BTC selection help

[yvrguy]

BTC Lobster ex LAX

Last week I booked the lobster for the second meal. It is no longer served in the shell. It is basically lobster meat tossed in the sauce. The portion was larger but the quality *imo* was substandard.

[feb01mel]

As Kyo has mentioned before, "order anything else other than the downgraded lobster".

Seems now the lobster is indeed substandard.

[dan1431]

Hi All!

First, let me start off by saying that I am really excited to fly on SQ for my very first time. I am long time CO FF (I have been a member since the early days of ONEPASS) and I was able to redeem some of my CO ONEPASS miles for my first (and hopefully not last) SQ F experience.

I was able to redeem one seat in F on SQ11 and SQ12 LAX-NRT-LAX respectively for dates in mid November.

I searched both SQTalk and Flyertalk and it looks as if the Lobster is no longer a good option for BTC ex-LAX.

Thus, I am considering the Veal chop for my lunch and the Pheasant with stuffed Blini for my pre-arrival light meal.

Are these good choices or should I consider something else?

Lastly, I understand that if I prefer something off the regular menu for the day of flight, as long as every other passenger's order has been fulfilled, I can request something else if available, is that correct?

Again, thank you for your insight and knowledge,
Dan

[Kyo]

Lastly, I understand that if I prefer something off the regular menu for the day of flight, as long as every other passenger's order has been fulfilled, I can request something else if available, is that correct?

Again, thank you for your insight and knowledge,
Dan

I'll let another expert fill you in on the veal and the blinis, but there *have* been cases where there were only BTCs pre-loaded and not much else. Your mileage may vary, but I'd say it's an 'above average' chance that you can request something else, especially when flying F.

Welcome to SQTalk!

[dan1431]

Thank you for your warm welcome!

I spoke with a good Flyertalk friend of mine who seemed to feel the Lobster while not what it once was, is still acceptable and maybe even good when compared to many other dishes.

He also seemed to feel that the Veal Chop would be a big disappointment as it was tasteless and of poor quality.

Is my friend accurate or was he being overly generous to SQ's LAX flight kitchen with regards to the Lobster and too tough on them with regards to the Veal Chop?

He also mentioned the Beef Sukiyaki as an option for the second meal, but I figured that since I am going to Japan, I would enjoy it more in a terrestrial based restaurant.

Dan

[HUGE AL]

First off, welcome to SQTalk!

I was able to redeem one seat in F on SQ11 and SQ12 LAX-NRT-LAX respectively for dates in mid November.

You must have been seriously plugging away at it as that's a pretty quick redemption...unless...you're talking 2010.

WRT the meals, I took a peek at the updated menus (they sure appear to have been quite parred down; and thank you, SQ for crashing Safari yet again! ).

I had a veal dish earlier this year. Not the chop, but it was SUPER SUPER dry and pretty much like a piece of wood.

The lobster we've discussed at length on this board.

If you (understandably) don't want the Sukiyaki (which has garnered rave reviews here), perhaps the Chilean Bass might be a nice option. It's quite nice...although I have not had this prep.

[dan1431]

First off, welcome to SQTalk!

Thank you, this website is a great asset to fliers trying to get accustomed to SQ and what the airline has to offer.

You must have been seriously plugging away at it as that's a pretty quick redemption...unless...you're talking 2010.

Actually, I did not even think about SQ when I called to redeem some miles for my transpacific trip to Japan. I was trying for NH which according to their tool showed availability, but Continental was unable to see any seats available for redemption . When the agent responded that she saw SQ avail in F, I did not even give the agent time to think, I said book it.

WRT the meals, I took a peek at the updated menus (they sure appear to have been quite parred down; and thank you, SQ for crashing Safari yet again! ).

How were you able to peek at the updated menus for the flight? Is there a link on Singapore.com which lists the in-flight menu (non BTC menu), like CO does?

I had a veal dish earlier this year. Not the chop, but it was SUPER SUPER dry and pretty much like a piece of wood.

Frankly, I am not surprised, I find that red meat does not take to well to being prepared hours earlier in a flight kitchen, blast chilled, loaded onto an aircraft and then reheated inflight. Rarely, I have found that an airline can prepare red meat properly, CO does fairly well with some of their red meat preparations, although, even they fail a good portion of the time. The only airline that I can reliable say prepares their meat properly is Aerolineas Argentinas which seems to have mastered the art of preparing red meat for the in-flight treatment.

The lobster we've discussed at length on this board.

If you (understandably) don't want the Sukiyaki (which has garnered rave reviews here), perhaps the Chilean Bass might be a nice option. It's quite nice...although I have not had this prep.

I do enjoy Lobster, however, if it is sub-par which it seems to be from reading this board and Flyertalk, than I am really not interested.

I have read that the Chilean Sea Bass (aka the Patagonian toothfish) is pretty good, however, it is one of the few types of fish that I really dislike.

With regards to the Beef Sukiyaki, I enjoy the dish, and if it is that good, maybe I should consider it.

Honestly, I just want to enjoy my SQ experience to the fullest and by trying to pick the right dishes, I hope that I can partly accomplish that goal.

Dan

[HUGE AL]

How were you able to peek at the updated menus for the flight? Is there a link on Singapore.com which lists the in-flight menu (non BTC menu), like CO does?

I meant the BTC menu. You can view some of the latest SQ menus in our library (sticky).

Frankly, I am not surprised, I find that red meat does not take to well to being prepared hours earlier in a flight kitchen, blast chilled, loaded onto an aircraft and then reheated inflight. Rarely, I have found that an airline can prepare red meat properly, CO does fairly well with some of their red meat preparations, although, even they fail a good portion of the time. The only airline that I can reliable say prepares their meat properly is Aerolineas Argentinas which seems to have mastered the art of preparing red meat for the in-flight treatment.

Whoa...you've been suffering far too long. NH is probably the best...and they cook the raw meat to order.



Keeping in mind that anyone can get a bad crew, you should have a fantastic time!

[dan1431]

I meant the BTC menu. You can view some of the latest SQ menus in our library (sticky).

I may be dense (not the first time that I have been accused of that ), but I am unable to figure out how to use that sticky efficiently. I am sure that sticky is well organized, I am just unsure how to make head or tails out of it.

Whoa...you've been suffering far too long. NH is probably the best...and they cook the raw meat to order.

Counting the upcoming SQ flights, this is going to by my fourth transpacific crossing on a non-US flag carrier (I have made many Transpac crossings on CO, NW).

My mind is boggled by the idea of the raw meat being prepared in-flight from its raw state.

I know that CO's cooking procedure for most red meat dishes calls for barely cooking the meat in the flight kitchen and then cooking it the rest of the way in-flight to try and ensure that each and every piece comes out medium to medium well. In the real world, this process works fairly ex-CO hubs where CO owns their own flight kitchens, but is far more hit or miss at their outstations where they do not own their flight kitchens and therefore lack the oversight to ensure that each and every procedure is adhered to 100%. Ex-CO hubs I am to exploit this procedure by requesting the FA (in the nicest way possible, generally, this requires a bribe of chocolates or some other form of food) to cook my piece of red meat for far less time than the the instructions call for. The outcome, a piece of red meat that is medium rare to even rare (on some RARE occasions).

Keeping in mind that anyone can get a bad crew, you should have a fantastic time!

I am sure that I am going to have a great time, how bad can it really be upfront?

Dan

[coffeeblack]

Is it worth BTCing in F ex-FRA? Or should I just go with the dishes off the menu?

[HUGE AL]

Is it worth BTCing in F ex-FRA? Or should I just go with the dishes off the menu?

coffeeblack, way to go finding a relevant thread and adding to it so that others can benefit as well!

BTC is always worth it since you can always revert back to the regular menu if you don't like it. I recently had the "Grilled knuckle of veal in dark beer sauce with Swiss chard, carrot, and Bavarian bread dumplings" and found it OUTSTANDING.

[coffeeblack]

coffeeblack, way to go finding a relevant thread and adding to it so that others can benefit as well!

Thanks Huge! Or is it Al Your comments are too kind!

BTC is always worth it since you can always revert back to the regular menu if you don't like it. I recently had the "Grilled knuckle of veal in dark beer sauce with Swiss chard, carrot, and Bavarian bread dumplings" and found it OUTSTANDING.

See the thing is, I can't seem to find those options on the booking page. Do I have to do it via a call? And I asked this in the F Menu gallery, but do they have those little dishes you can order mid-flight on the FRA-SIN leg? I recall some Euroflights get fishball mee and such like?

[HUGE AL]

See the thing is, I can't seem to find those options on the booking page. Do I have to do it via a call? And I asked this in the F Menu gallery, but do they have those little dishes you can order mid-flight on the FRA-SIN leg? I recall some Euroflights get fishball mee and such like?

This isn't dot-bomb we're talking about:

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_U...kcook/menu.jsp

You now owe me a Krug.

[nickbot]

You now owe me a Krug.

Tsk,...always panhandling for Krug that boy!

[coffeeblack]

Lol. Mr Huge,

I know that page exists, I've found it before. I just couldn't get to the BTC dropdown option when doing it online, when you're selecting meals. I'm wondering why that's the case. And I want my FISHBALL MEE