A Look at Scoot’s Long Haul Inflight Meals to Greece

Starting from June, low-cost carrier Scoot will be launching their first-ever long-haul flight between Singapore and Athens. With this new addition offered by the airline, Scoot is launching a whole new menu to celebrate the big step, and to cater to the needs of passengers. Not surprisingly, they have included Greek meal options on this route. YAY!

Getting a good meal on a flight is, surprisingly, difficult. However, Scoot is a game-changer as they take their in-flight meal catering process seriously. With the first long haul flight (11 hours non-stop) happening soon, they have come up with a new type of menu to meet the needs of the passengers on flights to and from Athens.

BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GREEK FOOD

Surrounded by the Mediterranean sea, Greece is home to some of the finest ingredients in the world. Using mainly Mediterranean vegetables, olive oil, lemon juice, various types of fish and meat, and grains, Greek food is flavoursome and packed with a variety of fresh and dried herbs.

Prior to travelling to Greece, I was totally clueless about Greek food. However, after spending a few days exploring Athens, I started to love it as my days were filled with moussaka and spanakopita. If you are travelling to Greece for the first time and are totally clueless Greek food, like me, here’s an introduction for you.

• Moussaka
  Moussaka is one of the best known Greek dishes and is also my favourite. This oven-baked dish is filled with layers of eggplant and spiced meat filling topped with a creamy béchamel sauce.
• Keftethes
  Savoury Greek meatballs are served as an appetizer or as a main course at any table in Greece. They are usually lightly flavoured with parsley and olive oil.
• Choriatiki
  Greek salad is a must have for Greeks. Choriatiki is made up of tomatoes, olives, cucumber and a large piece of feta cheese. It is served without any dressing. Diners have vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil at their disposal and can choose how they want to flavour their salad.
• Spanakopita
  What the Greeks do with filo is what the Italians do with pizza. The Greeks love their pies and you can find numerous varieties. They can be made with enriched dough or filo pastry, and filled with anything from meat, to greens, to cheese. The most classic pie has got to be the spanakopita – filo pastry layered with feta cheese and spinach, and flavoured with dill.

Scoot’s Greek meal options on the Athens-Singapore route are prepared by locals, so you get a real Greek experience up in the air. Expect dishes like Greek salad and Moussaka when you are onboard. I can say, the dishes are comparable to the ones I tasted in Athens. In fact, the Moussaka was particularly memorable because it was rich and flavourful, just like how the Greeks do it.

WHY YOU SHOULD ORDER PRE-PURCHASE MEALS

Scoot is offering a pay-per-meal plan. Passengers can order their meals from an exclusive menu 72 hours prior to the flight’s departure time.

Prepaid meals are prepared on demand, so Scoot can cut down on food costs and prevent unnecessary waste. They are thus translating the savings to higher quality meals made from even fresher ingredients. These meals are prepared closer to the time of the flight and once prepared, they are blast chilled and loaded onto the aircraft.

The flight to/from Athens is a long haul flight (around 11 hours direct!), so one is bound to get hungry. So, Scoot is offering a special meal bundle on this route (at S$50) to ensure that you are well-fed throughout the flight, comprising:
– 1 x Premium Meal Combo which includes a deluxe meal, 2 sides and a drink
– 1 x Light Meal Combo which includes a light meal, 2 snacks and a pre-cupped juice

Meal bundles come in non-vegetarian (no pork no lard) and vegetarian versions.

While Scoot’s current menu focuses primarily on stronger-flavoured Asian cuisines on the short/medium haul routes, featuring dishes such as Nasi Lemak and Cardamom Butter Chicken, the Athens menu looks into Western and Greek cuisine options.

We had a chance to meet the Scoot team in Singapore, as well as in Athens, to understand more about their meal planning for this long-haul flight. It is a rigorous selection process undertaken by the team to guarantee you of tasty and delicious mealtimes in the air. Questions raised during the food tasting includes the range of dishes offered, different ovens on board, the size of the tray, and even the aircraft type and configuration were taken into consideration.

Singapore to Athens Meal Bundles for Pre-order

We joined the Scoot team’s meal tasting session at SATS Inflight Catering Centre, organised by SATS. Scoot is working with their strategic inflight services partner SATS, to collaboratively research and develop a unique inflight food and beverage bundle for this long haul flight.

The flight bound for Athens is scheduled to depart Singapore at 2.45am and arrive in Athens at 8.45am. A light meal service will commence first.

Depending on your choice of meal bundle (vegetarian or non-vegetarian), you will be served the Greek Salad Wrap or the Turkey Pastrami with Cranberry Sauce & Roasted Pumpkin Mushroom Wrap. While both wraps are delightful, the Greek Salad Wrap is a clear winner. Inspired by the typical Greek salad, this wrap consists of crunchy lettuce, roasted bell peppers, couscous, black olives, and a citrusy lemon mayonnaise. Each bite is refreshing and gives a mix of textures!

The light meal service comes with a cookie, apple juice and a pack of cashew nuts. Great for a quick bite before a nap or to munch on while watching some streaming inflight entertainment on ScooTV.

During the main meal service, you have a choice of Moshari Kokkinisto (Beef Stew with Buttered Linguine) and Psito Kotopoulo Lemoni (Herb Lemon Roasted Chicken with Pilaf Rice) for the non-vegetarian meals. Beef is first stewed with Mediterranean herbs and spices, before it is paired with an olive oil-infused tomato sauce and served with buttered linguine, cheddar cheese and an assortment of vegetables. The beef stew looks appealing and tastes as good as it looks. The roasted chicken, on the other hand, is marinated with lemon and Mediterranean herbs, and served on a bed of fragrant pilaf rice.

The vegetarian main meal is a breakfast dish of Vegetable Frittata, with rosti potatoes and baked tomato.

The main deluxe meal comes with a side salad, 2 deluxe sides and a cup of water, as well as a choice of Evian Mineral Water or Coca Cola.

Athens to Singapore Meal Bundles for Pre-order

At the catering office in Athens, I had the chance to try a variety of Greek food. You will be happy to know that at least 1 Greek-style option is available in the prepaid menu. There are 3 options (including Greek options!) available – 2 non-vegetarian and 1 vegetarian. Do note that meals and sides are subject to change.

Scoot’s flight departs Athens at 11.30am and arrives Singapore at 3.55am (+1). Meal service will begin with lunch.

Greek salad is a must have with almost every meal. A mix of tomatoes, olives, cucumber and feta cheese, the salad is a staple side for all deluxe meals on flights from Athens.

From Athens to Singapore, I will suggest that you go for the Greek Moussaka – a creamy and palatable dish with luscious layers of juicy minced beef and eggplant. I enjoyed this pasta-free lasagne the most. Another dish that was shortlisted was the Chicken Giouvetsi (Chicken with Orzo Pasta). This tomato-based dish is served with tender chicken pieces.

For the vegetarian option, Fusilli Pasta with Ratatouille Sauce will be served.

Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian hot meals will be served with a side salad, 2 sides, and water. The meal also comes with a choice of Evian mineral water or Coca Cola.

Before you arrive, there will be a light meal service. On this flight, there are two baguette versions for the light meal combo – Turkey & Cheese for the meat option and Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables for the vegetarian option. I find the Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables Baguette to be a great choice.

The baguette will be served with a snack and a drink.

FYI, Scoot reserves the right to change the menu without notice if required. If the meal you pre-ordered is not available, you will be served a delicious alternative instead.

SCOOT TO GREECE!

Scoot’s inflight meals offer passengers a wide variety of choices that are affordable, and there’s truly something for everybody. They are constantly introducing new additions to their selection of flight meals so passengers can look forward to new dishes each time they fly with Scoot.

Passengers are strongly encouraged to pre-purchase meals, as these meal bundles with deluxe and light meals are available for pre-order only. Buying your meals in advance ensures that you will be served with meals through the flight. There will only be a limited quantity of food and beverages available for sale onboard, subject to availability, so it is best to plan in advance to avoid any disappointment!

The Singapore-Athens route will be serviced by Scoot’s fleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The planes are fitted with eight crew bunks and a total of 329 seats, including 18 in ScootBiz.

There will be three to four flights from Singapore to Athens per week (depending on the season), taking off at 2.45am (Singapore time) and arriving in Athens at about 8.45am (Athens time). To book, visit Scoot’s website for more information.

This post was brought to you in partnership with Scoot.