When we book a premium cabin, inflight dining is one of the things we look forward to most. On our Singapore Airlines First Class flight from Tokyo Narita to the US, we used the "Book the Cook" service to pre-select our meals. The food on this route was genuinely incredible. Here is everything we ate at 40,000 feet.
Inflight dining gets a bad reputation and most of the time it deserves it. Rubbery proteins, pre-packaged sides, and bread that has been sitting in foil since somewhere over the Pacific. Singapore Airlines First Class is a completely different category. The care that goes into sourcing, preparing, and presenting food at this level makes it feel less like a meal you receive on a plane and more like a restaurant that happens to be moving.
(For the full seat and flight experience, see our complete flight review video on the channel.)
Book the Cook: What It Is and Why You Should Use It
Book the Cook is Singapore Airlines' pre-selection service for premium cabins. Instead of choosing from whatever dishes are loaded on the day of your flight, you log in online before departure and select from an extended menu that includes more elaborate, restaurant-quality options.
For First Class on this route specifically, the Book the Cook selection from Japan included Japanese-inspired dishes that you simply would not get if you waited and ordered from the standard menu on board. If you are flying Singapore Airlines Business or First Class and you do not use this feature, you are genuinely leaving one of the best parts of the experience on the table. Do it as soon as it becomes available, which is usually a few days before departure.
Champagne and Singapore Satay Before Takeoff
We were offered a choice of two champagnes as soon as we settled in. Neither of us are sommeliers, but both were noticeably smooth. Out of curiosity, we looked them up later: my choice was around $200 a bottle, Vincent's was closer to $300.
The champagne service in First Class is not a formality. The selection is genuinely good and the presentation, in proper crystal glassware, matches the quality of what is in the glass. Sipping a $300 bottle of champagne before a transpacific flight while sitting in a fully enclosed suite is a specific kind of surreal that is hard to explain to anyone who has not experienced it.
The flight attendants asked whether we wanted the satay before or after departure. We waited until after takeoff.
The satay: The Singapore Chicken Satay is famous for good reason. The peanut sauce is rich and deeply flavored. It might not quite match eating it fresh on the ground, but it is an absolute must-order if you are flying this route. The chicken is tender and well-seasoned, the sauce clings perfectly, and the lemongrass notes come through clearly even at altitude. Order this. Do not skip it.
Appetizers
The care from the flight attendants throughout was exceptional. When I got cold, our flight attendant tucked me in with a blanket. They also pre-warm the bread plates so your garlic bread stays soft. These small details add up to an experience that feels curated rather than processed.
The bread plate arriving warm is the kind of thing that sounds minor until you compare it to the standard airline experience of receiving a cold roll inside sealed foil. It signals that someone is paying attention.
My appetizer (scallops): Scallops topped with caviar. The presentation was on par with a five-star restaurant. The scallops were incredibly fresh, though the sauce at the bottom was a bit heavy. The caviar added a salinity that worked well with the sweetness of the scallop. I also had a vegetable soup with flat ravioli inside. The ravioli was not my favorite, but the broth was soothing and well-seasoned. A warm soup partway through a long flight is genuinely comforting.
Vincent's appetizer (caviar): Traditional caviar service with blinis and condiments. He is not a huge caviar fan, but he genuinely enjoyed the experience. The blinis were fresh and the condiments, including the crème fraîche and finely minced onion, were all present and properly handled. The service itself was tableside, which felt very much like a restaurant moment.
Main Course
My main (lobster): Lobster with potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The smell alone when it arrived was great, and it tasted as good as it looked. On a previous flight I had a soggy noodle dish that left me disappointed with inflight dining. This lobster completely reversed that impression. The meat was properly cooked and not rubbery, which is a genuine achievement in a galley oven, and the vegetables were bright and not overcooked.
Vincent's main (black cod): Grilled miso marinated black cod with seasonal vegetables and steamed rice. Slightly fishy, but still very good. The miso marinade comes through clearly and the texture of the fish held up well. Black cod at altitude is one of those dishes that works better than you expect because the fat content keeps it from drying out the way leaner proteins do.
Both mains arrived on proper plateware with real cutlery, and the courses were paced in a way that did not feel rushed or dragged out.
Dessert: A Surprise and a Mont Blanc
Vincent arranged a surprise for me mid-flight: a beautiful, large tiramisu cake. That was not a standard service item. It arrived at my suite while I was not expecting anything, and the presentation was genuinely lovely. Planning a mid-flight surprise like that takes some coordination with the crew in advance, and they executed it well.
For the actual dinner dessert, we were served a Green Tea Mont Blanc. I went over to Vincent's suite to share it. The presentation was stunning, with red bean paste, ice cream, and a syrup that brought everything together. The pastry work was genuinely impressive. A Mont Blanc is already a delicate dessert to execute on the ground; getting one at this quality level on a plane is remarkable.
The green tea flavoring was distinct without being overpowering, and the red bean added an earthiness that balanced the sweetness. We finished every bite.
Lunch Service Before Landing
After a few hours of sleep, the cabin comes back to life for a second meal service before landing. This is where this route really distinguishes itself.
My lunch (sukiyaki): The best individual dish I had on the plane. Incredibly soft, flavorful meat cooked in a sweet soy-based broth with vegetables and glass noodles. If you are debating what to order for the second meal service on this route, get the sukiyaki. It is not even close.
Vincent's lunch (kakuni): Japanese-style braised pork belly with rice. Very good, but the sukiyaki edges it out. The kakuni was tender and the sauce was properly reduced, but the sukiyaki had a depth of flavor that made it memorable in a way the pork belly did not quite match.
Both of these dishes are Japanese-inspired in a way that feels deeply connected to the departure point. You are not eating generic international hotel food. You are eating something that reflects where you just were.
The Big Takeaway
The food on the outbound flight from the US to Japan did not leave much of an impression. Flying from Japan to the US was a completely different experience.
If you are booking Singapore Airlines First Class and have a choice of departure direction: start your journey in Asia. You get the local dishes, the Japanese-inspired courses, the satay before takeoff. It elevates the entire experience in a way that the US-to-Asia direction simply does not.
The full dining experience across this flight, from pre-departure champagne through the second meal service, is one of the better meals we have had anywhere, not just on a plane. That is the standard Singapore Airlines First Class holds itself to on this route, and it largely delivers.
Tips for Singapore Airlines First Class Dining
- Use Book the Cook. Pre-select your meals online before the flight. The extended menu includes options not available if you order on the day.
- Order the satay. It is not a filler item. It is genuinely one of the best things served on this route.
- For the second meal service, order sukiyaki if it is available. It is the standout dish.
- Ask the crew to warm your bread plates. They do this proactively but it is worth confirming.
- Coordinate mid-flight surprises with the crew in advance if you are celebrating something. They are very willing to help make moments happen.
- Flying from Asia to the US gives you the Japanese-inspired menu that makes this dining experience exceptional. It is a real consideration when planning which direction to fly.
