This past December, I was able to travel on Cathay Pacific Business Class for the first time. For as long as I can remember, Cathay Pacific was always spotlighted as one of the top airlines in Asia, and known for the quality of offerings in their airport lounges. For these reasons, I was excited about this trip.
Upon entering the lounge, there is a large seating area with windows overlooking the gates. Off to one side of this area is a bar area, where they also had some breakfast items (primarily baked goods). However, if you continue through the seating area, this will take you to the Noodle Bar area of the lounge, which was the highlight for me.
The menu at this time included:
- A wonton noodle soup,
- Congee, and
- Assorted dim sum.
Everything is plated to order so all three items were served nice and hot. While Manila was already warm, the hot soup was still appreciated. Both the noodle soup and the congee had great flavor, while the dim sum was everything I had been hoping for. Living in a city where dim sum is rare, I was able to appreciate my bao and siu mai/shumai. While I would argue that this is some of the best soups and dim sum that you can get in a lounge, I have heard that others that they were not impressed. With all food, taste is subjective, so don’t let anyone else convince you not to try something because they did not enjoy it.
If food is a reason you select an airline when traveling, I recommend Cathay Pacific. The atmosphere and food in the Manila lounge exceeded my expectations and is something I would factor in when choosing an airline the next time I travel. Until next time, happy travels and happy eating!
