I’m betting many of you travel on low cost carries a lot to save on costs or to make sure we can travel more. Low cost carries don’t include meals with their tickets, they just give travelers more options. One of the airlines I’ve never had a chance to take is Air Asia because they used to fly from Clark. Air Asia has since entered into a strategic alliance with Zest Air and is the re-branding as Air Asia Zest, they are now flying out of NAIA Terminal 4 in Manila.
I attended a taste test session hosted by Air Asia to try out their line of inflight Hot Meals. I was surprised to find out the rice meals cost only P200, compared to other low cost airlines which price them at P350. They have rice meals, sandwiches and desserts with complete calorie count on the website. We were served the meals in the same containers, bright red aluminum packs, as passengers so we would be able to get the same experience.
To give passengers a bit of the holiday cheer, Air Asia Zest is launching the Holiday meal set, composed of Glazed Chicken rice, a can of Zesto Dalanadan Fruit Soda and a piece of brownie, all for only P299. Each chicken piece was flavorful and tender with a sauce reminiscent of holiday ham.
Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak. The Malaysian national dish is thoughtfully presented with authenticity in mind. Chicken Rendang, sambal sauce, peanuts, anchovies and half a hard boiled egg are laid on top of a bed off rice. There’s a bit of heat in the dish so use the sambal sauce sparingly. I suggest mixing it up and be sure to have each component in with a spoonful of rice to fully enjoy it.
Junior Cho’s Korean Beef Stew or as they fondly call it, KBS. Beef simmered in sweet soy and other Asian spices. I was expecting the beef to be mushy but the meat had the right texture and had the right tenderness.
Chicken Adobo ala Mariles. The Philippine national dish comes replete with a side of sauteed water spinach (kangkong). The adobo is cooked in a mix of vinegar, soy, bay leaves and peppercorns. The ingredient that elevates this is the presence of lots of toasted garlic.
Uncle Chin’s Chicken Rice. They’ve gone the roasted route with this rendition of the familiar favorite. I’ve recently tried one on a another airline which was really bad and cost me almost P400 (SG$12). Thinking back to that I could have 2 orders of this already.
Maan’s Pasta Arrabiata. I thought the Nasi Lemak was spicy that was until I had a taste of this one. This is way over my tolerance for spiciness, and was not enjoyable for my dear taste buds.
For lighter fare, the Chicken Caesar Sandwich and Roasted Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes would be better choices. Both sandwiches use whole wheat bread, are gluten free and does not contain seafood and peanut.
Air Asia is also well prepared to satisfy your sweet tooth. They have addictive Chocolate Chip Cookies for the young and old, crumbly Choco Banana Pound cake but the best one I had was the Cinnamon bread sticks. Sweet and crunchy, perfectly eaten by itself or with a cup of steaming hot coffee. I could envision myself finishing pack after pack of the bread sticks.
Book your flight now at www.airasia.com, also make sure to prebook your Hot Meals via the Manage My Booking page so you get the 15% discount and a 100ml bottle of water. Prebooking also ensures you get your hot meals for flights less than 75 minutes, since those only serve snacks.
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