Hawaiian Airlines’ new main cabin menu is starting on July 1.
The airline is doing away with its main cabin complimentary meals and moving to a pre-order, pre-paid program for in-flight meals on domestic flights between Hawaiʻi and the Mainland (except for those to JFK International Airport in New York City, which will continue to receive a complimentary meal).
Guests can pre-order their in-flight meals through the Alaska Hawaiian mobile app or website two weeks in advance and up to 20 hours prior to departure.
The new main cabin menu was developed by Maui-based Sheldon Simeon, the chef/owner behind Tiffany’s Restaurant & Bar and Tin Roof Maui.
“One of the most important decisions we made during this process was picking the right partner,” says Alisa Onishi, managing director of Hawai‘i marketing for Hawaiian Airlines. “We were looking for a few things: a local chef that has represented Hawaiʻi well around the world in their career; someone who really aligned with our principles of featuring local products and supporting local businesses; and someone who would something warm, inviting and comforting on the aircraft. Chef Sheldon knows what it takes to make an amazing recipe and amazing dishes, and to bring those to life on an airplane.”
At Monday’s media event at Tiffany’s Restaurant & Bar on Maui, Aloha State Daily got a preview of the new Hawaiʻi-inspired menu. The menu features elevated takes on local favorites and comfort foods.
Prices for each meal range from about $11 to $17. For breakfast (flights departing between 6 and 9:59 a.m.), guests can choose from corned beef hash and eggs ($15.99), Island-style French toast breakfast ($15.99), banana pancake breakfast ($15.99), and coconut overnight oats ($10.99).
The corned beef hash and eggs entree features crisped corned beef hash served over roasted breakfast potatoes, topped with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.
“We’ve done a ton of tests, and we actually got the perfect poached egg in there,” Simeon says. “The Hollandaise sauce is right over the top, and we got some peppers and some onions in there.”
The banana pancake breakfast comprises three pancakes filled with mashed bananas, served with Portuguese sausage and scrambled eggs. Guests will also get Simeon’s specialty banana bread syrup.
“We took home-baked banana bread and we turned it into a syrup, so you get that fresh-baked flavor when you drizzle it over the top,” Simeon explains. “I think that banana bread is one of the best-smelling things in the world.”
He adds that the French toast and banana pancakes are reminiscent of Sunday morning breakfasts.
“I use the line that ‘Somebody is already thinking of you before you wake up,’” Simeon says. “When you get to have breakfast, I wanted something that’s going to feel like that.”
For lunch and dinner (flights departing between 10 a.m. and 8:29 p.m.), choose from crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles, teriyaki cheeseburger, barbecue teriyaki chicken bento, grilled chicken banh mi sandwich, cheeseburger mac and cheese, sweet and tangy tender greens, and an Italian sub.
“Kamaʻāina that are flying are going to see familiar choices,” Onishi says. “Now, more than ever throughout our cabin, we have more local ingredients sourced in Hawaiʻi — not just in our Island airports, but also in kitchens across the continent. We’re excited to feature as many local flavors from local vendors as much as possible.”
The crispy mochiko chicken with garlic noodles features a crispy, rice flour-coated chicken thigh served with garlicky noodles. It’s accompanied by Simeon’s mac salad, signature spicy-K mayo, sweet teriyaki sauce and his crispy toppings bag.
“‘Fried chicken in the plane — do you have fryers in the back of the plane?’” Simeon jokes. “No, we don’t, but we wanted to mimic that flavor and texture. When people think of mochiko chicken — and fried chicken, in general — they want it crunchy. To mimic that, we have this ‘magic in a bag.’ Dip your chicken in the sauce — the sweet soy or K-mayo — and sprinkle over that kakimochi and furikake to get that crispy, crunchy flavor.”
The grilled chicken banh mi sandwich features French bread with lemongrass-grilled chicken, fresh cilantro, jalapenos and pickled vegetables. Most entrees come with Simeon’s mac salad.
“This is a legit banh mi sandwich,” Simeon says. “It’s a hearty sandwich; it’s going to be served warm. For the mac salad, we do it local-style, full-flavored with potatoes and extra mayonnaise.”
He says the cheeseburger mac deluxe — a twist on mac and cheese — is one of his favorite dishes on the menu.
“I grew up eating Hamburger Helper,” Simeon says. “There’s just something homey about that; it feels like a hug in a bowl.”
The teriyaki cheeseburger ($15.99) features a teriyaki-marinated beef patty topped with American cheese and housemade pickles in a toasted teriyaki-glazed bun.
“When I think of Hawaiʻi, I think of teri cheeseburgers,” Simeon says. “We make our own patties.”
Guests who want something lighter — but still filling — can opt for the sweet and tender greens ($14.49). The tangy salad is a blend of baby kale, toasted almonds, edamame, grape tomato, quinoa, li hing mango, and a salty-sweet li hing balsamic vinaigrette.
“Our sweet-and-sour salad is another fun one; it’s got a little bit of crunch and a little bit of that burst of flavor from the li hing mui with balsamic vinaigrette,” Simeon says.
He emphasizes that this is the first iteration of the menu, and guests can look forward to more exciting developments to come.
“As you can see by the menu items, it’s not the most avant garde, I’m not trying to make the most fancy (dishes),” Simeon says. “I wanted to connect the stories of what makes us ‘live Hawaiʻi.’ These stories are engrained in these recipes that might look, on the surface, very simple, but it’s deeply rooted. Hopefully, we get to tell those stories to thousands of people in the air. Mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines for letting us have that opportunity."
For more information, visit Hawaiian Airlines’ website.
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
