Airgroove and my loved one decided to take a cruise from Dubai to Rome for our holidays and had the most amazing trip on 'The Legend of the Seas' sailing to Oman, Egypt and Italy... But before we could board the cruise liner, we had to fly to Dubai and we chose Etihad, and I can safely say, what a magnificent 5 star airline!
Check-in was one of the best experiences I have had at an airport, professional, hassle free and above all the staff from Etihad were amazingly helpful... Boarding was done with ease and as we approached the long sleek shiny A340-600 our excitement grew! Inside the new iron bird was immaculate, and the business class cabin was amazing in a teared configuration - allowing maxi mun privacy if travelling alone. The seats were narrow, but very comfortable and converted into a full flat bed, bliss for the 15 hour flight! On first impressions, I was already giving it a 9/10! After a pre-departure Champagne, Canard-Duchene Grand Cuvee, I was edging towards a perfect 10, even!
After a very quiet and smooth take-off in the fabulous A340-600, Champagne was promptly served, a good sign indeed! The menu looked wonderful and we were ready for a feast at 35,000ft. The bread was most amazing - baked on board, it was a combination of rye, wholemeal and olive - all served with dips - another good sign of better things to come!
To begin, the amuse bouche was creamed cheese and chives wrapped in smoked salmon, I then devoured Pan-seared marinated salmon served on courgette and mint pancakes with avocado salsa! Delicious! My loved one enjoyed the Ratatouille tarte tartin - equally as divine...
After an excellent start to lunch, we were anxious to eat our main course, my loved one opted for the Northern Territory Baked Barramundi with baby corn, bok choy, jasmine rice and Asian soy sauce, and it did not disappoint, the fish was succulent and moist, hardly overcooked, just right! The wines were also of high quality, I enjoyed several glasses of Chateau Batailley Cru 5ieme Classe 2004 and just had to taste the Meursault Domaiine Buchard Pere & Fils 2007, great on every level! My selection was the Braised grass feed Lamb shanks, which also were fabulous! I could have eaten a second serving! :-) Take a look:
Of course no long lunch is complete without dessert, and the finale was impressive: Valrhona chocolate panacotta with vanilla biscuit and candied orange & Lemon meringue pie with marinated red berries - a perfect end to a great lunch; and then they wanted me to eat cheese! Thanks, but no thanks... All the same...
After such an amazing meal, it was time to watch a movie and convert the bed for a relaxing siesta! It had been hard work after all, consuming all that delicious food! :-) We both managed to get a good 5-6 hours sleep, as the beds were very comfortable.. Of course when we awoke, there was more food on offer, 'Kitchen Anytime' it was called, and we thought, let's try another bite to eat! It went something like this: first up, the Steak sandwich with roasted cheery tomato and onion jam then, Pan-seared chicken sausages with garlic mash and onion sauce! Both very good snacks indeed!
As we prepared to land in Dubai, we both discussed that this flight was the best start to a holiday... Etihad, you are an impressive airline, if you have the chance, do fly them! They will not leave you wanting for much! 5 stars from Airgroove! 5 stars!
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