We love to travel and have recently learned from friends how to make the entire airport departure part more pleasurable. They are members of a couple of executive lounges and enhance their leave-takings with a leisurely visit where they can enjoy a beverage, some delicious food, flip through magazines and the like. Before a long overnight flight overseas recently they arrived in time to enjoy a meal at the Flight Club and gave the bistro on the arrivals floor of the airport, glowing accolades. She asked if I had a chance to dine there. As a matter of fact I had.

We were away in March and thought that we would return to spring in Winnipeg but we had no such luck. Spring teased us through April and I was overjoyed to receive an invite to a tasting at the Flight Club where their menu is inspired by herbs and seeds. I was craving green…anything green.

Sister #3 (my date for the evening) and I were delighted by the Roasted Heirloom Beets and Tomato Salad. The vine tomatoes  and white balsamic vinaigrette produced just the right amount of acidity to offset the silky beets and pungent goat cheese. Between the fresh thyme and rosemary and the sweet candied pistachios which added crunch and sweetness, I knew by that first dish that the evening would be a delicious success.

The Spiced by the Sea Ahi Tuna Tartare was also a hit -flavoured with pickled ginger, lime, chia seeds and microgreens. I like my tuna tartare with a smidge of sesame oil which was missing, but satisfying nonetheless.  To offset the seriousness of the plate, the tartare was accompanied with a side of deep fried knotted nori.

The Jumbo Shrimp Wonton Soup warmed us up and even though I am not partial to miso, the broth with hon shimeji and shitake mushrooms was light and lovely.

We skipped over to the Asian section of the Flight Club menu and landed at the Indonesian dish of Nasi Goreng. Sister #3 and I agreed that this was the best dish that had been sampled up until that time. We loved the sunny-side egg over the spicy and sweet fried rice and were over the moon when we tasted the chicken satay skewers! There were four of us sharing each dish and we could have easily gone home after this delectable one, but our tasting time was not over, in fact we had just started!

In addition to all the savoury food, samples from the Flight Club’s juice and smoothie bar came out in between plates. This gorgeous one called Charge Me Up was a nutritious blend of grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, lime and lemongrass. If this smoothie doesn’t get you going, I am not certain what will.

I am confident that you see the trend of this post. Every dish was creatively concocted and plated, utilizing the finest ingredients and complex taste profiles. I am running out of descriptive words for the multitude of dishes, so I think instead I am going to post the rest of the entrees that we sampled and list the ingredients from their menu.

Shiromiso Salmon-Miso-marinated Atlantic salmon, pan-fried and served with roasted cauliflower, wasabi and a Yukon gold puree, elegantly paired with pickled ginger beurre blanc.

Flight Club Veal Cheek-Veal cheek wrapped in smoked bacon and cooked in a sous vide style with hints of fresh rosemary and thyme, served over creamy truffle-scented mashed potatoes with ratatouille and crispy fried leek.

Flight Club Lamb Shank-Lamb shank cooked in a sous vide style with black pepper and sweet onion and served with a Yukon gold potato puree and garnished with a Tuscan Cipollini onions confit with raisins and pine nuts.

Crispy Green Tomato Sandwich-Breaded Green tomatoes on a Kaiser bun with fresh avocado, spicy jalapeno cheese and lettuce and buttered with a smoked chipotle aioli.

I believe this one was (I may be incorrect-hey even foodies forget sometime!)…

Banh Mi Grilled Pork Wrap-Grilled pork marinated in a lemongrass topped with pickled king mushrooms, fresh garden vegetables and softly lathered with our “Flight Club” special sauce.

Golden Roasted Chicken ‘n’ Rice-Roasted chicken served on a bed of flavoured rice and fresh vegetables with traditional chilli sauce.

Vegetarian Red Curry-Healthy blend of vegetables and tofu cooked in a lightly spiced red curry sauce served with apricot and almond rice pilaf and crispy pappadam.

Sweet Lemon Cheese Dumplings-Lemon cheese filling in a sweet parcel, deep-fried and served with chocolate and salted caramel sauce.

We were delighted when the dessert came out, not because we had the room for something sweet but because it meant we could soon put our forks down. These little packets popped in your mouth!

Death by Chocolate-Decadent chocolate ice cream, bittersweet chocolate chunks, chocolate cookie crumble and milk chocolate sauce.

I have always considered this dessert title an odd one, but so appropriate in this case. I thought that I might die if I took another bite, but that didn’t stop me.

Kath’s quote. “Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”-Francois Minot

Love never fails.

 

 

 

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