Inside Etihad's Residence First Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi
By David Flynn, February 23 2016
Etihad Airways will open its all-new flagship first class lounge at Abu Dhabi in May – but until then, where do passengers the airline's Airbus A380 three-room The Residence supersuite cool their heels pre-flight?
Tucked away in the far corner of Etihad's Abu Dhabi T3 business class lounge...
... behind a section that's roped off for first class passengers...
... sits this discrete little nook.
The fancy frosted doors may be missing but this special area set aside for The Residence passengers still boasts highly personal service and a full a la carte menu.
Any visit to The Residence lounge, indeed any visit to any Etihad lounge, begins with delightful Arabic coffee – flavoured with rose water and cardamom – and dates.
Other sweet treats are temptingly nearby...
... but you'd be wise to leave room for a proper meal.
The dining table boasts the same exquisite Nikko Ceramics Silk Platinum dinnerware as used for the inflight first class meal service.
Here's the menu:
And before you ask about dessert:
I started with a fresh-baked bread basket which had zero chance of survival.
As a starter, there was no simply going past the delectable locally-farmed Yasa premium caviar.
That was followed by lobster and pumpkin ravioli – a seemingly odd but in practice superb combination...
... and a carpaccio of Australian beef fillet.
If this is what Etihad Airways can do with just one small part of its business lounge, we can't wait to see what the airline will conjure up in May when it will have an entire first class lounge as its stage.
Read more: Etihad First Class, Residences lounge at Abu Dhabi opens in May
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Aug 2014
Total posts 213
I'm surprised you showed so much restraint Dave... Please tell us you had a crack at one of those desserts!
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
I didn't – but I should have taken one for the team!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Aug 2014
Total posts 501
Hi, this might not be related to the topic but what cameras do you guys use for all the various reviews and stuff like that? Thank you!
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
Nothing fancy, Rishi - I am useless at photography so I just use my iPhone 6 Plus, which does the job just fine (I use an app called Camera+ which allows more control over the image before I hit the button compared to the standard iPhone camera app). I think Chris and Sid both use use a 'proper camera.
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2431
Hi Rishi, I normally use a Canon EOS 1200D with a 55mm lens but occasionally I'll just use my iPhone 6s when it's easier or more appropriate. :)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 691
For the cost of a Residence ticket, I think I'd be expecting top-tier Russian sturgeon caviar and maybe a half lobster rather than Lobster & Pumkin Ravioli. Wouldn't you? LOL
All in all though, it's a seriously creditable menu for an airline lounge.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Feb 2015
Total posts 124
Lobster is well overated... anyone can take a tail and put some butter on it... its what you do with it like the raviloi that makes it special, Not like the fillet steak on a plate with mash potato and mushroom.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 729
For the money I guess you would expect nothing less. Certainly looks top notch.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Oct 2015
Total posts 43
Dave, you should forward this on to Neil Perry, qantas could learn a lot about food from etihad in my experience.
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