Qantas Singapore first class lounge: new mid-2024 menu

Singapore is host to one of only four Qantas first class lounges around the world (we’re already counting out Auckland, which will soon close and was never really a ‘first class’ lounge anyway) – and many frequent flyers hold the refined space at Changi Terminal 1 in even higher regard than Qantas’ Sydney flagship.

It’s a ‘home away from home’ for Qantas Platinum and Platinum One members whose travels regularly take them to or through Singapore.

Of course, the Qantas First Lounge Singapore lounge also admits eligible Oneworld Emerald-grade frequent flyers on the evening departures of British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Malaysia AIrlines and Qatar Airways, among others.

(Yes, Cathay Pacific flies out of Changi T4 and Malaysia Airlines from Changi T2, but with a little planning it’s possible to visit the Qantas First Lounge at T1 ahead of your flight.)

Restaurant-style dining tables make up more than half of the Qantas First Lounge Singapore’s seating, to cope with the superjumbo-sized surge from the daily A380 stopover flights QF1 (Sydney-Singapore-London) and QF2 (London-Singapore-Sydney), as well as the evening wave of departures to Australia on the back of QF2’s arrival.

The Qantas First Lounge Singapore.

And with dining being central to the Qantas First Lounge Singapore experience, the lounge – like its siblings at Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles (and in the next few years, London) – boasts an impressive seasonal à la carte menu.

The seasonal changes which roll through from the start of March, June, September and December are less pronounced in Singapore than at the Qantas Sydney and Melbourne first class lounges.

(Singapore, as locals will tell you, doesn’t really have seasons, unless you count the ‘hot and dry’ stretch from March to August and the ‘hot and wet' span from September to February.)

Don't panic, the signature crayfish laksa is still available.

However, this quarterly menu change does allow the lounge’s chefs to shake things up a little, while retaining many of the lounge’s most popular ‘signature’ dishes such as laksa with crayfish, prawn wontons and salt & pepper squid.

So what’s new on the Qantas Singapore First Lounge’s mid-2024 ‘summer’ menu? Read on.

At the end of this article you’ll find a download link for a PDF of the Qantas First Lounge Singapore menu, to peruse ahead of your next trip. You’re welcome.

Poached eggs, smashed avocado and bacon: yes, this classic Aussie cafe dish has flown all the way to the Singapore first class lounge.

Served on sourdough toast with a little kick of sriracha, it’s proving a smash (no pun intended) with QF2 passengers arriving around 5.30pm but whose body clock thinks it’s time for breakfast.

Poached eggs, smashed avocado and bacon.

Broccoli soup with parmesan cream, chives and focaccia: light, warming and full of flavour, this is fast becoming another breakfast go-to for the QF2 set.

Broccoli soup with parmesan cream, chives and focaccia.

Crispy pork belly: after being covered in salt to draw out the moisture, the pork is left to air dry for a full 24 hours – the salt crust is then removed and the pork belly slow-cooked, then served with braised cabbage, baby carrots and a mix of Dijon and English mustard.

Crispy pork belly with braised cabbage, baby carrots and mustard.

Grilled barramundi with sambal brown butter, capers and spinach: while grilled barra is a mainstay of Qantas’ Singapore first class lounge, it’s now been upgraded to Humpty Doo barramundi from the Northern Territory.

This premium farmed saltwater barra has a clean bright taste and takes only two days to journey from pond to plate. 

Grilled Humpty Doo barramundi with sambal brown butter, capers and spinach.

The Qantas Singapore First Lounge also offers two plant-based dishes.

The zucchini and buckwheat soba noodles with sesame and grilled enoki mushroom makes a modestly sized starter with a bit of crunch.

zucchini and buckwheat soba noodles.

The mushroom wonton soup is based on a soup stock slow-cooked for three hours, while the house-made (lounge-made?) wonton dumplings contain spinach, dried tofu and garlic chives.

Mixed in with buckwheat noodles, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, sesame and topped with salted chilli, this hearty meal can also be delivered in a gluten-free version without dumplings and using rice noodles.

Mushroom wonton soup.

On the presumption that you’ve left room for dessert, the star of the show has got to be the delicate kaya tart.

Filled with pandan crème and dressed with lime syrup and ginger yoghurt sorbet, it’ll take some self-control not to order seconds of this elegant creation.

The heavenly kaya and pandan tart.

But if a hit of chocolate is more your style, the chocolate mousse with raspberries and cocoa sorbet will definitely hit the sweet spot. It could also bring back sweet memories, as this mousse was part of the Singapore first class lounge’s launch menu upon opening in November 2019.

Chocolate mousse with raspberries and cocoa sorbet.

There are also some ‘off-menu’ specials typically offered to guests on the quieter days of the week (typically Mondays and Tuesdays).

The new menu puts a Fried XO Radish Cake on rotation: created by the Singapore first lounge’s local hero Chef Linda, this is her take on a classic Singaporean hawker centre dish of radish, carrot, egg, prawn and rice paste. 

Chef Linda's Fried XO Radish Cake.

On some evenings you might see ‘prawn paste’ chicken wings, which have made seasonal appearances on previous menus. 

We’ll also draw your attention to some of the newest cocktails crafted by lounge mixologist Angeline.

• Jasmine & Thyme Boba – thyme vodka, pink grapefruit juice, jasmine coldbrew and peach boba
• Passionfruit & Jalapeno Daiquiri – the refreshing tropical taste of jalapeno rum, passionfruit and lemon
• Sour Plum Margarita: tequila, mezcal, agave, calamansi and sour plum; the lip of the glass is lined by a seasoning of mild chilli, lime and sea salt 
• The Oolong Way – Oolong Starward whiskey, Lyre’s Highland Malt, Osmanthus and chocolate bitters
• Non Seabreeze 0.0% – a mocktail of Lyre’s London gin, pink grapefruit juice, wild berry kombucha and orange bitters

Sour Plum Margarita (left) and Non Seabreeze 0.0% (right).

If a glass of bubbles is more your style, the Qantas Singapore First Lounge currently pours Duval-Leroy Brut Teserve, Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale and Taittinger Brut Reserve.

The Qantas First Lounge Singapore is open from around 3.30pm to 11pm daily; click here to download the Qantas First Lounge Singapore mid-2024 summer menu.