Airport lounges can become a second home to business travellers and frequent flyers, and their regular fare soon loses its shine.
Facing the same selection of meals at breakfast and dinner bookends your day with boredom.
But if you’re visiting the Qantas Business Lounge in Sydney or Melbourne, variety is on the menu in the form of ‘island dining’.
Qantas' island dining menu
In mornings and evenings the lounge serves a freshly prepared, ‘Neil Perry inspired’ plate of the day to guests sitting at the island dining bench.
The breakfast serving varies business travel is usually between 6:30am and 8am, while dinner is reliably from 6pm to 7pm.
Some of the dishes served during breakfast include smoked salmon on rye bread with goat cheese and dil; baked egg Florentine tart; toasted focaccia with feta, roasted capsicum, egg and Dukkah; a classic BLT sandwich; and the lighter option of a toasted ham and cheese sandwich.
Island dining options for dinner include chicken laksa, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto salad (above); poached chicken, almond and mayonnaise sandwich; and a tomato and goat cheese pie (below).
The dinner menu is also paired with a matching glass of wine.
My pick of the plates...
I regularly fly between Melbourne and Sydney and island dining has taken the boredom out of breakfast and the drudgery out of dinner.
Early flights from Melbourne see me having breakfast in the Qantas Business Lounge so I can hit the ground running when I reach Sydney.
My favourites would be the smoked salmon (below) – the good quality salmon and goat’s cheese is a wonderful combination – and the Florentine tart, which is a light but filling meal.
And for dinner I really can’t go past the chicken laksa, which has just the right amount of spice and chicken, and of course that semi-boiled egg on top.
So how do you get to try these island dining delights?
Just grab a seat at one of the island benches – they're set with a knife, fork, serviette and a daily menu.
The waiter on duty is pretty quick to ask if you’d like to try what’s on the menu and once you’ve ordered it only takes a few minutes for your meal to appear.
There are few better ways to start or end a day on the road or in the air!
Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter: we're @AusBT
A keen photographer and amateur pilot, as well as manager of thefrequentflyer.com.au community, when Nick's not sitting in a plane or airport lounge you'll find him restoring his Kombi campervan.
12 Jun 2013
Total posts 732
I wonder how much Neil Perry gets paid for "inspiring" all these menus.
"Hey, I hear Neil Perry once made a sandwich"
"That gives me an idea! Let's make sandwiches!"
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Thanks Nick!
That smoked salmon and goat's cheese smørrebrød looks divine!
18 Apr 2012
Total posts 33
it was a fantiastric dish TheRealBabushka! It's one I hope they keep on the menu.
09 Nov 2011
Total posts 88
Isn't it time Qantas got rid of those hideous white ball lights?
Looks like there is enough seats for a handful of people to dine - but as with all Qantas clubs now - good luck getting a seat
02 Dec 2011
Total posts 47
Is the dining service also available on weekends?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
According to many reports, island dining does not appear to be served on weekends. The last time I was in the SYD T3 J lounge for a weekend breakfast slot, island dining was not available.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Mar 2012
Total posts 211
pretty sure island dining is not a weekend option
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1242
What about public holidays?
09 Sep 2012
Total posts 139
Sydney and Melbourne, eh? Nowhere else? Fancy that.
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1242
So there's no lunch service?
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Island dining in the Qantas Business Lounge