London’s Legendary Restaurant, Le Caprice,
partners with silverjet to create a ‘restaurant in the sky’
Master of Wine Liam Steevenson’s Altitude-Friendly Wine List
Completes Fine-Dining Experience
Silverjet, the British all-business-class airline providing a very ‘sivilised’ way to travel, has collaborated with renowned London restaurant, Le Caprice, recognized worldwide for its unique ambience and fresh-modern spin on British European fare, to create a unique ‘restaurant-like’ experience in the sky.
Le Caprice is the flagship restaurant of Britain’s Caprice Holdings, the incredibly successful group responsible for eight of London’s most prestigious restaurants including celebrity hot spots The Ivy, J Sheekey and Mayfair.
As part of the partnership, Le Caprice Chefs have translated many of their signature dishes especially for Silverjet’s transatlantic travel.
“I’ve always wanted to work with an airline because I feel so frustrated about the food and service when I travel,” said the director of Le Caprice Holdings, Jesus Adorno. “We specialize in zero-fuss, near-silent service with absolute attention to detail, which fits in perfectly with Silverjet’s mission to be a sanctuary in the sky.”
In addition to designing Silverjet’s menu, Le Caprice has formally trained members of the cabin crew on plating and service, creating a restaurant-quality experience onboard that lives up to the Le Caprice reputation. The moment passengers are seated, they are greeted by a cheerful and knowledgeable crew member offering a champagne cocktail served in a crystal glass. Following take-off the assigned cabin crew member introduces him/herself to the passengers and continues by taking their meal orders, much like the service you would receive in a restaurant. With Silverjet’s passenger-to-cabin crew ratio of ten-to-one, each Silverjet traveller is treated to a personalized service that caters to his or her specific tastes.
All meals are freshly prepared and beautifully plated in the galley. In keeping with the restaurant-like atmosphere, dishes are presented individually to passengers served on fine china with table linens.
The mouth-watering menu provides passengers with a myriad of succulent options that are updated monthly and vary based on flight route and time of take-off. Flights to Dubai, for instance, offer several Arabic cuisine choices, while evening flights offer breakfast just prior to landing, instead of high tea.
A sample day time menu on-board Silverjet’s London-to-New York flight includes:
Choice of Starter: Mixed tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella and basil or Kiln roasted salmon with horseradish crushed potatoes
Choice of Main Course: Braised beef in Guinness with root vegetables or Salmon fishcake with baby spinach and parsley sauce or Rigatoni Pomodoro
Dessert: Créme Brulée
Assortment of Cheeses: Swaledale, Yorkshire Blue, and Cooleeny served with caramelised
onion chutney and black seedless grapes
Tea and Coffee
Fruit: A selection of whole fruit is available
High Tea: Bakewell tart served with Jersey cream
As is the case with any fine-dining establishment, the experience doesn’t start or stop with the food. Silverjet’s meals are all accompanied by a choice of in-flight wines selected by Liam Steevenson, Silverjet’s very own Master of Wine. The Silverjet wine list aims to impress customers and surprise them with a unique, tailor-made group of wines from smaller, undiscovered vineyards rather than the volume producers selling uniform products. Each wine has been chosen specifically for optimal taste at high altitudes while beautifully complementing Silverjet’s exquisite onboard cuisine.
“When you fly, your palate is affected by dehydration, low humidity and the effects of altitude,” explains Steevenson. “What you’d normally choose on the ground won’t have the same taste at 30,000 feet. Wines become less fruity so it was important to source wines that remain full of flavor at higher altitudes.”
The onboard champagne and wines include: Champagne Pannier, Brut Selection; Mantel Blanco Verdejo Sauvignon, Rueda (Spain 2006); Ayama Chenin Blanc, Slent Farm (South Africa 2007); The Red Mullet Sangiovese Blend, Clare Valley (Australia 2005); and KC Shiraz, Klein Constantia (South Africa 2006).
“Silverjet, Le Caprice and Liam Steevenson all share an important characteristic: the relentless and uncompromising desire to provide our customers with the very best of everything,” said Martyn Bridger, director of customer experience for Silverjet. “We are extremely proud to be partnering with Le Caprice and Liam Steevenson to provide the best food and wine in the air.”
