CATHAY PACIFIC LAUNCHES SOUTHERN "BEST CHINESE FOOD IN THE AIR"

Cathay Pacific Airways today announced the launch of a new season of its popular "Best Chinese Food in the Air" promotion offering passengers dishes from some of Hong Kong's most famous Chinese restaurants. The new menu began this month with a selection of dishes from three acclaimed Southern Chinese restaurants - Chiuchow Garden, Shanghai Garden, and Jade Garden.

The Southern Chinese dishes will be served alongside Cathay Pacific's traditional menus on most flights departing Hong Kong until the end of October. "Best Chinese Food in the Air" has been very popular with passengers who have enjoyed the chance to sample imaginative cuisine at 35,000 feet picked from the city's leading restaurants.

Prior to the launch a number of Cathay Pacific crew were invited to meet the chefs who created the new menu in their kitchens in Kowloon. Flight attendant Karen Co risked a position in the front-row to watch Chef Szeto Kin Yiu prepare Beef Steak Cantonese style. The master chef sent up sheets of flame as he used the high-heat Wok-Hei method to prepare the classic dish. The dramatic-looking Wok-Hei technique is essential for cooking food in a short time to guarantee a fresh, crispy texture.

Cathay Pacific's General Manager Inflight Services Quince Chong said: "Southern Chinese cuisine is very fashionable around the world, and we are delighted to be able to introduce our international passengers to this fabulous food. Hong Kong has always been Cathay Pacific's home, and we are sure passengers will enjoy having their own favourite Cantonese dishes on board, as well as delicacies from the neighbouring provinces here in Southern China."

Each of the restaurants brings a very different style of cuisine to the new menu. Cantonese cuisine from the Jade Garden restaurant is famed for its subtle flavours, unusual cooking techniques, and interesting combination of ingredients. Chiuchow dishes are known for their light taste, and the emphasis on the foods' original flavours. As a busy commercial port, Shanghai has long attracted people from all over the world and its cuisine now embodies traditional styles from across China in addition to a whole host of foreign influences.

Over 30 different dishes specially prepared for Cathay Pacific will be featured including Braised Mandarin Fish with Mushroom and Bamboo shoot, Soyed Sliced Goose and Pork, Braised Seafood with Bean Curd Puff and Mushroom, Bean Curd with Broad Beans, Sautéed Mushroom and Melon, Lobster in the Shell with E-Fu Noodles, and the traditional Cantonese favourite - Barbecued Pork.