787 Dreamliner NRT-BOS Meal Service With Pics
Links to previous Dreamliner inaugural posts:
BOS-NRT 787 Trip-Arrival in BOS
787 BOS-NRT Inaugural Flight-Meal Service
787 Dreamliner BOS-NRT: Some Random Pics and Thoughts
787 Dreamliner Inaugural Flight: NRT-BOS
787 Dreamliner Inaugural Flight BOS-NRT Gift Bag
787 Dreamliner BOS-NRT: Take-off Footage
787 Dreamliner NRT-BOS Meal Service With Pics
Coming soon: 787 Dreamliner Inaugural BOS-NRT Flight: Something Most Women Would Enjoy Having For Their Husband/Boyfriend
First, pictures of the actual menus. Again, not the greatest shots, but for those that want to see everything on the menu….
Japanese dining options.
I didn’t have a chance to sample this menu, opting instead for the Western menu.
Then, the 2 pages of supplemental menus for munchies later in the flight.
I chose the Wagyu beef on the Western menu, which meant I started with the marinated chicken Genovese with radish & broad bean. That also came with the plum & bacon roll/minced chicken cake & pumpkin/mozzarella & olive medley.
I thought the chicken was decent. Not a ton of flavor, but I thought it was tasty. Plum and bacon roll was okay, chicken cake not to my liking, and the mozzarella and olive about what would be expected.
I also chose the Champagne again. I remembered from my first flight that it tasted a bit different than I was used to. Not spoiled, per se, just not the same flavor profile as I was used to for Perrier Jouet. I decided to glance at the menu to see what other selections there were, and figured out why the Champagne tasted differently. It wasn’t Perrier Jouet, as one of the outbound flight attendants had told me, but Joseph Perrier. I’d never had it before, but it’s definitely not the same caliber as Perrier Jouet. Serviceable, but I was hoping for something a bit better.
I was then approached by one of the senior flight attendants to tell me that they didn’t have enough of the Western second course to feed everyone who requested it. She said a number of Japanese passengers had opted for the Western menu, so they were short. They had enough of my entree choice, so I guess they over-cater entrees. This wasn’t the worst news in the world, as I’m not a huge fan of terrines and chaud froid. She said they were going to divide up the extra Japanese entrees as mini second courses for a few people. So, I was a bit disappointed when she brought me the Western second course anyway, even though I’m sure I could have asked for the Japanese version.
As I mentioned, not a huge terrine fan. I really enjoyed the crepe roll with tuna and pistachio. The other two pieces tasted as they were supposed to, just not generally to my liking.
Next was the filet of Wagyu. I’ve had Wagyu before, but mostly in small tasting portions, so I was looking forward to enjoying a full meal. Somehow, I didn’t end up with a picture of this plate.
I found the steak to be cooked to my liking, right about medium rare. It was perfectly fine, although I enjoyed the steak on the outbound flight more. The Wagyu had a distinctive taste, not displeasing, just not my cup of tea. Throw me a USDA prime strip any day of the week. I opted for another bowl of rice since the last one I had was cooked perfectly.
From there, it was on to dessert.
Gotta like the chocolate sign printed in English. 🙂
The fruit parfait was fresh and enjoyable, an appropriate pallet cleanser.
After that, it was off to sleep. However, I promised I would sample the supplemental menu since I didn’t do so on the BOS-NRT flight.
So, shortly after I woke up, I asked for the Campagne sandwich with steamed chicken and pastrami. As you can see from the menu, this was one of the special catering choices just for BOS-NRT (marked Boston JAL 787!). The bread was very fresh, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. I found the chicken and pastrami to be very flavorful. And, what the heck, another bowl of steamed rice.
It seemed the right thing to give dessert another shot, too. I started with the donuts.
The donuts were definitely a disappointment. I’ve never had a Mister Donut before, so not sure what they’re supposed to taste like. Maybe it was because they had been in refrigeration for a while, but I found the donuts very dense and hard. I took a couple of bites, then decided it might be better for me to try the ice cream sandwich.
The ice cream sandwich was a big improvement over the donuts. Again, never had a Boston 1955 ice cream sandwich (and felt a little like a traitor for eating something from Boston). I’ve had ice cream sandwiches I’ve enjoyed more, but this one was pretty good.
Overall, I would rank the catering on both flights above the US carriers I’ve flown overseas (United and American), with the exception of wine selection. I think American has a better wine selection internationally than JAL. The steak I had on the BOS-NRT leg was one of the better meals I’ve had in the air. I wouldn’t rank the catering as high as my Lufthansa experiences, though. They really are the best I’ve had so far.
All in all, considering all the progress JAL has made over the last couple of years, I was satisfied with the quality of the food on both flights.
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