A Love Affair with AirAsia In-flight Meals

Prior to being introduced to AirAsia Philippines new in-flight meals, airplane food for me does not fall under the category of something I could write home about.  Way back, I have already resigned to the idea that in-flight meals exist only to tide us over long plane rides or during ill bouts of hunger when you’re several miles high up in the sky. 

My fault for not being open-minded enough, because little did I know, AirAsia has this amazing menu called Santan. It was my first brush with what touted as the "Gourmet Food Selections in the Sky" by some, so it's like an encounter with Pandora's box filled with goodies and no nasty stuff.

AirAsia's Santan menu basically offers various in-flight food selections that people would actually want to eat - not out of hunger but because the food choices are really good. It also features gift items, merchandise, and travel must-haves with reasonable price tags that travelers from all walks of life can buy. 

Judge me not when I say that it is one of the menus that excites the hell outta me because everything that's inside are both good and affordable.

Enroute to Amorita Resort in Panglao Bohol, where the launching of AirAsia Philippines' New Santan In-flight Menu we were about to attend to that week was held, we were treated to an in-flight meal. It was like a preview for me since I have not tried any in-flight meal by AirAsia before.

We were served Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice.  As cliche as it may sound, it was love at first bite.

Apparently, Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice is the best seller among the variety of food that AirAsia Santan menu offers. Rightfully so, since for an airplane food, this one was really good. It was even better than the chicken rice I had at the little Asian store near my place.

I enjoyed every bite but at the back of my head I was thinking, "Is this for real?" It seriously defies Science by the virtue of not being bland at all despite us, devouring it in high altitude.

We landed at Tagbilaran Airport in Bohol right on time and after we have settled and rested in our rooms at the beautiful Amorita Resort, the AirAsia New Santan In-flight Menu launching commenced. It was held within the property overlooking the beautiful shore of Alona Beach. 

Never have I imagined being excited by airline meals but after that Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice we had on our way to Bohol, I knew that there will be so much to look forward to during the launch. The beautiful view of the beach and the good weather that day plays a great part in making the launching a memorable event.

For the record, Amorita Resort in Panglao Bohol is one of the best resorts I have been to here in the Philippines. We're talking about luxurious accommodations, infinity pool, and get this - secret beach! Amorita offers all that and so much more. Needless to say, it merits its own blog post hence, I humbly suggest you look forward to that. 

Meanwhile, let's talk about AirAsia Santan In-flight Menu's new offerings and the old-time favorites. AirAsia's In-flight menu is called Santan as it pays homage to "Santan" or coconut milk, one of the core ingredients use in most of AirAsia's meals.

Currently, there are six rice meals to choose from which highlights Asean flavors. The Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice is basically AirAsia's version of Malaysian Hainanese Chicken Rice. It has generous slices of roast chicken over chicken rice made all the more palatable with Uncle Chin's secret chili, ginger, and garlic sauce. It is said to be a crowd's favorite and I can fully understand why. This is the first AirAsia meal I have fell in love with.

Another personal favorite was the Thai Green Chicken Curry. I love that the flavor suggest a fine balance between the flavor of curry and the creaminess of the coconut milk. The spiciness was very subtle which for me is perfect because when in an airplane, I am not crazy about dealing with flavors that assaults my senses.

There is also Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak, a coconut rice dish that features Pak Nasser's chili sambal and chicken rendang served with fried anchovies, ground nuts, and half a slice of hard boiled egg. Then there's Spicy Beef Bulgogi with Japchae, Korean's popular dishes.  These two dishes were good if you are hankering for little spice in the palate. Nothing too heavy though, just the right kick to satisfy. 

AirAsia's version of Philippines' popular Chicken Adobo is mildly flavored but not without the charm of the comforting flavor we Filipinos all love. 

New addition to AirAsia's Santan menu now available on board via online pre-booking is the Chicken Lasagne. While it is not essentially very Asian, lasagna is still one of the most gratifying meal anyone could have.

This one really stole my heart. It was good, even better than some of the lasagnas I have tried in some restaurants, to be honest. The serving portion is quite hefty but not for someone like me who can devour a good meal such as this in one go. 

We had this Chicken Lasagne during the launching and we also had it enroute back to Manila. During both times, my affinity for it grew even more. I love the way my fork glides as I sliced through the layers of pasta, shredded chicken, tomato sauce, cream, and generous amount of cheese. It has a teeny bit of resistance that goes to show that the pasta was cooked al dente.

It is served hot so imagine a little cheese pull happening there which I failed to capture in my camera because I was living the moment savoring each mouthful. I swear both times that I had the Chicken Lasagna almost felt like a sacred moment when I am in communion with my food. It was love, I cannot be wrong about that. 

Rice meals are priced for only Php150.00 for ala carte each and Php200.00 for a combo meal that includes the rice meal, drinks, and a choice of one dessert. Really affordable right? 

Aside from rice and pasta dishes, there are also other food one may enjoy. For instance, there's Red Velvet Cake (Php120.00), Chocolate Meringue (Php100.00), Chocolate Chip Cookies (Php90.00), Vegetarian Sandwich (Php150/ala carte, Php200/combo), and Chicken Deluxe Sandwich (Php130/ala carte, Php180/combo).

AirAsia Santan Menu is not limited to food selections only. Gift items and merchandise are also available on board. Some of the item, I noticed, are perfect for those travelers who tend to forget bringing along some travel essentials with them including sun glasses! All these are available at very affordable prices.

Luck smiled on us, bloggers and media participants during the launch because generous AirAsia people fed us really well by encouraging us to try and taste everything they have prepared for us from the Santan menu. We tried everything from the hot rice meals to the new Chicken Lasagne even the sandwiches and cookies. 

It was crazy! But we loved every minute of it. 

I personally love everything but my top three recommendations would be the Chicken Lasagna, Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice, and the Thai Green Chicken Curry. I highly recommend opting for the combo meal instead of the ala carte because nothing is better than having a complete meal, I tell you.

To ensure the availability of your choice of food and to enjoy priority meal service on-board, it is highly encourage to pre-book your meals which you can do here. 

On our way back to Manila, we enjoyed my now favorite Chicken Lasagne on board with our choice of drinks and dessert.

Truth be told, this experience gives a different light on how I view in-flight meals. It can be delicious, yes. I am sincerely hoping that other airlines will follow suit. Kudos to AirAsia for not just giving a chance to everyone to fly but for serving us really good food on-board as well. 

Now, I am craving for this really gorgeous Chicken Lasagna. I guess it's time to pre-book a meal or two for my next AirAsia flight!

Get the latest AirAsia news, activities, and promotions through their Webiste (airasia.com), Facebook (@AirAsiaPH), Twitter and Instagram (@AirAsiaFilipino). Follow AirAsia Santan journey by using their official hastag #AirAsiaSantanPH on Social Media.