A 14-Hour Feast in Flight: Business-Class Food by Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines’ Business-class food is undoubtedly a significant step up from Economy. While not every meal was a hit, it’s still a great (and fun!) introduction to the perks of Filipino hospitality and the food culture.

NOTE: This is NOT a sponsored post, although it might contain some affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own (or my husband’s).

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Food is a love language on its own

The first thing you need to know about me is that food is both a cultural cornerstone and a love language between my husband and me. This is thanks to food being an integral aspect of most Southeast Asian cultures. I grew up where meals are a time of communal bonding, and the type (and amount) of food you serve can make or break a party.

So while I know that one of the most common stigmas about plane travel, aside from cramped seating, is the horrible food. But I also know for a fact that if there’s one area most Filipinos refuse to disappoint on is food. It’s a point of pride and hospitality to get the food right.

Which was why I was adamant about flying with Philippine Airlines for our long-postponed honeymoon. Since my husband was mainly concerned with doing a direct flight and prices more than anything else, this worked out well for both of us.

Since this honeymoon has also turned into a long-awaited homecoming, family reunion, and about 4 years’ worth of anniversaries, my husband floated the idea of splurging for business class. Granted, he was also looking forward to the extra legroom and being able to lay down for what was over a 14-hour flight. 

Given the special occasions and since we were able to afford it, we booked what was the first business-class flight for both of us.

So I figured I may as well write about the experience, especially the business-class food, which is what I was the most curious to experience. I mean sure, extra legroom sounds nice but I’m short so it’s not like I needed it.

Of course, my and my husband’s experience is not wholly reflective of all flight experiences with Philippine Airlines. There would understandably be discrepancies in the quality, service, and amenities we had access to compared to premium economy or economy.

Business-class food from LAX to Manila (Departure)

In case the title wasn’t clear enough, Philippine Airlines did not disappoint on the food front. I didn’t know hunger from the moment we got our first meal.

There’s a similar feeling that people who have attended an authentic Filipino party will recognize – once the food starts coming, it doesn’t stop coming! But apply it to business-class food and less karaoke (thankfully).

Departure Meal 1: Hot meal (early dinner)

Our 14-hour feast in flight began with a 4-course* meal that the provided menu simply called “Hot Meal.” Possibly since departure times varied, but for the sake of ease and our departure time, this meal functioned as an early dinner for us.

*For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I only had photos for 3 of the 4 courses.

I’m about 93% certain that the Shrimp Crostini was the amuse-bouche, and the photo I’m missing is the salad I chose for my appetizer. So, unfortunately, I can only write about the 3 out of 4 courses I remember.

I absolutely love seafood, so choosing the Shrimp Crostini was a no-brainer. My husband thought the same, which is a large part of why he’s my husband. As far as first impressions (and first bites) go, this was a lovely introduction to business-class food.

My only regret was not taking a photo of the menu, so I could try to recreate it at home later. At that time, I didn’t know that their menus varied depending on origin. In retrospect, it makes a lot of sense, but at the time I thought I could look it up later. I figured it was seasonal, but also underestimated how frequently it changes so I was unable to view the same menu online.

On a tangential note, I saw other passengers receive the cheese plate I considered choosing. Which I’m glad I didn’t go for, since the cheeses looked a little hard & dry. Since I didn’t actually get to try it, I can’t give a definitive opinion on it, other than it didn’t look very appealing.

After 11 years of living in the US, I have yet to find mango juice that tastes as good as what I grew up drinking in the Philippines. The closest one is canned mango juice from Trader Joe’s, which is ironically imported from the Philippines. But to me, it tastes like our equivalent of a Capri Sun – while nostalgic, I wouldn’t call it good mango juice. 

But as eager as I was for the taste of authentic Philippine mango juice, I was even more excited to be served my entrée: I got the Roasted(?) Duck Breast on Quinoa, with a side of arugula salad. 

My husband chose a Sautéed Pork with Tofu and Rice. While we tend to gravitate towards the same dishes, one of us usually ends up switching dishes so that we can taste two different items. It’s not a hard or fast rule, just something we usually choose to do since we love variety and usually share our food. There have even been times in the past when we realized we liked each other’s dish more and ended up switching plates.

Finally, for dessert, we had the option of chocolate mousse and “premium ice cream.” I had no clue what “premium ice cream” entailed, but I knew I disliked mousse so it was an easy choice for me. Predictably, my husband chose the mousse, so at least we had one of each option between us.

I couldn’t resist so I thwacked it – lightly! – with the small metal spoon I was provided. When that didn’t work, I tried using the edge of the spoon for slashing damage instead of bludgeoning, but I didn’t even make a dent. It wasn’t until the time of writing that I belatedly realized I should’ve tried for an “ASMR” type of video. Oh, well.

Eventually, after alternating between cupping my ice cream in my hands or thighs, it softened enough for me to eat. I think some people might have an issue with the texture of frozen-then-thawed ice cream, but I didn’t mind at all. It still tasted like a Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream to me!

While I typically prefer the Häagen-Dazs Green Tea flavor, I still enjoyed their Chocolate ice cream.

Despite the relatively small portions of the business-class food, I was pretty full at the end of our meal.

Departure Meal 2: Mid-flight Refreshment

While my husband was lucky enough to fall asleep soon after our first meal, I wasn’t so lucky. Ironically, I’m usually the one who’s able to fall asleep faster. But then again I was also working my way through a venti green tea frappuccino I got from a Starbucks at the airport – which I finally recognized as a mistake, as I stared at the overhead storage, unable to sleep.

The silver lining of being unable to sleep was that I was awake when the flight attendants went around with a snack basket. 

In the dim lighting, I saw a bag of local potato chips and a bag of cashews. I’m about 98% sure those were the only 2 options, but since it was dark I could be wrong. Since neither my husband nor I particularly like cashews, I grabbed potato chips and a bottle of water for each of us. I figured he would want it when he woke up.

The potato chips tasted like, well, potato chips. Apparently, not even a business-class food experience can glam that up.

Eventually, my husband woke up by himself right before the flight attendants came by to take our orders for the mid-flight meal. He did have a brief moment of panic when they started asking what he wanted in Tagalog. 

Since I’ve been speaking to the attendants in both English and Tagalog, they probably assumed my husband was also Filipino. I took over the conversation (respectfully) and ordered one of each dish from the mid-flight refreshment options. Or as we call it in the Philippines, merienda.^* 

*Fun fact about Philippine culture: Merienda is something between a light snack and a small meal.

This meal occurs between lunch and dinner, typically around 3-5 pm (though 5 is rather late). How light or heavy merienda is depends on the person and/or the family, and lifestyle. For example, since my family doesn’t typically do manual labor or sports, we had small pastries with juice or iced tea. Meanwhile, those with physically demanding jobs or hobbies typically go for sandwiches or lunch leftovers.

Anyway, after some quick translation, I ordered the Arroz Caldo for my husband. It’s essentially a congee with a Spanish flair, made with chicken and grated ginger. For myself, I ordered a tuna salad sandwich. I honestly wasn’t even that hungry – if I had to gauge, I fell somewhere between satisfied and fine.

I shocked myself by managing to finish most of it, apart from the last 2-3 bites. Typically, I could only consume half of whatever it is if it has mayonnaise. I could only handle so much mayonnaise before it got too heavy, and too…well, mayonnaise-like for me.

Both my husband and I were incredibly surprised I ate so much of it. But eventually, my brain caught up with what I was eating and promptly reminded me that we do not do mayonnaise. So I surrendered what little I had left to my husband. 

Before you ask entirely reasonable questions such as, “Didn’t you know that dish had mayonnaise?” Or even “Why did you order it if you knew it had mayonnaise?” The answer was nostalgia. Plus, I was also expecting a smaller portion than what I got.

Luckily, my husband is usually willing to eat most of what I can’t finish. I do still ask him before I order something I suspect I can’t finish though. If it’s not something he would be willing to eat, then I just order something else. Granted, since there weren’t plenty of other options to choose from the business-class food, I didn’t have much else I could do.

I was also smart enough to order a Pineapple juice to go with my sandwich. I knew I would need the acidity to cut through the taste & texture of mayonnaise. As you can see, this isn’t my first rodeo involving mayonnaise. This was a personal best though!

By the end, since I wasn’t even hungry to begin with and the meal turned out bigger than I anticipated, I was stuffed. Which I guess was mildly helpful, since it seemed to trigger a food-coma-like vibe. I was finally able to take a nap after everything was cleared away.

Departure Meal 3: Breakfast

I say nap, but really it was more like multiple catnaps. I woke up every so often to toss & turn, before promptly falling back asleep. I’ll never know whether it was due to the general plane environment or the caffeine from the matcha still coursing through my system. 

Eventually, there came the point where I woke up to turn but couldn’t fall back asleep. I didn’t mind too much since I didn’t feel tired anymore and still had plenty to read and keep myself occupied. The good news was that I was also awake for breakfast time. The bad news was I wasn’t even too hungry.

Similar to the previous meal, I was somewhere between satisfied and fine. But given the cost of our flight (and by extension, the business-class food), I was determined to give it my best shot. It’s not always the most practical mindset, but I was determined to get our money’s worth from our flight.

Normally I would only get the chocolate croissant, but the flight attendants were also handing out the cutest, tiniest jars of honey and jam!!! As soon as the flight attendants were out of earshot, I gushed to my husband about how adorable the jars were. They were so delightful I didn’t even eat it – I set it aside in my bag to show my mom.

Sadly, the chocolate croissants barely had any chocolate, so that was a bit of a letdown. But, not all was lost since I had asked for a hot chocolate to accompany my breakfast choice. Technically it wasn’t on the menu, but I know Filipinos so took a chance and asked if they had any, and was told they had hot chocolate. 

I have to confess, I’ve seen the Reddit confessions that some (or all?) airlines may or may not be cleaning the water filters in the galley. But I already grew up eating street food in the Philippines, and was planning on doing so again this trip so I thought, “It can’t be worse than local street food.” Plus the water gets heated, if not quite boiled. It was a risk I was willing to take for myself, but not one I would recommend.

But I just had to satisfy my internal curiosity: were they going to give me that watered-down Swiss Miss BS*? Turns out, the answer is no!

*No offense to Swiss Miss, which is okay for the price.

But pretty much everywhere that serves that as their hot cocoa/hot chocolate always makes it too watery. I get that it’s the serving suggestion, but the liquid-to-powder ratio is horrible. Not to mention most places use water instead of milk – a rookie mistake.

It wasn’t quite as thick as I prefer, but I’ll be the first to admit that my preference is crazy so that’s on me.

Finally, my Waffle with Chicken Sausage, Bacon, and Egg arrived! Unfortunately, this is where it gets…maybe not quite disappointing. But it’s about what you’d expect from typical plane food, which was a step down from the great quality I’ve had so far with the business-class food.

I wasn’t actually upset, since business-class food or not I wasn’t expecting gourmet quality or freshly-cooked food.

But I managed to surprise myself once again by finishing about 97% of the meal, even though I was also getting full off of the croissants and my hot chocolate. The remaining 3% were bites I offered to my husband so he could taste my food, seeing as he ordered something different.

Finally, the wonderful flight attendants cleared away my plates for the last time. I told my husband that I didn’t even feel hungry during the entire flight, beginning from when we stepped on the plane. I couldn’t even come close before the attendants were rolling out either a snack or the next meal.

Which honestly? Sums up Filipino hospitality, and how our culture centers around food. It’s literally how we help out, celebrate, and even apologize! 

•  Someone is sick, grieving, or going through a breakup? Food would help or solve it entirely. 
• There’s a reason to celebrate? LOTS of food.
• Offended or hurt someone? Homecooked food or some other specialty food is sometimes the “same” as an apology. I’ll admit this one can verge on unhealthy or even toxic behavior since accountability isn’t always guaranteed, but I’m not even getting into that right now.

One of the first things my husband (then-boyfriend) shared with me about his Taiwanese heritage was their “How are you?” loosely translates to “Have you eaten?” Because whether they have eaten or not determined if they were “fine” or not. To them, if they hadn’t eaten yet then they weren’t “fine,” until they could eat.

This explains a lot about how my husband and I manage to connect so well, despite not having a lot of hobbies or interests in common. 

Overall

As we were landing, I thought that this was a fun and great introduction to the quality of business-class food. At least when it comes to Philippine Airlines, anyway.

My main feelings are still excitement and appreciation, that we were able to have this experience together. Not to say that there weren’t details I wish were different, or that each food was perfect. I appreciate the fact that it’s difficult to come up with a great menu that would appeal to most, yet still manage to taste good after being stored for hours.

But I did feel that my first experience with business-class food was off to a great start with the Shrimp Crostini. So my last meal of Chicken Sausage and Waffle (plus bacon and egg) fell a little flat. Not quite disappointing, but nothing to rave about either. I wouldn’t have written about it on its own and only did so since it’s part of the overarching experience.

Regardless, I still enjoyed the business-class food overall and still would’ve appreciated it even if we had the exact same menu for our eventual flight back to the US.

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Business-class food from Manila to LAX (Arrival)

But as it turns out, our flight from Manila back to LAX would have an entirely different menu!

It wasn’t something I knew about (or cared to look up, honestly). In retrospect, it makes a lot of sense to have different kitchens/food sources based on the departure area. After all, it would be crazy to get everything cooked in the Philippines. Not to mention the logistics of bringing two flights’ worth of food leaving and coming.

Granted, that’s probably because I knew this was our last time doing business class for a long time…unless I start getting sponsorships? May as well put that out in the universe! 

Arrival Meal 1: Hot Meal (late lunch)

This flight’s menu immediately started great, since the amuse-bouche had 2 things I love: fish roe and horseradish. Not necessarily together, but this was executed pretty well.

Dare I say, I think this is the better amuse-bouche I’ve had. Granted it’s only out of two, but I have to start somewhere right? I’m now even more excited to taste other airlines’ take on business-class food!

The next course was the appetizer, which is what I forgot to take a photo (thus a review) of from our departure flight. It was easy to choose the Tuna Tataki Salad because truffle ponzu dressing. I’m a sucker for most things truffle – mushroom or chocolate – so I couldn’t resist.

It was a perfectly light and refreshing salad. I had the chance to appreciate both the individual and combined flavors of the tuna, truffle, and citrus notes thanks to the ponzu and lemon zest. Honestly, I wish this was what I could hope to expect from restaurant salads – I’m not even talking about the tuna. I’m sick and tired of getting served 89% romaine lettuce drowned in ranch. Not even my favorite balsamic vinaigrette can mask the sadness of a pile of romaine lettuce. At least throw in baby spinach, if arugula is too expensive.

Clearly, I have opinions about salad.

For my entrée, I chose the Miso Seabass – yes, it’s probably too much fish. But I reasoned that there aren’t a lot of places near me in LA that cook fish right.

When it comes to fish, my favorite is, of course, Japanese. They cook fish like it’s an art form, but sadly also have the price tag to match. So I typically opt for Mediterranean style, or sometimes Hispanic, depending on the restaurant. But there’s only so much fish taco I could do. Finally, while I don’t mind a good fish and chips once in a while, most places just make it way too greasy. Don’t even get me started on fish fingers.

Honestly, if I didn’t have my previous entrée (Duck breast with Quinoa) to compare it to, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the lack. But since I am considering my meals in terms of individual and comprehensive experience, it needed to be said.

Finally, I washed it all down with mango juice, while waiting for dessert. Not quite the best pairing with fish, but I already missed it. Again, I’ve yet to find a mango juice in the US that’s as good as what I grew up drinking.

So far though, I’ve been enjoying this round of business-class food even more than our first flight, which I thought couldn’t be topped! Granted, that’s because I thought it would be the same menu, but still…

Apparently, there was also a bigger dessert selection for this flight. However, I was intrigued by a different “premium ice cream” which seemed to be a local Filipino brand this time. Plus it was a Malted Milk flavor, and it sounded amazing!

My husband, on the other hand, couldn’t quite decide. The flight attendant recited their options again for him, and he couldn’t pick between two that he liked. So he asked if it was possible to get 2 desserts, and the flight attendant chuckled and cheerfully told him he definitely could!

Instead, what we ended up with was a total of 4 desserts! This included my premium ice cream. We thanked her profusely and she told us there were extras, so to feel free to let her know if we wanted more.

I honestly don’t even remember exactly what the desserts were by the time she brought them out. They all tasted amazing though!

This was my last chance to enjoy dairy that didn’t give me issues. Oddly enough, I’m only “lactose intolerant” in the US. That says something.

By the end of sharing all 4 desserts between us, we were pretty full. Even though all of them, except for the ice cream, were only bite-sized. So when the flight attendants came by to collect the plates and asked if we wanted more, we had to (sadly) decline.

Arrival Meal 2: Mid-flight Refreshment Snack

I’m not surprised, since we’ve been on a trip for almost a whole month. Plus, I didn’t get to finish my matcha at the airport thanks to security that’s apparently more strict than LAX.

I did think about asking the flight attendants to wake at least me up for it, but I never got around to it. I was planning on just rereading the books I bought for this trip, but I guess I was more tired than I thought. I just fell asleep.
I have no clue how long I slept, but when I woke up, a flight attendant was going around with a snack basket. This time, other than chips and nuts, they had a local chocolate bar, so I grabbed that while my husband got chips.

While I was a little disappointed about missing out on any of the business-class food, I wasn’t too upset. I was more bothered just out of principle, but then again I wasn’t looking forward to either of the two options they had: an Arroz Caldo or Corned Beef Hash Pan de Sal Sandwich.

On the other hand, my husband who also woke up roughly around the same time I did, was a tad bit devastated. He had been curious about and was looking forward to trying the Corned Beef Hash Pan de Sal Sandwich. Especially since he loved the Arroz Caldo he had on our first flight.

I did offer to ask the attendants on his behalf if they had any left, but he declined. But I suppose he felt a little embarrassed and didn’t want to seem entitled or looking for special treatment. I have a little less shame, and a mindset of “there’s no harm in asking.” However, I respected his choice, even though it was the wrong one.*

_{*I’m JOKING. He didn’t need the sandwich, and anyway, it’s not hard to make at home.}

Arrival Meal 3: Breakfast

The good news is we felt more rested than we expected, so we were wide awake for breakfast.

I couldn’t quite decide between the Yogurt Parfait or the Seasonal Fresh Fruit. On one hand, Fresh Fruits sound boring, but the quality of tropical fruit available in the US simply does not compare to the ones readily available in the Philippines.

Now, I’m not sure if it was because the flight attendants liked us, if they felt bad we’re horrible decision-makers, or if they just had so much extra food anyway… But our flight attendant brought us both Fresh Fruit and a Parfait. Each.

I’m not dumb enough to complain, so I just happily (maybe too happily) said “Thank you!” 

Finally, since it was going to be my last business-class food for a long time(?), I ordered one of the most typical Filipino breakfast options they had available. The Adlai Champorado is essentially a chocolate rice porridge – which yes, I understand doesn’t sound appealing.

It sounds anywhere between confusing and gross, which I totally understand can put off some people. It’s just one of those things you have to try for yourself since it’s hard to describe and those descriptions simply can’t do it justice.

Now, I’m not sure if my emotions were getting ahead of me, but the texture of the Adlai Champorado felt better than what I’m used to. I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia talking, or if they just had better quality ingredients. It was neither too thick nor too watery – as Goldilocks would say, “It was just right.”

Meanwhile, my husband ordered the other typical Filipino breakfast: the Tapsilog Bowl. 

Final thoughts

Right off the bat, I knew that our overall experience with business-class food was better during our Manila-LAX flight. It not only started strong but also ended strong with a better breakfast selection.

This was even though we missed out on one of the 3 meals available.

I’m not sure if I would still feel the same if we did get to eat the mid-flight refreshment since I wasn’t looking forward to either of the 2 options. But I do know that I’m more interested in a good start and a good finish anyway.

But the most important facts are that we weren’t left hungry, and there wasn’t a dish we had that I would necessarily say it was bad. Sure, there were some dishes that I didn’t care for, but that’s a matter of personal preference. It’s not a reflection of low-quality or bad food.

Another nice bonus was that the second menu in particular (arrival flight) demonstrated a quintessential Filipino flair when it came to food options and flavors.

I thought that Philippine Airlines’ business-class menu was remarkably thoughtful. They had what I thought to be good flavor pairings and a decent variety of proteins. Maybe more seafood than I thought to see, but that’s not a bad thing. Heck, I would be interested to visit a restaurant whose menu was written by the same person(s) who created Philippine Airlines’ menu.