Air New Zealand Long-Haul Taste of Aotearoa Menu Goes Next Level

Most flag-carrying airlines have a lot of pride in presenting inflight service and meals that form part of their nation’s character and culture, which is how Air New Zealand approaches what goes on its menus. This week, the airline announced it has refreshed its Taste of Aotearoa menu which is served to premium cabin passengers on long-haul flights departing New Zealand.

A new take on the current offering

On Wednesday, Air New Zealand invited its customers to step onboard for a culinary journey through Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand that’s usually translated as ‘the land of the long white cloud.’ Taste of Aotearoa is not a new menu, and the airline said the change is the latest food refresh providing the next evolution of the popular menu.

The refreshed menu is now being served and features contemporary cuisine focusing on New Zealand’s finest produce by using local ingredients and giving passengers a taste of some unique regional flavors. Air New Zealand said:

“It’s our privilege to showcase the best our country has to offer and share that with the world. This menu is an opportunity to spotlight the unique flavors of Aotearoa and champion regions like Fiordland, Hawke’s Bay and the Coromandel.”

While the new menu will include some very creative and high-cuisine dishes, the airline has included some legendary Kiwi favorites as part of the long-haul offering. These include confit potato with onion creme fraiche whip, a twist on chips and dips, and ambrosia ice cream with raspberry frozen yogurt, milk chocolate shards, marshmallow, and sour cherry swirls.

Where to find the Taste of Aotearoa

To enjoy the Taste of Aotearoa menu, you will need to travel in the premium cabins on any long-haul flight departing from New Zealand. Although the announcement does not specify what specific flights fit the long-haul definition, a look at the airline’s route map suggests they would be the routes to Vancouver, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Hawaii, San Francisco, Bali, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo.

According to Flightradar24, Air New Zealand uses its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on most of those routes, although it also operates the 777-300ER on flights to Singapore, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston. Both aircraft types are configured in three class layouts of Business Premier, premium economy and economy, so the logical thing to do, if you want to try the new menu, is to book in the business or premium economy cabin on a 787 Dreamliner or the 777-300ER.

Providing you meet the criteria, these are some of the delights that await you on the refreshed Taste of Aotearoa menu:

• Manuka smoked rye sourdough
• Smoked kahawai rillette with celery, caper, parsley salsa and citrus
• Crayfish bisque with choice creme fraiche and sourdough croutons
• Slow cooked wild Fiordland Venison with pancetta, parmesan polenta and balsamic roasted red onions
• Seared New Zealand snapper with escabeche vegetables, smoked mussels, white beans and fresh dill.

The onboard menu varies depending on the route, and Air New Zealand changes it twice a year. This means that customers can enjoy new dishes no matter how frequently they fly with the airline.

Have you enjoyed the Taste of Aotearoa menu? Let us know in the comments.