Cathay Pacific has launched a new collab with Hong Kong-based restaurant VEDA by Ovolo, which describes itself as a ‘plant forward’ vegetarian restaurant offering Indian-inspired dishes, to create a new range of plant-based Premium Economy and Economy meals.
The new range of vegetarian dishes will be available on select long-haul flights from Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong hub, featuring options such as Keralan-style coconut curry, a roasted vegetable tagine with halloumi cheese, and paneer makhani.
Vivian Lo, the airline’s General Manager of Customer Experience and Design, said passengers should expect the new meals to go beyond the usual vegetarian fare that customers have come to expect in Economy.
“For Cathay, the difference is in the detail. We know inflight dining is something that is extremely important to our customers, and we carefully work with partners to bring them memorable experiences by sourcing ingredients, designing menus and preparing dishes with great attention to detail,” Lo commented.
“Drawing inspiration from the breadth and variety of VEDA’s dishes, we have collaborated with VEDA and Ovolo Hotels Executive Chef Raul Tronco to develop a reimagined selection of plant-forward creations that reflect our brand values of thoughtful and progressive, and go beyond the norms of airline vegetarian meals.”
Tronco was excited to work with Cathay Pacific on the project but the collaboration wasn’t without its challenges, especially when you consider that the food will be reheated and consumed at 38,000 feet, he explains.
“I had to consider everything from how taste buds are affected at altitude, to cooking techniques,” Tronco commented. “After countless hours of recipe testing, I am really pleased with the result and am confident that the curated VEDA inflight dishes offer travellers variety, vibrancy and incredible flavour.”
In Premium Economy, highlights of the new menu include:
- Bombay carrot salad with cashews, raisins and cherry tomatoes
- an Indian-inspired slaw that features a fragrant dressing infused with lime juice, coriander powder and ginger
- Hummus with harissa roasted cauliflower and pickled red onions
- Keralan-style coconut curry with mushrooms, red bell peppers and cumin rice
- Panang dry curry tofu with cashews and coconut rice
And in Economy, passengers can look forward to enjoying:
- Purple quinoa tabbouleh
- Mediterranean potato salad
- Khao soi – Northern Thai-style coconut curry noodles with mixed vegetables
- Vegetable masala with green pulao rice
Cathay Pacific says the collaboration with VEDA is all part of its commitment to becoming a more sustainable airline – a project that has already seen Cathay reduce its use of single-use plastic by 56% since 2018.
More improvements to the Premium Economy and Economy meal services are expected in the near future, although Cathay Pacific remains tight-lipped on exactly what will be changing.
