China Airlines has now released a new menu and tableware to compliment its Japan routes. The airline will partner with Toutouan, a famous restaurant in Tokyo, to launch their “natural style” Japanese cuisine for Premium Business/Business Class on all Japanese routes. Brand new Japanese tableware will also complement the cuisine. “By bringing Japan’s signature banquet cuisine to the skies, China Airlines will make passengers feel like honoured guests. Each Japanese banquet dish will delight the senses and add another wonderful impression to the journey,” states China Airlines.
Toutouan, a premium banquet restaurant passed down through three generations of the same family, hails from Tokyo and is part of the Kurochaya Restaurant Group, which was founded more than fifty years ago. Passengers flying Premium Business and Business Class on China Airlines’ flagship Japan routes, including Taipei (Taoyuan) to Tokyo (Narita), Osaka Fukuoka and Nagoya, Taipei (Songshan) to Tokyo (Haneda), as well as Kaohsiung to Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka, will be able to enjoy Japanese in-flight cuisine created by Araki Hironaka, the Japanese head chef of the original Toutouan in Tokyo, and Wei-Ting Chen, the head chef of Toutouan in Taipei, the only overseas restaurant. The first offering will be the “Imperial Cuisine of Early Spring” with Teriyayki Wagyu Beef as the main dish. Premium Japanese Wagyu Beef is served with wasabi and teriyaki sauce alongside Hokkaido Yumepirika rice famed for its fragrance and sweet taste. The menu will change to reflect main dishes made with seasonal ingredients.
CAL is also partnering with JIA to introduce all new co-branded Japanese tableware to complement the dishes. JIA has won many international design awards and is the supplier of choice to many Michelin-starred restaurants and 5-star hotels around the world. Its designs have also won recognition from the likes of the Victoria & Albert Museum in the U.K. and Wallpaper magazine, a bible for designers.
The design inspiration for this latest collaboration came from the traditional lacquerware and gold lacquer crafts of Japan. The tableware features cherry blossoms in spring, fireworks in summer, red leaves in autumn and fun in the snows of winter. The new bowls incorporate motifs based on the four seasons of Japan and the theme, “experience the beauty of all seasons through cherry blossoms, fireworks, red leaves, and snow.” A surprise on the base of the tray will await travellers when they finish their meal, adding a memorable element to the meal.
We love the pickles plate, entrée plate and chopstick stand are shaped like “Spring Cherry Blossoms.” Their cherry blossom petal design and motifs create a romantic ambiance. The chopstick stand itself cleverly links the plum blossoms that form the China Airlines corporate logo with the cherry blossoms of spring.
The elegant Japanese tableware from China Airlines takes travellers on a guided tour through the four seasons of Japan. The oval-shaped food containers come with either black, blue, red or grey lids to easily distinguish between cold and hot dishes easy. The containers themselves are made from internationally certified recycled materials that reduce carbon emissions during production by at least 70%. China Airlines’ all new Japanese in-flight menu and tableware for travellers are making yet another contribution to the sustainability of our planet.
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