Ellice

+1 for the sq lounge at Sydney airport. Way better food than air nz lounge. Getting sick of the stodgy air nz lounge food, carb loaded and lots of sweet stuff as well. The chairs in the air nz lounge are better though, but food is my main priority… I liked it when they used to bake fresh cream cakes in the air nz lounge but that was about 15 years ago😜.

gratn

Sydney lounge tonight had white marshmallows but no choccie fish. Main food offering was an ok chicken curry with rice and steamed veggies. Sandwich offerings looked stale and there were a heap of untouched muffins. A pleasant surprise was an excellent fruit salad. I spent more time than normal checking options as NZ110 is over an hour late, now arriving after 1am.

sbiddle

I flew back from SYD yesterday. Food offerings in the Air NZ lounge were pretty mediocre so I decided to move to SQ around 5pm. There wasn't even a chef operating.

Lounge attendant asked "are you sure you don't want to use the Air NZ lounge" to which I said I'd just come from there and the food was mediocre and I was looking for something better and she just smiled. Had an amazing meal of vegetable biryani, chicken curry, Singapore beef and noodles. They're also serving Mumm Marlborough in there as the bubbles which is a step up from Duclet!

Was told the lounge closes after the SQ flight boards and got booted out at 1745. I was the only person in there at that point so there weren't any other Air NZ pax who had seen the light.

Thai-Kiwi

Was in the NZ Lounge Sat evening. Food mediocre, however there was a chef making pan-fried teriyaki salmon and some stir fried veges.

Good light and views, but overall meh, and relocated to the Amex Centurion Lounge. SQ was going to be last but we couldn’t be bothered.



NZ Lounge selection - not tasty

Salmon teriyaki cooked in the NZ Lounge. OK, but way too salty



As a comparison, salmon from a Wellington venue on Sunday

cavemanzk

The lounge menus’s don’t seem to be changing very often either….

I feel like the dinner menu in BNE has been the same since January.

The breakfast spread at AKL International this morning was pretty average, feels like a common theme at the moment. The breakfast options have really reduced over the past year.

nzjay

I've found in both SYD and MEL that the adjacent SQ lounge offers a far better food and drinks selection with a more initimate lounge setting (i.e. less crowded and open) compared to Air NZ, even when there are SQ flights departing soon. I make it a point now to visit the SQ lounge first, eat and drink up, then move to the Air NZ lounge (mostly due to a little anxiety about missing a boarding call and flight).

I wonder why SQ still has their lounges taking up footprint when their members can use the larger NZ lounge, I suspect its more to do with the experience they want to provide their first class travellers requiring the lounge.

airbourne_kiwi

Great idea, I do the same!

SeaProf

I'm very happy the hot breakfast items are consistent because they are all gluten free. The minute they start changing that is the minute I can no longer eat a hot breakfast, given I cannot trust people to be careful about cross-contamination with serving spoons, etc. And given people with coeliac disease are told not to eat the gluten free meals on the plane, the not getting to eat at all situation is compounded. This is especially problematic when flying from Australia to the US via Auckland, and even more so if having to connect in the US or Canada.

I just wish Air NZ would make all their hot food gluten free so that people like me can eat something, even if it means other people don't get a luxurious dining experience. Or, even better, find a way to make food on the plane safe for coeliacs. Even the nut dish after take-off contains traces of gluten, so that is a non-starter.

kathkiwi

I just wish Air NZ would make all their hot food gluten free so that people like me can eat something, even if it means other people don't get a luxurious dining experience. Or, even better, find a way to make food on the plane safe for coeliacs. Even the nut dish after take-off contains traces of gluten, so that is a non-starter.[/QUOTE]
People who don't need to be gluten free wouldn't even notice.
BTW gluten free can be luxurious. Think lobster. 🤗

mmonster

Food from SQ is a mile better than NZ my problem is that it closes at 6pm aarrrgggghhhh

mmonster

People who don't need to be gluten free wouldn't even notice.
BTW gluten free can be luxurious. Think lobster. 🤗[/QUOTE]


well, no expert here but gluten free require high standards at the kitchen and it cannot be served buffet style? I know of someone with the requirement and he will not eat anything unless the restaurant can guarantee it is free of gluten in its preparation. He always needing to check several times before he looks into any restaurants.

Xiaotung

Ever since the SQ lounge started serving barista made coffee, it tipped in SQ's favour without question.

I am glad that SQ would not turn NZ pax away unlike when UA had their own lounge ages ago.

Johnnynz

First time Sydney flyer in the coming few weeks. Can you go to the SQ lounge on an Air NZ Ticket because its Star Alliance? Or am I missing an ingredient to this discussion?

Keen to take a look at both if I have access. Air NZ ticket, Air NZ Elite.

gratn

HI Johnny. Yes, as a Star Gold you can access the SQ lounge when travelling on a Star Alliance partner airline ticket. You can only use the Business section, not First. I find the atmosphere better in the NZ lounge, but the food and drink are definitely better in SQ.

Thai-Kiwi

As above, and you can host 1 guest as well.