Airline Meals

General opinion is airline food is not food at all. But I beg to differ. Airline food can actually be good. And you do not necessarily have to fly only at the pointy end of the plane to be able to say such.

This post is a just a series of photographs of airline/airport meals I’ve had most of them in the past two weeks.

If you are really keen there is a website you can visit that features airline meals: Airlinemeals.Net. Yup, I’m not the only one! There are millions of us out there!

Meal: Pre-flight Breakfast – Raisin Toast
Drinks: Jasmine Green Tea & Apple Juice
Comment: This is my usual breakfast at Qantas Club before an early morning flight.

Route: BNE – GLT
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Q400 Bombardier
Meal: Breakfast
Drinks: Orange Juice, Water and White Tea
Comment: New Qantas packaging. This is a lot sturdier than the old one.

Route: BNE – GLT
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Q400 Bombardier
Meal: Breakfast – Berry Muffin and a packet of dried canberries
Drinks: Orange Juice, Water & White Tea
Comment: The muffin was nice and most but not enough to satisfy.


Route: GLT – BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Q400 Bombardier
Meal: Afternoon refreshment – Salami stick, water crackers and sharp cheddar.
Drinks: Ginger Beer (not in photo) & Water
Comment: A very welcome snack at 5 in the afternoon.

Meal: Pre-flight Breakfast – Raisin Toast
Drinks: Jasmine Green Tea & Apple Juice
Comment: This is my usual breakfast at Qantas Club before an early morning flight.

Route: SYD – BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Breakfast – Kellogg’s Just Right Original, banana and a fruit roll
Drinks: White tea and Berri Orange Juice
Comment: I’m not fond of cereal. I only ate the roll and the fruit.

Route: DAR – BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Lunch – Chicken with cashews and rice and the obligatory bread roll
Drinks: Soda water, water and white tea
Comment: The chicken with cashews wasn’t too bad. It just needed a bit more salt.

Route: DAR – BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Lunch – Chicken with cashews and rice and the obligatory bread roll
Drinks: Soda water, water and white tea
Comment: The chicken with cashews wasn’t too bad. It just needed a bit more salt.

Route: DAR – BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Afternoon tea – pink muffin
Drinks: Soda water, water and white tea
Comment: Qantas serve a snack to break this 4 hour domestic flight. This muffin was pink in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Week.


Meal: Pre-flight Breakfast – Raisin Toast
Drinks: Soy Latte & Apple Juice
Comment: Barista made coffees are now available at Qantas Club


Route: BNE – ISA
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B737-400
Meal: Breakfast – Weet-Bix Crunch, banana, fruit roll
Drinks: Berri Multi V Juice and White Tea
Comment: Again, I’m not fond of cereal. I only ate the roll and the fruit.


Route: ISA –BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B737-400
Meal: Lunch – Pesto Chicken & Sundried Tomato on Wholemeal bread
Drinks: Soda Water, water and white tea
Comment: The sandwich was actually very good.


Route: BNE –DAR
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Breakfast – Granola Clusters, sliced apple, and fruit roll
Drinks: Multi V Juice, water and white tea
Comment: The roll was warm and comforting. No cereal for me, thanks!


Meal: Pre-flight Lunch – Potato Salad, Cheese & cold cuts
Drinks: Water and Apple Juice
Comment: I wish they would update their menu soon.

Route: DAR - BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Lunch – Southern Indian Chicken Curry with rice and a bread roll
Drinks: Soda water (not in photo), water and coffee
Comment: The curry was probably one of the best I’ve had on board.

Route: DAR - BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Lunch – Southern Indian Chicken Curry with rice and a bread roll
Drinks: Soda water (not in photo), water and coffee
Comment: The curry was probably one of the best I’ve had on board.

Route: DAR – BNE
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B767-338
Meal: Afternoon tea – Chocolate ice cream
Comment: This was a welcome break!

All Seasons Verona Hotel, Mt Isa Queensland

I was actually pleasantly surprised returning to the All Seasons Verona. Nothing much has changed on the outside but once you get into the rooms you’ll realise that serious renovations have actually been done.

On my first visit about a year ago I was sorely disappointed about how dilapidated the whole place looked. It was like stepping back in time but not in a nostalgic wishing it was still the 70’s good way. Every aspect of the hotel looked tired and antiquated. The carpeting was worn out. The single lift worked fine but the sound it was producing made me wonder if it wouldn’t suddenly drop. Thank God there were only 3 levels. The bathroom tiles, bed spreads and table lamps were like op shop rejects. All I wanted was to do what I had to do and get out of there.

How things have changed, literally. It wasn’t my habit to take photos of rooms back then so it’s a shame I couldn’t do a before and after photo comparison. Now the All Seasons Verona feels like it actually belongs to this decade

Lechon Kawali (Thrice Cooked Pork) ala Beancounter

The good thing about going to Gladstone is that I can get my work done all in a day and then be able to fly home just in time for dinner. I fly in at 6am. I then have a choice of three flights in the late afternoon to early evening back to Brisbane.

Most times on a full and exhausting day like this one we would order out. But for some reason this night all I wanted was Roast Pork. Not the lean western version served with vegies and potatoes or the five-spiced Chinese kind. What I was really craving was a fat laden Filipino Lechon (sleep deprivation being my excuse for such cravings…). At around 6.30 in the evening there is no way I could cook my Easy Roast Pork and still be alive to eat it.

Thankfully, the Filipino’s Lechon range includes one called Lechon Kawali. This is more like thrice cooked deep fried pork belly (can you hear your arteries protesting?). Most Pinoy Lechon Kawali recipes are more “twice” cooked rather than my “thrice” cooked version. The difference? After boiling the meat I bung it in a very hot oven to quickly dry it. Why? To save time and to avoid oil splattering all over my kitchen, that’s why!

Don’t be discouraged by the “thrice cooked” label I added to the name of this dish. It is not as daunting and time consuming as you might think. I was very tired, famished and it was already past 7pm when I decided to cook this. Add to that the meat still hasn’t been defrosted. The whole cooking process probably took an hour (as opposed to my Easy Roast pork which consumes 200% to 300% more time).

Instead of microwave defrosting the meat I put it straight into a pot of boiling water with onions, freshly cracked black pepper, sea salt and a bay leaf. I had to cut the meat in half after several minutes of boiling to hasten the defrosting and infuse more flavour into the meat.

I must say though, I’ve cooked better Lechon kawali than this. But considering all the constraints it still hits the spot!

Anyway, here’s the full recipe:

Lechon Kawali (Thrice Cooked Pork) ala Beancounter

1 piece of pork belly
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
1 bay leaf
Water for boiling
Lots of oil for deep frying

1. Boil the meat in water together with the spices for about half an hour.
2. Pre-heat the oven to about 200°C.
3. Transfer the meat to a roasting rack and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes to dry it especially the skin. This would prevent oil splattering when you deep fry the meat.
4. Heat up a lot of oil in a deep fryer or a deep pan/pot while waiting for the meat to dry.
5. Place the meat in the hot oil and deep fry. This should take another 15-20 minutes.
6. Serve with gai lan with oyster sauce (for balance) and steaming hot jasmine rice.

Inay's Basoy (Chayote with Flour Vermicelli)

As with most Filipino dishes there’s probably a unique name for basoy in other regions of the country. Basoy is what my mother-in-law calls this vegetable dish from her native Nagcarlan, Laguna. It was a staple in my wife’s family home. She eventually learned the recipe from Inay which she then passed on to me. This hearty and comforting soup is especially good on rainy autumn days.



In Brisbane, sayotes (chayote or chokoes) are pretty commonplace. Not in the sense that it has become part of the Australian cuisine but more because one is able to find it at any supermarket. I am extremely grateful to be living in another country that has access to the food I grew up with. Substitutes just don’t seem to cut it most times.



We usually pair this with fried fish like galunggong (scad) or pork chops.


Inay's Basoy

1 medium size sayote cut into tiny batons ( I don’t know the proper term for it, just look at the photos)
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 medium sized onion
6 slices of ginger
1 cup of pork mince or prawns
Sea salt or fish sauce to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
4-6 cups of water or stock (depending on how thick you want your soup to be)
1 bunch of miswa (flour vermicelli)
A bit of oil for sautéing

1. If you are using pork mince you need to pre-cook it. Otherwise go to step 2. In a pot heat up a little bit of oil and stir fry the mince until cooked. Set aside.
2. Add a bit more oil in the same pot if necessary. Sauté the ginger first, then the garlic (till golden brown) followed by the onion.
3. Add the mince back in or the prawns at this stage. Cook for about a minute.
4. Add the sayote and cook for a minute. Start seasoning the dish at this stage by adding the sea salt/fish sauce and black pepper.
5. Add the stock/water and bring it to boil. Lower the heat and simmer the soup for about 5 minutes.
6. Adjust the seasoning at this stage then add the miswa noodles. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve on its own or with jasmine rice.

Back in Business

For personal and professional reasons I have had to put off a lot of my travels in the past few months. You are all probably aware I’m a new dad again. Eliyah is now 3 months old but a month before her arrival I needed to halt flying…anywhere. As she is our fourth we’ve been advised that she might come sooner than expected. I was only too happy to oblige.

Breakfast at Q Club (they now offer proper coffee through Santos Coffee)

Then came the holiday season which is usually a quiet period in my travel diary. A lot of staff are on leave and there would be no one to visit. Again, I treasure these moments to spend more time with my family.

Qantas 737-800

In late January I had a minor surgery further preventing me from travelling. By then I was already itching to head to the airport.

February is when it starts to ramp up again. But since my team is missing more than just a leg I needed to be wiser with managing my time. The tasks to be done in the office do no stop when I’m away. I just have to make sure I have sorted them all before I can book any flights hence, the lack of posts for more than a week. It will just get busier as we approach the end of financial year in June.

Economy class breakfast (I only ate the banana and the warm bread)

As a bean counter my timetable is pretty tight during the first 3 weeks of every month. We close the books on the previous month during the first week of the current month. The next two weeks are then spent sorting out any issues, writing reports and preparing for the new period. Only on the fourth and sometimes fifth week do I get the opportunity to travel.

On board QF1076 (B737-400)

So today is my first scheduled business travel after an extended break. I am heading to Mt Isa, approximately 2 ½ hours flight northwest from Brisbane. This is only my second time to this town. I will try to post about it in my next post.

Kia Rio today

Watch this space! Thanks for dropping by.

Life is Sweeter with Salt!

We Pinoys have known for a long time that salt’s place in gastronomy is not limited to savoury dishes. Salt is also a major player in the dessert arena in Filipino culinary.

Eating fresh pineapple just would not be complete without dipping it in a bit of salt. Cheese ice cream, a cringe worthy idea for some, has always had a special place in the Filipino dessert-dom. Can you imagine ensaymada with just sugar?

These and more show how we’ve enjoyed as a people that sweet/salty combination that is still alien in some parts of the world.

And now, certain restaurants are catching up to this concept. Sydney Morning Herald has written an article about it titled Salt for my Sweet.

This is a pretty good idea for a challenge. Salt in desserts… any takers?

Life is sweeter indeed with salt!

Pan de Sal Chronicles: A Session with the Master

It was a birthday celebration with a difference indeed. Instead of the ho-hum common garden variety party, Alex's family held a pan de sal (and more) workshop. Fun was had by all...with free baked goodies to take home to top it all. It is not surprising if the guests had more fun than the birthday celebrant.

Pan de sal was the main event but part of the workshop was a session on the secrets of Spanish bread (beats me why this is called such). Time was also set aside on the mysteries of monay, that Filipino bread that is a cross between a dinner roll and a hamburger bun. (Tip: Your pan de sal dough can quickly transform into either Spanish Bread or Monay with just a bit of tweaking.)

Tatay Rudy's masterful skills were on display beheld by all. His movements were punctuated by tips on how to do it better and/or quicker. They were undeniably invaluable lessons he’s learned from decades of baking.

I tell you what, even with a full load of tips and tricks I don’t think my current “style” comes close to that of Tatay Rudy’s…marami pa akong bigas na kakainin, ika nga…ilang bandehadong pan de sal pa ang lulutuin…before I attain his level of dexterity.

So thanks Alex, thanks to the Samson family and most specially to Tatay Rudy!

I don’t want to bore you with more narrative so just look at the photos and you’ll get the picture...;)

The master’s hand at work

The dough

The risen dough (quadrupled in size more likely than just doubled)

Look how even those pieces are! It’s not as easy as it looks!

Ready to bake Monay

The beginnings of Spanish Bread

The filling

The rolling

Ready to bake!

The Monay!

The Spanish Bread!

And of course, the pan de sal!

Some people were having more fun!

And some were nitpicking!

The Master at work!

The happy students!

Thanks Tatay Rudy!