Whenever the Sybaritic Single books a ticket on Swiss, it can only mean one thing: it’s during the luxurious caviar tasting weeks.
Switzerland’s flag carrier is known for its cozy and antique first class: goose down pillows, polished wood panels, an open space cabin with no private suites and the crew go out of their way to impress with the finest traditional hospitality. Where else nowadays does one see a captain walking around the cabin to greet every first class passenger at their seat, genuinely asking how they are and where they are heading? It all seems to be part of the SOP, precisely delivered as if at a respectable Swiss hotel school.
Sadly, the trolley service is gone following the pandemic and dining has been “enhanced” to being on-demand, service à la russe (courses brought to the table sequentially, portioned on individual plates). Candlelit dining is long gone as well, though the chef de cabine was fondly sharing with the Sybaritic Single his memories of using real burners in first class during the fondue service over 20 years ago when open fire hadn’t been considered a hazard on an airplane.
But back to the caviar! The Sybaritic Single could never understand why Swiss refused serving caviar in first class year-round. Why not add a few hundred dollars on top of the fare and make it part of the package similar to Air France or Emirates, who recently started advertising “unlimited” caviar in first? Instead, Swiss serves quite exceptional fillet of Balik salmon year-round – not too bad yet not the same.
For the two weeks in February and for the first time since the pandemic, Swiss brought back its culinary “connoisseur experience” featuring not one but three different types of Oona caviar – all farmed in Frutigen, Switzerland.
Served with cocktail blini and toasts, each one is truly divine, complemented by Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle – the airline’s another permanent staple.
Seven hours of flying, three 20g tins of caviar and many more flûtes of Champagne pass too quickly and it might will be another year before the caviar (and, therefore, the Sybaritic Single) are back onboard Swiss. Choosing airlines based on the Champagne and caviar they serve is one of life’s little luxuries!
