Singapore Airlines restores ‘Book the Cook’ from New York

Singapore Airlines is reintroducing its popular ‘Book the Cook’ service in both First Class and Business Class for passengers departing from New York next month, making it the fifth city on the network to benefit since the option was mostly withdrawn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you’re not familiar, ‘Book the Cook’ allows you to choose from a more extensive list of dishes (in the past, up to 70 were on offer) compared to the regular inflight menu.

It is normally available from selected departure points for those travelling in First Class, Business Class and Premium Economy Class.

Book the Cook is now available for First Class and Business Class passengers on flights departing from five cities on the SIA network:

Book the Cook in Premium Economy Class remains unavailable at the time of writing, as does Champagne in that cabin.

New York is back on the list

Singapore Airlines has confirmed that New York JFK will be reinstated to the eligible ‘Book the Cook’ list of departure points from 2nd November 2021, with both the airline’s daily flights to Singapore eligible:

SIA is currently consolidating its New York flights at the city’s JFK airport, with a return to Newark services slated for a future date.

‘Book the Cook’ options

Here’s the ‘Book the Cook’ (BTC) menu for those departing JFK.

New York to Frankfurt (SQ25)
New York to Singapore (SQ23)
~
Book the Cook

Asian	Stir-fried Chicken in Chinese Wine With seasonal vegetables and steamed jasmine rice
	Prawn-Pork Dumpling Noodle Soup Egg noodles in rich broth garnished with prawn-pork dumplings and leafy greens
	Seafood Congee Oriental breakfast, seabass, scallop & shrimp congee with Chinese Clueller, fried shallots & ginger
Western	Grilled Shrimps and Scallops Grilled shrimps and scallops in tarragon mustard sauce with leeks, carrots, and linguini
	Slow Roasted Beef Fillet Slow roasted beef fillet with natural jus, pomme anna, celeriac, mushrooms and carrot

Source: Singapore Airlines

Those travelling via Frankfurt will also be able to make a BTC selection on the second part of the journey between Frankfurt and Singapore, whether continuing on SQ25 (non-VTL) or switching to the VTL flight in Germany (SQ325).

Frankfurt to Singapore
(for SQ25/SQ325 passengers only)
~
Book the Cook

Asian	Chicken in Massaman Curry Chicken in Thai masaman curry with vegetables and steamed rice
	Honey Glazed Duckling Honey-glazed duckling with vegetables and Chinese egg noodles
	Prawn Wanton Noodles Prawn wanton noodle soup with chye sim, pickled green chili, roasted onions and spring onions
Deliciously Wholesome	Wholesome Ballontine of Chicken with Farro Salad Farro and avocado salad with ballontine of chicken in red capsicum, lime and jalapeno dressing. This cold salad is packed with the good unsaturated fats from avocado and farro’s complex carbs contains magnesium that relieves muscle cramps and tension
	Wholesome Red Lentil Souffle with Farro Salad Farro and avocado Salad with red lentil souffle in red capsicum, lime and jalapeno dressing. Lentils are protein dense and avocado offers healthy unsaturated fatty acids. Inspired by Singapore Airlines International Culinary Panel Chef Alfred Portale
Western	Bavarian Style Pork Belly Served with savoy cabbage, roesti potato and beer sauce

Source: Singapore Airlines

This is a relatively small selection compared to pre-COVID times, with New York previously offering 15 dishes on the ‘Book the Cook’ menu including Lobster Thermidor and NY Striploin steak.

You can make your ‘Book the Cook’ selection up to 24 hours prior to the departure time of your Singapore Airlines flight, via the Manage Booking portal.

Inflight menu

Before you commit to a BTC meal selection, you may want to wait until around eight days before your flight, at which time you can also view the full inflight menu via SIA’s new Digital Menu System (printed menus on board are a thing of the past).

  SIA Digital Menu

For example, here’s what is being served in Business Class on SQ25 from New York to Frankfurt in early November.

Singapore – New York ‘Book the Cook’

‘Book the Cook’ is already available on Singapore – New York flights, as it has been throughout the pandemic for First and Business Class departures from Changi regardless of destination, though a more restricted selection is currently on offer.

The following options have been available recently to those departing Singapore as substitutes to the inflight menu main courses:

First Class

• Boon Tong Kee Chicken Rice (special feature)
• Bismillah Biryani Restaurant Chicken Dum Biryani (special feature)
• Beef tenderloin with garlic mashed potatoes
• Chicken Rice
• Classic Lobster Thermidor
• Fish Congee
• Nasi Biryani
• Nasi Lemak
• Oven Roasted Corn Fed Chicken Breast
• Red Rice and Fish Porridge
• Singapore Laksa
• Singaporean Style Chicken Satay
• Grilled Chilean Seabass
• Spiced Buckwheat and Pumpkin Pancakes
• Warm Waffle with Strawberry Coulis

Business Class

• Boon Tong Kee Chicken Rice (special feature)
• Bismillah Biryani Restaurant Chicken Dum Biryani (special feature)
• Beef Rendang
• Chicken Rice
• Grilled Beef Tenderloin
• Nasi Biryani
• Nasi Lemak
• Indian Style Braised Lamb Shank
• Oven Roasted Corn Fed Chicken Breast
• Peranakan Itek Siow
• Spiced Buckwheat and Pumpkin Pancakes
• Warm Waffle with Strawberry Coulis

This is just a selection of the options currently available, which depend on destination, flight duration and the meal service offered.

Other service enhancements

Being able to choose from the BTC menu in First or Business Class on any route to or from New York is a nice improvement for the passenger experience, but there’s been more in store recently.

From 15th October 2021, SIA transitioned fully from a single-tray service in First and Business Class, introduced as a COVID-19 protection measure, to the usual pre-pandemic course-by-course service, with all routes on the network now included (except Singapore – Shanghai).

Better still, Business Class passengers will have a vintage Champagne to look forward to on many routes from 1st November 2021, including all New York services.

This will come in the form of a Piper-Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2012, a well-rated drop.

Those in First Class on SQ25/26 New York flights will still benefit from two superior vintage Champagnes:

A non-vintage Krug is offered in this cabin on some other routes, but not currently on flights to and from New York.

Whether you’re flying from New York to Singapore non-stop or via Frankfurt, or even if you’re just taking the airline’s “fifth freedom” transatlantic hop to Germany, you’ll be able to ‘Book the Cook’ prior to your flight in Business Class or First Class from 2nd November.

That means passengers can now use the service from all departure points in both directions on this long route, with Frankfurt having joined the list back in September.

In total five cities on the network now offer this option, with a Singapore Airlines spokesperson recently telling us they will “progressively reinstate Book the Cook on other services [originating] outside Singapore”.

Hopefully that will mean these expanded menus on more VTL services in the months ahead.

Meanwhile course-by-course dining is already back network-wide, and most Business Class passengers will be enjoying vintage Champagne on board from next month, so there’s plenty to look forward to.

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)