To celebrate Melbourne’s new A380 service, Qatar Airways has teamed up with chef George Calombaris to create inflight dishes for first and business class passengers flying from Melbourne to Doha 1 July to 20 September 2017.
Working with a celebrity chef to create a bespoke inflight menu is a first for the airline, and is a bid to highlight Melbourne’s links to Greece by serving Greek-inspired cuisine above the clouds.
“George has been an ambassador for Qatar Airways in Australia since 2016, and we are thrilled to have strengthened the relationship with this special collaboration to celebrate the arrival of our A380 aircraft on the Melbourne route,” said Adam Radwanski, senior manager at Qatar Airways Australasia.
“Athens is one of the most popular destinations in Europe for our Melbourne-based passengers, and Qatar Airways offer one of the fastest and most convenient pathways to Greece from Australia via our state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport in Doha,” said Radwanski.
The menu features dishes including Gazi’s lamb moussaka, Hellenic grain salad, tuna and tahini yoghurt along with lighter options such as Gazi souvlaki of pastourma beef short rib, pickles and mustard aioli and Greek salad served with dashi yoghurt and poached prawns.
To finish the meal, Calombaris’ signature Hellenic Republic risogalo (Greek rice pudding with Murray River salted caramel) is also on offer.
“I am excited to team up with Qatar Airways on this project. It is the first time I am putting my food on an airline’s inflight menu,” said George Calombaris. “At the end of the day, we want passengers to be blown away by not only the impeccable Qatar Airways cabin crew service, the comfort of their seats and the impressive onboard lounge, but also the delicious food we will be serving them while up in the air.”