World’s longest flight gets tricked out spa menu

Passengers aboard the world’s longest flight can still order Singapore Airlines’ famous lobster thermidor as they settle into the 19-hour journey from Newark to Singapore.

But now, along with the airline’s most popular in-flight dishes, there’s a menu created by California’s ultra-high-end Golden Door Spa that’s chock full of healthier fare.

Think miso-marinated cod served on a bed of local vegetables, scallops with cauliflower sauce and a cheese course featuring cheese from Rogue Creamery’s “self-milking” cows (for the less informed, that means that the cows walk to a milking area voluntarily when they please).

That sounds a bit woo-woo but Singapore Airlines’ commitment to making long-haul travel more palatable with local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients is nothing new.

In the past, the airline partnered with AeroFarms to bring travelers farm-to-plane cuisine loaded with the freshest produce possible.

The posh airline relaunched its nonstop long-haul flight on March 28 and the new menu is meant to decrease bloat and help travelers arrive at their far-flung destination in Asia feeling refreshed and recharged, not sluggish and weighted down, according to the chefs heading up the program. 

Antony McNeil, Singapore Airlines director of food and beverage, says the meals are intended to “provide sustenance in flight, reduce the bloating and reduce the sugar spikes of insulin from eating meals with high-density calories and carbohydrates.” 

Whereas one typically encounters meals high in fat and salt aboard aircrafts, this is the opposite of what Executive Chef Greg Frey Jr. and his team at Golden Door Spa are bringing to the tray top table.

These dishes, first introduced on the Los Angeles-to-Singapore route in February, feature anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric and as many fresh herbs as possible.

“Herbs can be very detoxifying and really help with cleaning the bloodstream and things like that,” said Frey Jr.

Salt, which has a bad reputation for causing inflammation, is used sparingly.

Two and a half meals (plus snacks!) are served during the long flight, and Frey Jr. is relying on spice blends, herbs, and umami flavors to provide the flavorful punch usually delegated to sodium.

“The balance of the meals and their nutritional structure is very important,” he said. “When you get off that plane, you don’t just feel rejuvenated, but you feel happy and ready to go and take on your day.”

A selection of herbal teas and fresh juices will be available in-flight as well, but travelers can also choose a more potent beverage.

“We totally understand that folks, they have their own direction, where they want to go,” said Frey Jr.  

Premium cabin passengers may be willing to put up with some indigestion if it means indulging in a glass of Dom Pérignon 36,000 feet above sea level.