Savour exquisite French flavours with Cathay and Louise’s new inflight dining menu

Hongkongers love exciting dining experiences, both in their hometown and on their travels. That’s why our Dining and Hospitality teams are constantly looking for new ways to ensure every journey starts on a delicious note.

To further enhance our food and beverage offerings and provide customers with a memorable dining experience, we’ve introduced several partnerships with some of Hong Kong’s top restaurants and food and beverage brands over the past years. These include limited-time menus developed alongside Veda and Pirata, as well as a variety of 'Hong Kong Flavours’ dishes created with Michelin-starred establishments – Duddell’s of JIA Group and Yat Tung Heen at Eaton HK – to delight passengers across different cabins, offering travellers a taste of our city’s unique and iconic flavours.

Encouraged by the success of these partnerships, we teamed up with Hong Kong’s JIA Group once again in January last year, partnering with acclaimed French restaurant, Louise . Known for its fresh take on traditional French cuisine, the restaurant opened its doors in PMQ's idyllic gardens in 2019. Housed in a breathtaking two-storied heritage-listed house, the restaurant earned itself a Michelin star shortly after opening and has been a leading establishment in Hong Kong’s fine dining scene ever since. Together, we’ve rolled out a special menu dedicated to First class and Business cabin passengers on selected long-haul flights departing from Hong Kong. Featuring a selection of appetisers, mains and desserts, it’s a showcase of classic French cuisine with a modern twist, which has received widespread acclaim since its launch for the exceptional flavours and exquisite presentation. We’re truly grateful for the support and are excited to team up with Louise once again for the second edition of the menu this May, offering our customers even more delicious surprises.

“Our renewed partnership with Louise is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional dining experiences," says Bernard Mills, Head of Dining and Hospitality at Cathay Pacific. “The success of our previous collaboration inspired us to push the boundaries even further with this new menu. Louise’s dedication to excellence and innovative approach to French cuisine align perfectly with our vision. We’re excited to share these new and meticulously crafted dishes with our First and Business class passengers, offering them a taste of culinary artistry at 30,000 feet.”

For Louise’s executive chef, Loïc Portalier, and his team, working on these dishes was an exciting new challenge. It was something they had never done before. Their biggest challenge? Execution. Preparing inflight meals is completely different from cooking in a restaurant. But by keeping it simple and delicious, Portalier and the team successfully created a whole new range of traditional French dishes with a modern twist.  

In keeping with the success of our inaugural menu launch, this round of offerings has seen some of the world’s finest ingredients take flight with Cathay Pacific. No detail has been spared in the curation of this inflight menu, with the team at Louise opting for choices such as the highly prized morel mushrooms, white asparagus (often referred to as “white gold”), and the bittersweet and elegant Guanaja dark chocolate. A particular highlight is the Iberico pork pluma with sage-infused jus, a hearty main dish served with Basque piperade and potato mousseline that’s available in First class. Meanwhile, Business class passengers can look forward to the delectable Provençal beef cheek stew with cherry tomatoes, basil and gnocchi.

The menu is also infused with Asian culinary sensibilities. In the appetiser we curated for our First class passengers, Obsiblue prawns takes centre stage – it's freshly prepared and paired with celery and apple gelee with a hint of yuzu cream and chilli oil which adds a vibrant touch to the dish. On the sweet side, there’s the calamansi cremeux with citrus fruits and meringue; and the caramelised apples accompanied with luscious vanilla cream, green apple compote and almond crumble – a delightful reinterpretation of tarte tatin, the classic and decadent up-side down French caramelised apple tart.

“This collaboration not only enhances our inflight dining offerings, but also strengthens our bond with Hong Kong’s vibrant culinary community. By working closely with Louise, we continue to bring the essence of Hong Kong’s dynamic food scene to the skies, making every journey with Cathay Pacific a memorable adventure,” adds Mills. 

Please note that the dishes featured in this video are from our previous menu launched in partnership with Louise in January 2024 and may not be available on the current menu.

Learn more about Cathay’s inflight dining partnerships here

This story was originally published in January 2024 and updated in May 2025.