Singapore Airlines has an extensive list of Book the Cook (BTC) selections out of Singapore and selected outstations for passengers flying in premium economy, business class, and first class. This allows passengers to pre-select the meal they’d like to have onboard.
If I’m honest, premium economy BTC is basically an economy class meal with more options, and the resulting tray is virtually indistinguishable from a regular economy meal. However, the business and first class offerings can be pretty exciting.
I like restaurant menus that have pictures of the food. I realise this puts me in the same category as a five year old, but dammit, I eat with my eyes. The problem is- Singapore Airlines does not provide photos of what each dish looks like, probably because the appearance can vary significantly depending on availability and seasonality. There are a few scattered publicity photos here and there, but we all know that these aren’t the most reliable of references.
So I thought: why not put together a picture menu showing how the various BTC meals look like IRL? I sent out a call to The Milelion Community (both the Den and Telegram groups) and got a great response. Based on this, I’ve been able to put together a first draft of a Book the Cook Wiki, which will no doubt expand as we get more pictures (send them to aaron at milelion.com)
A couple of things to note:
- This guide now covers both F and J options out of SIN, although the eventual goal is to expand to cover BTC options out of every outstation where it’s available
- Oustations may have similar offerings on their menu (eg lobster thermidor is available out of SIN, JFK, LAX, HKG, ICN, SYD, ZRH and SFO) , but the presentation and taste may be very different due to differences in ingredients and preparations
- I’ve used publicity photos from SQ for some dishes where nothing else is available, but it’s always better to see it in real life! Send your photos if you have them
Thank you once again to the awesome people of The Milelion Community for sending your photos, and keep sending whatever you have. We’ll finish this compendium yet!
Hi! This wiki page is really helpful! And I was looking through the Book the Cook options on the SIA website and noticed that some items had “Inclusive of Breakfast service” beside them. What does that mean? Thanks!
some BTC items are for lunch/dinner/supper only. some (limited items) can be ordered for breakfast.
Yet ANOTHER terrific ML initiative! Congrats Aaron and ML team. Like you, Aaron, eye appeal is a big part of the pleasure. Much thanks chiefly to this site, ll be flying SQ Business class, a first with SQ, out of Singapore to Dusseldorf on a Spontaneous Escape next Tuesday night (18th), have yet to Book My Cook, and look forward to eyeballing the results and providing pics. Flew Premium Economy o the 350 launch flight Oct. 17th last, BNE – SIN, used BTC, but was particularly UNDERwhelmed on return leg, both by lesser service standard and by the food: my… Read more »
I recommend you lower your expectations, @AnnieT.. in this case, a picture doesn’t always tell.. I’ve seen decently plated dishes that tasted quite horribly.. Here’s my personal tally for btc at the moment.. those that I can remember.. as mentioned, when you ex different stations, btc option may change and even sime supposedly same names may look/taste completely different as kitchen/country/chefs of different stations may cook items differently.. but here my tally so far.. 51 items seen so far 23 tried 2 good 4 decent 5 so so 11 rubbish 1 forgotten Note: “seen” so far means seen on drop-down… Read more »
Much thanks Ken: will do! So MAY be also of two Krisflyer lounges accessible to J, in Changi??!
BUT FOR NOW, which were YOUR two ‘good’ ones please?
It’s certainly an amazing array of choices out of Singapore. (Other issues mean haven’t yet made my choice, but still have some hours before 24 hr cut out.) Best wishes for NEXT time!
No sweat, AnnieT, caring is sharing.. and cooking, like service, is a ver “people” thing.. it can change with mood of “people”, can differ from recipient to recipient (different expectations) etc. I’ve heard people (and FA feedback) about how Nasi Biryani was extremely popular with many to point where there are numerous requests for extra rice, and the most popular Classic Lobster Thermidor where in my first F flight, seemed like ‘THE choice’ for btc, which after I felt “why??” when the lobster meat was cheap frozen and slightly powdery texture and didn’t understand the saffron rice accompanying the “classic”… Read more »
Hmmm… just relooked your wiki, Aaron.. for some reason, your posted Indian Style Lamb Shank looks completely different from the one I had.. maybe because different station..?
Also.. my NZ Lobster Thermidor and NZ King Prawn Laksa pics not there for some reason..?
Lastly, and pls let me apologize up front.. can I possibly request wiki be in alphabetical order for easier searching? ????
Hi, is it me or does the caption “Singapore Chicken Rice, Premium Economy BTC” not match the image? I see what looks like a salad…
ah! interesting. so what’s happened is i hotlinked the photo to the one on the SQ website. when sq changed the image, the image on my site changed too. i’ll get it fixed
I’ve tried googling for this but came up empty.. Does anyone know for sure..? Not about different dishes but exact same dish.. eg. Bak Chor Mee (dry) in F vs Bak Chor Mee (dry) in J.. Same or different? …and I don’t just mean plating differences, but actual food.. Reason I’m asking is cos I’ve had Ayam Buah Keluak once in F and once in J, and the one I had in F was MUCH better… and if photo is anything to go by, the Bak Chor Mee (dry) I had in R looked much better than the one in… Read more »