Singapore Airlines unveils new in-flight meals

World-class carrier Singapore Airlines recently unveiled its inflight meals, which consist of some of the most sought-after Singaporean cuisine.

Starting this July, passengers on board flights plying Singapore-Shanghai and Singapore-Beijing routes who crave for chicken rice and braised duck will not have to wait for their planes to reach their destination to taste the meal.

The two specialties have become standard in all classes and are being served on the two routes; they will soon be available on other routes.

Popular among local Singaporeans and tourists, chicken rice has poached chicken served with fluffy, aromatic long-grain rice cooked in chicken broth. Served with dark soy sauce and tangy ginger and fresh chili and lime sauces, the dish leaves a lingering aftertaste on the tongue.

Heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine, the braised duck's quality hinges on its tender duck meat, marinated in a flavorsome mix of dark soy sauce, aromatic spices and Chinese rice wine.

The braised duck is served on a bed of fragrant yam rice with chili sauce.

Aside from the two dishes, Singapore Airlines also provides another specialty for first-class passengers destined for cities in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and San Francisco.

The menu, Shi Quan Shi Mei, traditional Chinese cuisine, comprises 10 dishes, four desserts and six main courses whose tastes have been modified to suit preferences in the destination cities.

The meals in Shi Quan Shi Mei are prepared by two seasoned chefs, Yeung Koon Yat and Sam Leong, both members of the Singapore Airlines International Culinary Panel, a body assembled by the carrier to draw up its inflight menus.

Among other members of the panel are Satish Arora from India, Georges Blanc (France), Yoshihiro Murata (Japan) and Matthew James Moran (Australia).

Yeung has been known for promoting a high quality of Chinese cuisine, while Leong gained a reputation for blending Asian flavors with Western materials.

Earlier this year, Travel+Leisure magazine, one of the world's leading magazines of its type, named Singapore Airlines the world's best international airline for a tenth time since 1995.

Its subsidiary, SilkAir, was in tenth spot, making it the first company in the world to have two airlines on the list. --

-- M. Taufiqurrahman