, created in partnership with expert Hong Kong brewery Gweilo Beer. Building on the original “Betsy” makeup, the beer is brewed from a predominantly unroasted malted barley base together with some slightly roasted barley to give a sweet, malty profile with hints of bread, biscuit and toffee. Locally sourced orange peel is added in the boil to help further form the flavor. The beer is then fermented using Gweilo’s house ale yeast, after which it is dry hopped with a blend of citrus and orange-flavored hops to complete the aroma and flavor profile.
