Qantas Sydney, Melbourne first class lounges: spring 2024 menu
The latest seasonal menu for Qantas’ flagship lounges sees plenty of new dishes plus a refresh of the cocktail list.
By David Flynn, September 5 2024
“What’s on the latest menu at the Qantas first class lounge?”
It’s a surprisingly common question of top-tier Qantas Platinum and Qantas Platinum One frequent flyers who begin their journey from the Qantas International First Lounges at Sydney and Melbourne, alongside first class passengers and members of the elite Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.
But perhaps the question is not so surprising: the airline’s approach to seasonal menus means a raft of new dishes appears every four months, alongside a slew of evergreen favourites that can’t be taken off the menu lest riots break out.
One of the key benefits of holding Platinum or Platinum One status with Qantas is being able to begin your international flight at these lounges on when flying with Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates or other partner airlines – particularly Oneworld member airlines such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, JAL, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways.
(That same perk is of course enjoyed by Emirates Skywards Platinum and Oneworld Emerald frequent flyers.)
Indeed, for many top-tier frequent flyers, Qantas’ Sydney First Lounge and Melbourne First Lounge are almost a home away from home.
Executive Traveller has previously taken you behind the scenes of how these menus are developed for winter and summer, so let’s just dive into the latest spring 2024 dishes now being served at the Qantas First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.
These are in addition to the special ‘secret’ menu reserved for actual first class passengers, along with Platinum One frequent flyers and Chairman’s Lounge members, who are seated at reserved tables in a roped-off dining bay – and to which there’s no winter change-up from the familiar duo of ‘steak and sashimi’.
At the end of this article you’ll find links to PDF copies of the Qantas First Lounge spring 2024 menus to download and peruse ahead of your next trip. You’re welcome.
Breakfast: served from 5am to 11am
As is the norm, the Qantas First Lounge’s autumn breakfast menu is more about seasonal tweaks to a handful of dishes.
A case in point are the ever-popular buttermilk pancakes, which are now served with blueberries, lemon curd and ‘Qantas honey’, which comes from beehives on the roof of the airline’s Mascot headquarters.
The healthy ‘breakfast salad’ now features kale tabouli, hummus, toasted seeds and poached egg (it’s also available without the egg if you follow a fully plant-based diet).
But we’ll be the first to admit it can be hard to go past perennials such as corn fritters, eggs Benedict, an omelette, or the simple delight of a toasted sandwich.
All day dining: served from 11am onwards
The main ‘all day dining’ menu is where the biggest changes swing from one season to the next, and spring sees plenty of those.
Rest assured that signatures such as the salt and pepper squid, the club sandwich, the cheeseburger and that oh-so-Instagrammable ‘pavlova in a glass’ remain on deck – although in the later, winter’s rhubarb and orange make way for blueberries and pineapple.
The gua bao with braised pork, chilli paste, sesame and pickles is also carried across from winter into spring.
That said, you’ll find plenty of fresh choices to make from the Qantas First Lounge’s spring 2024 all-day dining menu.
Fennel soup with ham and cheese toastie soldiers: crisp spring mornings are made for a warming bowl of soup, in this case made from in-season fennel, creme fraiche and chives, playfully paired with toasted ham and cheese soldiers. It’s a deliciously light soup to start things off.
Smashed zucchini with mint, pine nut, roasted garlic, chilli and parmesan oil: this is a little dish with a lot of texture, from the creaminess of the smashed zucchini and the parmesan oil to the crunch of witlof (which is ideal for using as a San Choy Bow-style lettuce wrap).
Buffalo mozzarella with roast beetroot, Kootingal pecans and rocket: probably my pick of the spring 2024 staters. Long-time First Lounge visitors will recall the buffalo mozzarella served with heirloom tomatoes and basil. Now it’s back, paired with surprisingly sweet beetroot, crunchy organic pecans and peppery rocket.
Five spice duck with crispy noodles, radishes, wombok and black vinegar: my second pick of the spring staters, this juicy. Asian-inspired duck has a slightly spicy edge sitting against the crunch of the noodles.
Kung Pao mushrooms with tofu, bok choy, cashews and jasmine rice: Kung Pao is usually accounted with chicken, but here it proves that vegetarian meals don’t have to be boring.
Malay-style tamarind chicken and green bean sambal with steamed rice: the Malay influence comes from the combination of tamarind, sambal and shrimp paste. Give it a squeeze of the lime wedge for a citrusy finish, and ask for the heat to be dialled up if you want more of that chilii tingle.
Snapper with grilled cos lettuce, radishes and bonito butter: snapper appears to have replace barramundi as a mainstay on the Qantas First Lounge menu, and this dish is really defined by the crunch of grilled lettuce and bonito.
Slow-cooked pork and veal ragu with casarecce and pecorino pepato: beef ragu is very much a hearty winter warmer, and swapping that out for pork and veal makes this a lighter spring dish, while the short rolled casarecce pasta really soaks up the sauce.
Adobo braised beef brisket with polenta and tomato: this slab of fall-apart beef is braised for ten hours in the Qantas First Lounge kitchen, with polenta to soak up the sauce.
You’ll be leaving a little space for dessert, of course - and while you may well choose the ‘signature pavlova’ or a few scoops of ice cream, don’t overlook these two.
Banoffee:oh yes. This is your classic banoffee pie with bananas, Chantilly cream and caramel sauce, all perched on a soft buttery biscuit base, all in a ‘just right’-sized serving for minimal or at least manageable guilt.
Lemonopita with olive oil, thyme and yoghurt sorbet: no, this Greek-inspired cake is not a hint that direct flights from Perth to Athens are on the way.
Qantas First Lounge Champagne and cocktails
Qantas has inked an exclusive partnership with Lallier to make the French maison its sole Champagne supplier for the Sydney and Melbourne First Lounges, with Lallier Reflexion R.019 replacing the past choices between several labels such as Ayala, Croser, Jacquart, Piper-Heidsieck, Pommery and Taittinger.
As for cocktails, making their debut on the spring menu are:
- Jasmine Spumoni: jasmine-infused gin, Campari, ruby grapefruit, soda
- Raspberry Gin Sour: gin, lime, fresh raspberry, foam
- The New Hugo: strawberry elderflower liqueur (the strawberries are infused for 24 hours), lemon and sparkling white make this a crisp sweet drink for spring.
- Limon Colada: limoncello, rum, cream of coconut and freshly-squeezed pineapple, this is a twist on the traditional pina colada.
- Nova Highball: Starward Nova single malt whisky, a few dashes of orange bitters and soda
From left to right: Nova Highball, The New Hugo, and Raspberry Gin Sour.
As we’ve previously noted, the Qantas First Lounges favours its own cocktail list over whatever else a traveller may want – and while the bartenders can pull together other light aperitif-style cocktails on order, they won’t make stronger classics like martinis.
From left to right: Limon Colada and Jasmine Spumoni.
Lexie Bucholtz from Qantas’ Neil Perry team has previously explained this position to Executive Traveller by saying “we want cocktails that are something special, not your standard cocktails, and something that's refreshing, very easy to drink and lower in alcohol.”
Qantas’ preference is towards “a lighter aperitif-style offering.”
“If someone asks for something that's not on the cocktail menu but within that lighter aperitif-style, we’re able to serve that… but when it comes to things like martinis and double-shots, that’s not our style.”
You can download the Qantas First Lounge spring 2024 menus using the links below:
Qantas
22 Oct 2012
Total posts 318
The kitchen staff are often very open to tweaking some of their dishes, eg with the breakfast sweet corn fritters and bacon, I ask them to hold the bacon and add a few extra fritters, and they're never refused. Once they gave me a double serving of fritters, which I admit was a bit too much of a good thing.
04 Sep 2019
Total posts 67
its a first class lounge, that's the minimum standard they should be doing
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Nov 2016
Total posts 44
Only one item with kale? Things are improving under the new CEO.
04 Dec 2017
Total posts 69
I hope that onboard 'salad' is guillotined. Embarrassingly cheap and nasty. Food in F lounge in SYD and MEL is always great. Just wish they'd replicate on board in F.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Apr 2016
Total posts 13
It would be nice if Qantas put in a bit of that pointy end effort in to the peasants down the back of the aircraft.
I don't just mean food either.
The cleanliness of cabins is not what it should be.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Aug 2015
Total posts 56
The dining in the first class section within the first class lounge is very good.. We were lucky enough to win a bid to upgrade from business so got to dine in the fancy section away from the peasants with their business class tickets and platinum FF cards ;)
The massages are also great after the meal !
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jul 2013
Total posts 65
My partner and I once had breakfast in the Melbourne QF First Lounge with some high-rolling acquaintances who find such status important for their sense of superiority. There were we four and about six other people populating the spaces of the designer-magazine-inspired interior. Food was very good, so was the coffee and service, but I wonder how many people use these facilities. It may be ideal for the snobs and nouveau riche, who want to be separated from the riff-raff at all costs, but I think Qantas resources could be better used elsewhere. On a couple of recent business class Qantas flights the airline's inferiority to the competition was glaringly obvious and it seems that the First Lounge budgets could be better directed elsewhere.
04 Dec 2013
Total posts 156
I recently took a family member into the Sydney F lounge. She's barely experienced the domestic Qantas Club, let alone international F lounge.
Rather than being upset by the "snobs and nouveau riche", she loved the atmosphere, food, service and views. It was a special experience for her, and for me to be able to share it with her.
But hey if it's not a place you feel comfortable, there are plenty of bars and cafes in the main terminal that'll serve you a soggy panini and a luke-warm glass of Brut NV.
American Airlines - AAdvantage
13 Jul 2015
Total posts 276
Why would someone get upset by the 'snobs and nouveau riche' if they know they're going into a First Class Lounge, someplace that they don't normally go?
03 May 2013
Total posts 680
It's recognition of loyalty. People are PAYING for this level of service. Qantas isn't providing this for free. Further, many are business people who fly enormous amounts during their work year, thus having space, comfort and things streamlined is necessary for productivity (and sanity). I think your post is totally inappropriate, especially considering the target audience of ET.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jul 2013
Total posts 65
Oops, sorry to upset the target audience of ET...........but wait a minute, actually I am dead centre of the target audience of ET.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 691
Any hint on what variety of Lallier champagne is being peddled, David ?
I find it somewhat curious that this 'exclusive partnership' for the SYD & MEL lounges is seemingly so ... 'low key'. The downloaded menus don't even give it a mention, by brand or more importantly, variety or vintage ??
Heavens .. how will the liege of champagne connoisseurs react without their prized Jacquart, Piper-Heidsieck, Pommeroy and Taittinger devotees react ? Could be controversial.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2560
Hi Kimship – it's the Lallier Reflexion R.019.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 691
Many thanks for the prompt reply, David. It is appreciated !
I had a feeling you'd know the answer and you didn't disappoint. This looks as though it might just be one of QF's better partnership decisions. Salut !
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