November 2009 Trip Report Part IV - Meals on JL061

JA738J is used to operate today's flight

The 777-300ER used on my flight is JA738J, which is the first of the 777-300ER with JAL Suites delivered to Japan Airlines on June 23 2008. So the plane is still relatively new. And JAL switched to 777-300ER on LAX-NRT route 10 days before my flight. So finally they have a fixed configuration used on this route! And at check in, the agent actually showed me a print out of the seat map and told me where my seat is (and I actually pointed at my seat before she did LOL). Back to the meal. This time I still stick with the Japanese menu and only found out later on my next trip that the Western option tastes much much much better!

Drink Service
From time to time, you will see people complaining about not having a pre-departure drink on JAL flights on FlyerTalk. Yes, neither of JAL and ANA serve pre-departure drinks. This is due to the Japan Aviation Law, which prevent the Japanese carriers from serving pre-departure drinks. They want the cabin crew to focus on safety procedures before departure instead. But once the seat belt sign is off, the cabin attendants will start the drink service and walk down the aisle carrying tray of champagne and orange juice. The champagne served is Champagne Piper-Heidsieck.

Champagne Piper Heidsieck is served as welcome drink

Amuse Bouche
Next is amuse bouche. On the left is some kind of cheese and probably spinach with breadstick. I wish I had another one of this (I did...a month later LOL). If you don't like cheese, you probably won't like this dish. But this is by far the best appetizer I had on my flights! The shrimp with vegetables is good too, fresh and light.

Amuse bouche on JL061

Amuse bouche on JL061

Amuse bouche on JL061

Kobachi
After appetizers, the cabin attendants hand out some snacks (sometimes they skip this part). Then it's the kobachi, which consists of eight small Japanese cold dishes, presented on a wooden tray with the crane-shaped chopsticks holder (anyone knows where I can buy this?). Here are the eight dishes:

- Salmon Roe & Okra
- Sea-bream "Sashimi" Style
- Baked Eggplant
- Grilled Prawn with Sea Urchin Sauce
- "Soba" Noodle Sushi Roll Style
- Braised Prawn Mousse
- Braised Duck Breast
- Rolled Salmon with Radish

I was looking forward to the duck breast but was kind of disappointed. I think it will taste better if it's served warm. Baked eggplant is kind of tasteless. Grilled prawn is kind of hard. The dish that surprised me most is the prawn mousse, which doesn't taste like prawn at all but I enjoyed it most. Didn't try the sashimi dish nor salmon roe though...not a big fan of those.

Kobachi on JL061

Kobachi on JL061

Dainomono
Next is the entree or Dainomono. You can smell it in the cabin when the cabin attendant heat up the food. I didn't like that aroma at all and I thought it's from the chicken I chose. For Japanese meals, there are two choices and both are served with freshly steamed Koshihikari rice, Japanese pickles and miso soup. The two entree choices are:

- Salt Grilled Chicken with "Matsutake" Mushroom or
- Poached Assorted Seafood Japanese Style

The chicken isn't salty at all even though it's salt grilled. It just tastes like regular grilled chicken, actually more like steamed chicken to me if you don't look at the skin. But the chicken is tender and it tastes good. Matsutake mushroom is a good match too.

Dainomono on JL061

Dainomono on JL061

Dessert
Vanilla Cream with Peach Confit

Vanilla Cream with Peach Confit

When i am done with my first meal, it was 14:56 already (flight departed at 12:00). Yes, it took almost 3 hours for the meal service! Sometimes I do wish they can serve it a little faster so I can sleep sooner, especially on my return flight.

Refreshment
So after few hours of sleep, I woke up and it wasn't time for breakfast yet. So I ordered from the ala carte menu. On the menu are:

- "Chinese Snack" - Chinese Dumplings
- "Hiyashi Nameko Soba" - Cold "Soba" Noodle with "Nameko" Mushroom
- Croissant Sandwiches
- Fresh Fruits
- Assorted Cheese
- CIAO BELLA GELATO Vanila Ice Cream
- JAL Original snack noodle: RAMEN de SKY, UDON de SKY, SOBA de SKY

I ordered the Chinese Snack, which is just 3 kinds of dim sum. But somehow the cabin attendant brought me the ice cream instead. Oh well, I was going to order that next anyways. I will just have them in the reverse order. But somehow this always happens to me when I ordered from the ala carte menu. Last time I ordered the cold chinese noodles, they brought me the chinese dumplings. When I ordered cold soba, they brought me SOBA de SKY LOL

CIAO BELLA GELATO Vanila Ice Cream

Chinese "snacks" - Chinese dumplings

Breakfast
Finally it's breakfast. I have been looking forward to the rice porridge. The one I had last time was so good! And I wasn't disappointed (even though the seafood porridge I had last time was slightly better). On the menu are:

- Chicken Rice Porridge
- Backed Tofu with "Miso" Sauce
- Rolled Omelet
- Fish Cake
- Mixed Seaweed & Cucumber in Sweet Vinegar Sauce
- Deep-simmered Dried Radish Julienne in Sweet Soy Sauce
- Fresh Fruits
- Green Tea

Japanese breakfast on JL061

Japanese breakfast on JL061

Japanese breakfast on JL061

That's the end of my "short" flight. At least it feel short when you have this kind of excellent service on JAL :)

Previous parts of the November Trip Report:
I: Snacks
II: Amenities
III: LAX Oneworld Lounge