Qantas brings back lounge favourites for Neil Perry 25-year anniversary

Seasoned frequent flyers might be in for a stroll down memory lane when they next visit a Qantas First Lounge. Qantas will revisit selected classic lounge dishes throughout November in celebration of 25 years of partnership (the silver anniversary) with Neil Perry.

In 1997, Neil Perry signed on as Director of Food, Beverage and Service with Qantas. He’s since been a guiding force in shaping the direction of the airline’s food and beverage offerings. Modern Australian, European-inspired and Asian-fusion dishes are certainly the hallmarks of Qantas’ menus.

Australians have embraced a wider range of cuisines from around the world, from Japanese to Indian and Middle Eastern dishes and we have loved introducing customers to some of these new flavours.

A particular highlight in my time with Qantas has been the addition of new destinations from our recent Bengaluru service to the upcoming Seoul flights which give new opportunities to innovate and feature new dishes inspired by these regions.

– Neil Perry, 25 October 2022

And while there undoubtedly have been some hits and misses over the last quarter-century, it’s hard to imagine premium travel on Qantas without Perry’s signature dishes.

Favourites returning to the Qantas First Lounge

The Qantas First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne will welcome back three fan favourites over the month of November 2022:

• Crab and sweet pork salad with green mango and nam jim dressing: Inspired by a visit to Thailand in 1989 and served on Qantas since the early 2000s.
• Duck ragú with pappardelle: One of the original Qantas inflight dishes in 1997, which has made several comebacks now.
• Torta di Verona: Featured on the opening menu of the Qantas Singapore First Class Lounge.

You can also wash it all back with a Negroni Sbagliato, featured at the opening of the Qantas London Lounge in 2017. The Negroni is lightened with sparkling wine instead of gin.

Crab and sweet pork salad with green mango and nam jim dressing.

Duck ragú with pappardelle.

Also read: Qantas International First Lounge Sydney review →

Treats in store for the Domestic and International Business Lounges

Passengers visiting Qantas’ Domestic Business Lounges and International Business Lounges next month might also enjoy a selection of Neil Perry’s dishes, such as:

• Roast pumpkin with red curry sauce, coconut and green chilli sambal
• Fettucine with ragu bolognese
• Meatball sandwich on ciabatta with tomato ragout
• Kung pao chicken bao with Sichuan pepper and cashews
• Three-cup chicken with bok choy and jasmine rice
• Barbecued prawns with lemon and aioli

Qantas notes that dish availability will vary by lounge. Your best chances at trying these bites will be around November’s lunch and dinner periods.

Kung pao chicken bao with Sichuan pepper and cashews

Barbecued prawns with lemon and aioli.

Meatball sandwich on ciabatta with tomato ragout.

Also read: Qantas International Transit Lounge Perth review →

Point Hacks Managing Editor, Daniel Sciberras, attended a media lunch as a guest of Qantas. All images courtesy of Qantas.