Japan Airlines Unveiled New Exclusive Inflight Menu on Select Flight Between UK and Tokyo

On a few flights between England and Tokyo, Japan Airlines (JAL) has unveiled a new, limited-time exclusive menu. The airline said that the meal selections resulted from a special partnership with a Japanese government ministry called the foods export development council.

Daisuke Hayashi, an award-winning Head Chef-Owner and Goodwill Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine, is another partner of JAL and oversaw the menu. The airline also stated that the new gluten-free inflight menu is produced in Japan.

On flights between London Heathrow Airport and Tokyo Haneda Airport in February, JAL will serve first and business class customers a menu that includes Japanese rice flour noodles. The airline claimed that a unique cooperation produced their “Rice Flour Noodle with Seafood in Starchy Sauce.”

“This is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the All Japan Rice and Rice Related Foods Export Promotion Council (AJRFC), a certified export promotion organization for agricultural, forestry and fisheries products and food products, to expand exports of rice flour products,” the airline said.

On 23rd January, Japanese chef Daisuke Hayashi, who works in the UK and is an ambassador for the promotion of Japanese cuisine, presented a seminar at Westminster Kingsway College that was sponsored by MAFF. Hayashi is also in charge of JAL’s first and business class meals on flights from Europe to Japan.

As the knowledgeable chef demonstrated how the rice flour noodles vary from other types, the carrier claimed that the seminar turned into a PR event for the noodles.

“Rice flour noodles have a flavor of rice and a different taste from wheat flour noodles,” Hayashi said. “The chewy texture unique to rice-flour noodles makes them suitable for a variety of other dishes as well.”

JAL claims that Hayashi served as an apprentice to the third owner and chef of “Kikunoi,” a prominent and traditional Ryotei in Kyoto, when he was 18 years old. He was named Head Chef of two Japanese restaurants in the Hokkaido-based Windsor Hotel in 2008. As a result of his success in that position, Hayashi was later given the opportunity to manage the Japanese menu at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, a gathering of activists, civic groups, and non-governmental organizations where a wide range of problems were discussed.

Hayashi relocated to Europe in 2009 to spread the word about Japanese cuisine, and in 2020 he was named the Japanese cuisine Goodwill Ambassador. Hayashi received the Minister’s Award for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Food from the Japanese government two years later.

He launched his Japanese eatery, “Roketsu,” in London in December 2021. The restaurant serves traditional kaiseki food, which is flavored with fresh ingredients and dashi.

Prior to this partnership, JAL and Hayashi worked together to offer fresh seasonal dishes on flights. On flights from London to Tokyo, the airline has provided first and business class guests with an autumn cuisine.

A bowl dish, hors d’oeuvres, fresh vegetables grown in the UK, fish, a main dish with seasoned rice and soup, and dessert were all part of JAL’s 2016 course menu. In 2019, grilled seabream and roasted pork rice bowls were served on flights from London and Frankfurt to Tokyo.

The new gluten-free rice flour noodles, according to JAL, are produced in Japan entirely from Japanese rice. The airline expects that the menu will be popular with a wide audience and that this will increase demand for rice flour and exports.