This is the first leg of my trip SFO-DXB-HRE-NBO-DXB-SFO. I had pre-booked the Emirates car service and was picked up at my house at 12:30pm. Surprisingly, there was no traffic crossing the Bay Bridge and I got to SFO by 1:15pm. There was a long line to check in for Economy Class but no lines at all for Business or First. I was through to the Emirates lounge shortly after 1:30pm. I took a quick shower (lukewarm water at best) and then had a bite to eat. There was a decent choice of food at the buffet station.
This KLM flight to Amsterdam was in front of my seat.
Our plane arriving from Dubai.
Then for whatever reason, the KLM flight returned to the gate.
I was seated in the rear business class cabin.
The empty bar area.
I love the cameras that are on the 380.
Once airborne, drinks and dinner was served. The dinner service was incredibly slow. It took the flight attendants half an hour to clear my appetizer plate and forty-five minutes to clear my main course plate. The food was pretty tasteless. The menu for the flight:
Appetiser
Traditional Arabic Mezze
Smoked Salmon
Tomato and Lentil Shorba
Seasonal Salad
Main Course]
Marinated Beef Tenderloin
Sundried Tomato Crusted Sea Bass Filet
Chicken Nilgiri
Dessert, Cheese and Fruit
Treacle and Lemon Tart
Berry and Vanilla Crisp
Cheese Board
Seasonal Fruit
I had the Salmon, Chicken and Berry Crisp
As I mentioned, the food was pretty bland. Overall the flight attendants were very aloof and not really friendly or service oriented.
The rest of the menu:
Light Bites
Emirates Deli Platter
Chilli con Carne
Smoked Salmon and Broccoli Quiche
Hot Vegetable Ciabatta Sandwich
Macadamia Nut Tart
Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs with Chives
Cheese Omelette
French Toast
Breakfast Platter
Continental Breakfast
I'm not exactly sure why they serve breakfast right before landing at Dubai at 7:30 in the evening, but I had the scrambled eggs, which again were tasteless.
I had a forced overnight in Dubai, so Emirates put me up at the JW Marriott Marquis, which was very nice. I went to the Emirates Chauffeur desk and secured a ride to the hotel. One strange thing was I asked to book my return from the hotel to the airport but was told that this was arranged by the hotel. So when I arrived at the hotel I asked about my transfer back to the airport the next morning and was told Emirates generally picks up people three hours before departure but they would need to confirm with Emirates. Finally at around 10:30pm, there was a note under my door confirming my pick up time. Wouldn't it have been a lot easier just to confirm everything at Dubai airport?
Coming from a city renowned for high culinary traditions, it must be a shocker to be served what looks like a frozen microwavable dinner transferred to a plate. The portion required a magnifying glass.
To answer your question, breakfast was served before arrival because it is much cheaper to purchase that from airport catering. Dinners are 2-3 times pricier. EK figures that you can eat at the lounge on arrival if you feel like having something more substantial.