After an on-the-ground delay of pushing close to 3 hours to our departure from Singapore, it was almost certainly the one and only time that I could count my fortunes for not having sufficient time to procure my usual volume of pre-drinks in the lounge beforehand.
Airline: Etihad EY499
Route: Singapore – Abu Dhabi (Approx. 7 Hours)
Class: Business
After a race to board on-time, I sat back, basking in the rarefied air of our opulent cabin, blissfully unaware of the late-night shenanigans yet to take place, that would see my single glass of champagne be the first – and last – for several hours, much to my lament.
We made laborious progress towards the runway, before turning off and heading back towards the gate. Much as I feared, our aircraft had encountered a technical issue and needed to return to the gate for further inspection.
While I feared the technical issue, I was far more terrified by the prospect of no more bottles of champagne being opened on the ground – and that's exactly what happened, with a service of only soft beverages available during the two hours' plus sat on Singaporean ground.
The crew did their best to get service going immediately upon take-off, although as you can surely imagine, I was practically gasping, such was the severity of my thirst by then; whatever about the food.
The starter, while delicious, unfortunately acted only as a mere pause between gulps of wine, with its two prawns. I did my best to stay focused by practically inhaling half the bread roll that came with it, in order to ensure no early intoxication.
Onto the main, a very delicious and tender – always a surprise in the air – beef tenderloin, served with a meagre two spoons' of gravy, several carrot strips and a lump of mashed potato. As is so often the case, it doesn't look much, but was well cooked, flavourful and just what was needed to accompany the wine I had, and the several more I would have for the following hour.
All in all, a difficult meal service considering our severely delayed departure made up for by good food, a very pro-active crew who did their best to hurry things along, and of course the all-important frequent top-up.
Leave a Reply