I'm sitting on a flight right now with a Hawksworth appetizer (gravlax), Hawksworth main (braised chicken leg), and Hawksworth dessert (brown sugar tart, which I really like), so maybe YYC is just a more premium station?

 

How was the braised chicken leg? Ordered the same thing for my flight later tonight!

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I chose the chicken leg on a recent flight to LHR (about a week ago). I thought it tasted pretty good but my two complaints about it were: it was a little dry but much better than white meat and whether they left it out took long or did not warm it up enough when it was served, as it was just “warm”

 

The presentation sure is poor. It certainly takes away from the whole experience when it looks like it has been slopped down on the plate.

 

This Hawksworth chicken is one of the better things I've eaten on AC in recent years, but you're right, the presentation is lacking. I wonder if AC will ever go back to the days of this (April 2018):

 

May 5 AC94 YYZ-BOG. Pre-ordered my meal and ordered the Hawksworth signature Braised chicken leg, they also had Garlic bread as a choice! Guess soft product service is back to "normal" hahaha

My main was piping hot and was surprised by how good it was. Defintiely needs to be served hot instead of lukewarm like in the previous post. The salmon Gravlax was great too. Originally I did not want to eat my meal as it was a red-eye and had ate at the YYZ signature lounge, but then I couldn't help myself. Haha, The service was fantastic on this flight which really shined through along with the meal. By the time I got to the brownie sugar tart, I could only eat a bite as I was pretty full. Overall decent soft product from my experience.
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Salmon Gravlax

Signature Braised chicken leg

 

Is AC doing pre-departure drinks again for J International, e.g. sparking wine? I flew J international in 2022 and don't recall pre-departure drinks.

 

Yes, on my recent flights on International J(May 5th) they offered pre-departure drinks.

 

Yes, it was re-started a number of months ago.

 

Based on the plating of yours vs. the others posted up-thread, yours looks pre-plated and heated as a casserole vs. the others which are heated in trays and plated in the galley.

What you were served was the quality of what NA Signature Class had pre-COVID, whereas now it's just awful.

 

Understatement.

 

I think AC 94 is a redeye flight and that's why it is an one-tray dinner/supper service with main courses served in a casserole dish, instead of individually plated in galley. AC seems to serve all business class meals on these late night supper international flights. YVR-BKK/SYD/BNE/AKL all feature this one-tray supper service with main course served in a casserole dish. I personally think it is okay to simplify the meal service, but main course can still be plated individually.

Carfield

 

Hawksworth or not, I loathe chicken, so I had the beef, which was mediocre airplane beef, as always.

 

I always said, one of these days we should start a new religion, one single rule: no chicken. Maybe it's time to do it?

Anyay, on BRU-YUL today, choice was overcooked beef, overcooked chicken and overcooked cod. I picked the latter; I suspect it survived overcooking less badly than beef or chicken. Of course my wife had chicken and she was not impressed.

To add insult to injury, dinner on Sunday night only featured a surprise menu. Main dish, I had to endure coucou de Malines. :-(

 

While the plated presentation might be a bit nicer, pre-plated casseroles served directly from oven to table maintain temperature (heat) much better (see post 860). The ability to warm dinner plates varies according to aircraft type. Particularly on BOG, nobody wants a 2.5 hour dinner service on a late departure with a 2nd meal to be served on a flight of just under 6 hours in duration.