JAPAN AIRLINES SPECIAL: TABLE FOR ONE

In Japan Airlines’ first and business class, you are signing up for more than comfort, convenience, and excellent service—you are in for a top-tier gastronomic journey, too

A special gastronomic journey in Japan Airlines’ first and business class

Imagine a restaurant where you can enjoy exquisite dishes that showcase the full breadth of Japanese cuisine, prepared by not just one superstar chef, but several of the country’s best. Transport this restaurant tens of thousands feet into the sky, add all the comforts and amenities of a first-or business-class seat on a stellar airline, and you have Japan Airlines’ BEDD concept, whose title combines the word “bed” with an extra D for “dining with delicious food in dreamlike comfort”, and dubbed “the most luxurious restaurant in the world”.

In order to craft an elevated culinary programme above and beyond your usual first- and business-class offerings, Japan Airlines has collaborated with chefs who helm some of the best fine-dining restaurants in the country. From proposing new recipes to devising novel preparation methods, the airline works closely with these culinary artisans to create unforgettable dining experiences. For instance, the chefs came up with a unique method to reheat food to ensure meat dishes are as succulent as intended. Another highlight is the seasonal menu on board, with chefs utilising ingredients that are unique to a particular season, be it spring or autumn.

Business class guests can enjoy the authentic offerings of Jun Kurogi, the chef-owner behind Kurogi. Tasting the dishes created by what is known as one of the most difficult restaurants to reserve in Tokyo is a breeze from your seat on Japan Airlines. There are also dishes by Shinobu Namae, grand chef of two Michelin-starred L’effervescence, a restaurant that has been recognised for its commitment to sustainable culinary practices.

Those flying first class can look forward to culinary creations by Hideki Ishikawa, who has spearheaded several restaurants including the eponymous Ishikawa, which was awarded three Michelin stars, as well as restaurants Kohaku and Ren. He is accompanied by his Kohaku apprentice Kouji Koizumi, who was recognised as the youngest chef to work in a three Michelin-starred establishment in 2015. Meanwhile, Sugalabo chef-owner, Yosuke Suga, who trained under Joël Robuchon, offers his seasonal French-japanese dishes on board.

Immaculate attention has been paid to all the details of your meal, right down to the bread, which is prepared especially by Maison Kayser for the airline’s Western-style meals. Founded

by Éric Kayser—known as the top bread maker in Paris, where he first started his business—maison Kayser swiftly soared in popularity since opening its first store in Tokyo in 2001.

Of course, an impressive food menu would be incomplete without drink offerings to match, which is why the airline boasts a luxurious selection of wines, sakes, teas and champagnes. In first and business-class, wine bottles are all hand-selected by Japan Airlines wine advisers and masters of wine Kenichi Ohashi and Motohiro Okoshi, while a variety of sakes and shochus are also available. First class passengers can enjoy prestige champagnes such as Salon 2007 and Louis Roederer Cristal 2009, as well as Royal Blue Tea, a luxury bottled tea that is coldbrewed using the mizudashi technique, essentially infusing its flavour to fresh water for a period of three to seven days.

As is expected of Japan’s national carrier, the exquisite culinary experience begins when you check into its first and business class lounges. Hasegawa sake is available at the first class lounge, along with Laurent-perrier champagne. The food menu, meanwhile, comprises freshly baked bread by Maison Kayser, soup by Soup Stock Tokyo and cookies by

Qu’il Fait Bon, as well as the airline’s popular beef curry. You can even watch as hand-rolled sushi is freshly prepared in front of you. All of these decadent dishes are just a glimpse of the haute cuisine that awaits in the sky—a front row seat to rare fine-dining experiences that offers access even to those hard-to-book restaurants on land.

Clockwise from top: Japan Airlines’ BEDD concept brings a gastronomic treat to the skies; a sumptuous dish by the grand chef of L’effervescence, Shinobu Namae; chef-owner Jun Kurogi of Kurogi, a restaurant known as one of the hardest to reserve in Tokyo; chef Shinobu Namae melds French culinary techniques with Japanese ingredients