CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR THIS PLACE:
When you Tavel a lot, you tend to forget when was the last time you wrote a review about your favorite airline. Since the first revamped business class to Beirut review and the “cabin Best”, several other detailed reviews have followed. I’ve been on AirFrance endless times loving it every time, feeling at home, pampered in the air by a professional staff. To and from Beirut, the last review was written in 2015. New food ideas, new refreshing kits but the same great cocoon seat experience, I was excited to enjoy my flight to Paris.
The advantages of flying AirFrance to Paris:
- You’ll feel pampered like a king, handled by a professional staff having one priority in mind; make you fall in love with their company and leave happy.
- You won’t have to hear people screaming and shouting in Arabic.
- The vibes and mood feel French and classy.
- No ads, no advertisements; AirFrance doesn’t have an annoying movie to show you.
- You get to receive a refreshment kit when traveling on business class; you’ve paid for it after all.
- Seats are more relaxing, and screens are bigger than MEA
- You’ll get a snack before landing: I chose the selection of Valhrona chocolate.
The disadvantage of flying AirFrance to Paris:
- You’ll miss the same Rahbani Music played on Middle East Airlines for the last twenty years.
- You won’t see Nader Saab sitting on his desk and Lebanese girls half naked dancing on tables displayed in a twenty minutes advertising at the beginning of the flight.
- You’ll feel less patriotic!
- Plane departs at 4 pm, you’ll have the chance to finish your work in the morning but unfortunately lose a day in Paris.
- Food is not up to the AirFrance standard and not even compared to the experience from Paris to Beirut.
- I'll repeat myself: Food is unacceptably bad!
A refreshing kit, a hot towel, a selection of newspapers and champagne are a way of welcoming you onboard. Movies start as soon as the plane leaves its parking and no one tells you to put off your phone! I feel blessed today!
On the menu:
Gourmet appetizer with seasonal salad (scallop a la plancha, couscous salad with saffron, stuffed cone leaves with rice and vegetables, eggplant caviar, seasonal salad)
Hot dishes:
- Grilled veal escalope with mushroom sauce, Provence style tomato, and roast potatoes.
- Grilled sea bass fillet with shredded leeks, fish veloute with whole grain mustard, sliced red bell pepper, wild rice.
- Chicken Moghrabieh and poultry juice with chickpeas
- Vegetable moussaka with tomatoes coriander fried white rice
Selection of gourmet cheeses
Desserts:
- Raspberry and chocolate Macaron, Lebanese sweet (halewet el jeben)
- Mini soft chocolate cake
- Sorbets, fresh fruit salad
The dinner experience starts with some fantastic biscuits in a box, flaky and crunchy, made with 30% butter and 2% salt. It’s not a brand I’ve previously seen in town, but I’ll make sure to search for in Paris. With that, the amuse bouche, a soggy tortilla with crab served on a spoon. My wine choice will be Bourgogne Blanc, Chablis 2014, domain long Depaquit Albert Bichot. Fruity and beautifully textured.
Food is bad, unfortunately not up to standard... is anyone from Air France at least tasting what the kitchens are cooking? Flavors of the traditional Moghrabieh with a bizarrely chewy and unappetizing chicken I’ve never experienced before. Honestly, this was the first time a chicken slides under my teeth. Hard textured scallops, two portions of butter instead of one, a terrible fish my wife couldn’t finish, over toasted bread, and then came desserts; dramatically bad desserts.
The Macaron is too sweet, a tasteless frozen “Halawat el Jeben” and a dry chocolate cake with a bitter aftertaste. Probably the worst desserts I’ve had for years! I’ll be happy to meet the company who does them, they evidently lack the know-how, and cook without passion.
Even though the food experience was not up to standard, I will still choose AirFrance but unfortunately refrain from eating on my trips to Paris. I just like it, the seat, the hostesses' smiles, the choice of wines, the big screen and the entertainment system. My recommendation to the company is to change the food supplier.
