Cathay Pacific have a wonderful first class lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3 which is clearly evident in this video tour I put together and posted recently. The design is very similar to the superb first class lounge at Hong Kong called The Pier.

My favourite part of any lounge experience is the food. What is even better is when they offer a sit down restaurant dining experience as is the case at this lounge. Before we check out what they serve at the table, let’s look at the self-service options.

The Pantry

A fridge is filled with chilled goodies in the pantry. I managed to restrain myself and only have one item from the fridge during my time in the lounge.


Any guesses which item I chose from the fridge? Place your bets! I chose a delicious Creamy Mango Mousse, pictured here with device cords.


Beside all of these goodies is the rest of the pantry. An unusual feature is the Nacho bar where you have all the makings for some pretty delicious Nachos.


Next time I have the pleasure of visiting the lounge I will make sure I give these a go. They look pretty amazing, don’t they?

An Interloper From Business Class!

Famous at the Cathay Pacific lounges worldwide is the Noodle Bar. This is offered in the business class lounges at many places and is very popular among passengers. A serving of Dan Dan Mein should be on anyone’s list, so I popped next door and ordered some.


Quite honestly these were disappointing this time around. The noodles served in the Cathay Pacific lounge in Paris are far better which you can see for yourself in my review.

First Class Dining Room

Found in a separate alcove, the first class dining room is a quiet space in which to eat and relax. The staff who serve are very friendly and were happy to tell me which dishes are popular.


Green and brown gives the room a laid back informal elegance that I really like. It’s perfect for the time spent eating and relaxing.

On The Menu

It is immediately apparent that the menu is shorter than that offered in Hong Kong. This makes sense since this lounge is far smaller and Cathay Pacific have less flights per day.


Signature drinks can be hit and miss but the Cathay Delight is always a winner in my book. I started by having one of these and then switched to Champagne for the rest of the meal.


Since I like to experience as much as possible, I decided to have a three course lunch and I certainly did not regret it!

Serve That Food!

Asparagus is usually quite delicious so I chose to open with that. You will agree that it does look pretty damned good! The taste is excellent as well, so I was very happy.


Braised Sea Bass is the next course, on recommendation from my server. This comes with steamed rice and I found it to be quite nice.


In a nod to trying to be a tiny bit healthy, I thought it would be good to have some fruit. This is why I chose the Warm Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream for dessert.


Once I finished, I waddled back to my seat with a view over Heathrow Airport. However, my thoughts kept going back to the Dim Sum I noticed one of the other diners enjoying.

Dim Sum Dreams

I popped back to the dining room and asked if I could have the Dim Sum as a snack. Obligingly they agreed to bring it out to where I was sitting which was nice of them.


Dipping my Dim Sum into the sauce at dusk while looking over the airfield struck me as something near to perfection. Relaxed and sated, I reluctantly left to get my flight.

Overall Thoughts

As far as lounge food goes, what they serve at Heathrow is pretty decent. While the selection isn’t extensive, it appears to have been chosen with some thought to provide an option to suit various tastes. The signature drinks are great and I am a sucker for the Dim Sum. I could have had two more of those!

The three courses varied from good to very good but I wouldn’t have rated the food as spectacular. It is certainly nicer than what British Airways offer in their lounges, so if you have the choice, go to the Cathay lounge in Terminal 3 over the others. Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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