On occasion, I struggle to keep my apparent inner hooligan under control, and this flight in British Airways Club World was just such an occasion as the unconventional mixture of burrata and orange slices caused me to accidentally smash my entire collection of glassware on the floor. In other news; a very respectable – if unusual – order of fare from the airline that flies to serve.
Airline: British Airways BA34
Route: London – Kuala Lumpur (Approx. 13 hours)
Class: Business (or ‘Club World’ in BA-speak)
Starting us off tonight in BA Club World on this epic to Kuala Lumpur – aside from a very frequently topped-up 3 glasses of champagne – was a most unusual starter of burrata, accompanied by marmalade and a couple of orange slices. I’m not sure why, nor have I ever been served orange with a burrata before, but the combination, while most unusual, oddly sort of worked. On the downside unfortunately, one of the questionable perks of departing London in the depths of winter presented itself, which came in the form of the burrata being served at sub-zero temperatures. Brain freeze, here we come.
With the success of this starter still fresh in my memory, and the effects of the multiple glasses of champagne and now wine fresh in my liver, I made – unfortunately – for the bathroom. In doing so, I attempted the great acrobatic trick which only the hardiest (of which I am not) of global travellers can manage; escaping from my seat with the tray still out, and all plates, linen and glassware on it. The result was that, as I passed the tray, I actually ended up pulling it downwards slightly – just sufficient so that it catapulted back up, ejecting my plates, cutlery and glassware high into the air, before they all came crashing down to earth – entirely missing, as my luck would have it, the table from which they were launched.
I never knew this before, but now that I do, let it be shared; BA glassware smashes very awkwardly, easily and dangerously on the floor – and a call had to be made, along with my many apologies, for assistance in cleaning up my now highly dangerous, broken glass-ridden floor area.
For our main course this evening, I selected the ‘braised British beef’ – which was surprisingly delicious, so much so that picture-taking was quickly forgotten and I tucked in. So I’m afraid loyal readers will have to imagine for themselves the quality and taste of this course. It was acceptably tender for cutting on a narrow tray table – although by now, feeling somewhat sheepish, I was a little more delicate with my cutlery and crockery than previously.
In spite of the absolutely smashing time I’d had earlier in the evening, and under strict instructions not to destroy any more glassware, my glass remained topped up throughout the entire meal and onwards, which went some distance to guaranteeing a heavy – if not, slightly hazy – slumber right through the night.
Finally, wrapping up the evening was the miniscule, pathetically-sized dessert (again, the crew warned of this issue prior to selection). This chocolate cake, while very delicious, was inhaled in two somewhat drunken forkfuls. Wrapping up this review, this was a very agreeable evening spread from the British flag carrier, and although the combinations, especially for the starter, were a little off the beaten track, it all worked surprisingly well together – let down only by the very poor manners and glass-shattering behaviour of the passenger in seat 7A, which unfortunately was me.
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