6.311 Beef & Beetroot Meatballs

Cycle 6 – Item 311

12 (Thu) November 2015

Beef & Beetroot Meatballs

2.5

on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines – KL 855

-Amsterdam to Incheon-

with RK

Mission to Switzerland, Day 5 (see previously 6.310 Mana à la Manor).

In Chavannes-de-Bogis (suburb 20 kilometers north of Geneva). Arrived Sunday. Attended a meeting on diet and physical activity, Monday through yesterday. Going back to Korea tonight.

Meal 1: snack (Geneva International Airport Business Class Lounge)

Surprisingly utilitarian lounge, in light of the luxury for which Geneva is generally associated.

The Swiss can be pretty hardcore minimalist, but this is too much.

The pickings were so minimal that I had to construct my own dish.

Meal 2: lunch (KL 1932 / GVA > AMS)

Seafood Salad (3.0) + Pizza (1.5) — perhaps the first time being perfectly content to order a Heineken, because of both the opportunity to have a Dutch beer on a Dutch airline, and the James Bond co-branding.

Raspberry Parfait (3.0) — nicest airplane silverware, ever.

On the road for the next two weeks, attending a pair of missions, back to back, Switzerland, then Fiji. Arranged the itinerary — MNL > ICN > GVA > ICN > NAD > ICN > MNL — to allow for three consecutive weekends at home, starting yesterday, though only for a day and a half per stop, the second one starting tomorrow. I’ll take my blessings however they may come.

Meal 3: snack (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol KLM Crown Lounge)

The biggest business lounge that I’ve seen yet.

After the underwhelming experience on Lufthansa coming in, I was happily surprised to hear that our flight going out had been cancelled due to the airline strike and reassigned to KLM, which would offer me a first look at the carrier’s business class.

Meal 4: dinner (KL 855 / AMS > ICN)

More than the immediate champagne upon seating, I’m getting spoiled by the warmed nuts served in porcelain.

Beef & Beetroot Meatballs (2.5) — “accompanied by herbed veal jus, smoked potato mousseline, cauliflower poached in Parmesan broth, and leeks” … with toasted sunflower seeds (appetizer) — solid, if predictable.

Through both flights, as well as the business lounge, KLM provided one of the best extended business class experiences that I’ve enjoyed. The food itself was just okay, but the attention to detail and excellent service elevated everything to a higher level.