Upgraded: What I ate on my first Business Class flight

The new era of privileged food porn

It finally happened. I was half asleep on the couch on Friday night when the text came in:

“Gabrielle, the wait is over! You’ve got an upgrade for your trip to Zurich. You’ll now be seated in Business.”

I was upgraded to Business Class!

I was headed to Cannes for work and on a whim bid with my eupgrade credits (Air Canada’s “upgrade currency”, so to speak, that you earn by having Aeroplan Elite status) for my overnight flight from Toronto to Zurich. I quickly went online, chose my seat and my meal and prepped myself for a food-fueled overnight sleep in a pod.

My social media algorithm has had me watch hundreds of business-class meal videos from a range of airlines, including Air Canada’s Signature Class flights. While I must admit I thoroughly enjoy this new era of privileged food porn (because let’s be real, it’s only the 1% who can afford to pay for these flights, and probably less so who actually score a deal with points), few go into actual descriptions of the food, so I thought it would be easier (and fun) to break it down here in a newsletter instead of an Instagram reel. I’ve also seen many comments about the “mid” food in Air Canada’s Signature Class cabins, but I really enjoyed the experience, granted, I have nothing to compare it to.

I’ll spare you the full rundown of the Business Class experience; there’s plenty out there describing it, so I’ll just get to the dining experience, which started about three minutes after I boarded when I was presented with a glass of Champagne.

As I looked around my pod in glee, sipping Champagne, I began to notice the rest of the cabin setting up their beds. So in an effort not to look like a newbie loser, I did too.

Then I proceeded to take a million pictures of my Champagne and pod, like a newbie loser.

Within an hour of takeoff, the tablecloths were laid on our tables, and I ordered a cocktail. I opted for a classic Negroni, which came accompanied by the classic business class accoutrement – warm nuts. The cocktail list was pretty small, but they could pretty much make anything you wanted, within reason. The cheerful flight attendant apologized profusely for not having an orange wedge to garnish my Negroni, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest.

I was shocked to hear the woman in the pod next to me decline to eat – she was quick to put on an eye mask and get to sleep – clearly someone who does this run all the time.

The first course arrived just as I was taking the last sips of my Negroni, a few minutes into watching Crazy Rich Asians (the unofficial, official airplane movie for seasoned travellers). There is no choice with the appetizer and salad course. It was Garlic Shrimp with Sriracha dressing, papaya and carrot slaw, grapefruit and cashews. Eating seafood in Economy? Never! But up in Business Class, definitely. It was spicy, refreshing and flavourful. It was served alongside a fresh but unexciting bowl of seasonal greens and a delicious, warm roll. With more Champagne, of course – Jean-Noël Haton Brut Cuvee Classic.

As mentioned, I had pre-selected my main course a few days earlier when I was upgraded, but all options seemed to be available that evening. Perusing the menu, I noticed my choice, Coq-Au-Vin Style Chicken, had a little emblem next to it. This meant it was a “Hawksworth Signature Dish,” created by legendary Vancouver chef David Hawksworth. He’s part of the culinary panel, alongside Vikram Vij (of Vij’s in Vancouver) and Jérôme Ferrer (of Europea in Montreal), who create speciality dining options for Air Canada’s Signature Class.

The Coq-Au-Vin Style Chicken arrived with sauteed mushrooms, pearl onions and mustard gnocchi with bacon crumble. At first glance, I expected the gnocchi to eat a little dry, but they weren’t at all. They were pillowy and delicious, especially when dredged through the coq-au-vin sauce, though the bacon crumble was more like a waft, barely present.

For dessert, you can choose between a cheese course, fruit or a sweet ending. I opted for the Passionfruit Coconut Tart. Another Hawksworth Signature Dish, it was delicious. Tangy, sweet and a great way to end a rich meal. My only complaint, if I had one, would be that the crust was a little too cold, but hey, it was still delicious.

My tablescape was promptly spirited away, and I lay down to get a few hours’ sleep. I’ll disappoint you all now by telling you I didn’t eat breakfast. The flight from Toronto to Zurich is only about 7.5 hours long, so by the time I finished dinner, it was only a few hours later that breakfast service started. I was just too full!

I obviously had a creep on what everyone was eating, and the parsley omelette with parmesan and spinach looked well-presented, served with chicken sausage, roasted tomatoes and potatoes.

Instead, I enjoyed a $20 cappuccino from Starbucks in Zurich airport on my layover.

---