Living in New Jersey for almost twenty years, my choice of airlines for international flights were varied and numerous. Sadly though, my focus was usually on earning or keeping my frequent flyer status, so I would limit my trips to the same carriers. While Virgin Atlantic was always an airline my friends would praise, it wasn’t until last month that I got to my first opportunity to fly with them. More on the flight next time, as I want to focus on Virgin’s lounge in JFK for this post.
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is located in Terminal 4, near gate A5. The lounge wasn’t the easiest to find as signs weren’t too clear, and the elevator leading to it was not marked, but once you get up to the floor, you will see it to your right. Access was complimentary as we were flying Upper Class on Virgin so we provided our boarding passes and passports to the desk and were allowed inside quickly and easily. As most of Virgin’s flights for the day were not scheduled to leave for another four hours, the lounge was pretty empty. It did fill up within a couple of hours though, but even at its busiest, there were still open seats available.
The Clubhouse is table service only, but they provide a wide range of options for ordering. Carla, who was the star of the lounge for us, greeted us immediately as soon as we sat and provided us with the menu.
We each opted to get a small plate and a large plate since we were hungry. I ordered the duck lettuce wraps and the Clubhouse chicken burger, while Sonia opted for the baked chicken wings and the pan fried sea bass.
Duck Lettuce Wraps
The lettuce wraps were everything I expected and craved, so I was satisfied with the dish. The order comes with 2 lettuce wraps filled with duck and topped with carrots and spring onions. The vegetables were crisp and fresh, and the duck had the right amount of hoisin sauce to provide the perfect portions in each bite. Since the dishes come out as ready, these came out after my chicken burger, which is the one thing I wish had been different. For me, this would have been the perfect starter before getting into the heartier dish.
Clubhouse Chicken Burger
Saucy! That was my first thought when my chicken burger came out. There is a lot of sauce on it, and mine was heavier on one side so that it was oozing out. The burger comes with a side of chips/fries, which makes it quite a filling meal. My highlight with this dish had to be the pickled watermelon chips, which is something I never would have thought existed, but now, I can’t believe I had never had it before.
Baked Chicken Wings
Sonia’s small plate was the chicken wings. Overall, she enjoyed them, but she did have to pull some quills out of them, which is never pleasant. While nothing particular stood out for her, she was satisfied with the dish.
Pan Fried Sea Bass
Sonia’s large plate was the sea bass, which she enjoyed. She was particularly surprised with the crispy skin of the fish and found the crushed peas and kale to complement the meal perfectly. Compared to my burger though, this dish felt more like a small plate. A well thought out dish but not as filling as expected.
Dessert
Since we still had a few hours before our flight, we sat for a bit before ordering dessert. One of our biggest regrets will be not trying more of the desserts from the menu. The Eton Mess appeared to be quite popular as we saw several being delivered to multiple tables around us. Instead we went for the reliable Haagen Dazs ice cream. It was the perfect ending to a delicious meal.
Having never traveled Virgin before, I was pleasantly surprised by the food in the Virgin Clubhouse. The lounge alone would be a reason I would choose to fly the airline again. Until next time, happy travels and happy eating!
