I’ve never put the two words airport and cuisine in the same sentence before, but after dining at One Flew South in Atlanta airport, you’ll see why. I flew to Atlanta again this past weekend to conduct an onstage interview with young, successful Annie Wang, who founder HerCampus.com with her Harvard pals. The interview is part of McDonald’s #MyInspirasian Educational Workshop and college fair tour. I had no idea that Atlanta has such a huge Korean community. I also learned that McDonald’s offers a lot of scholarships for Asian American students.
After chatting with Annie Wang, I ended up at the airport with hours to before my flight. My stomach informed me that it was time for lunch, but I didn’t want any of the usual airport food options. When I was in the Atlanta airport a couple of weeks ago for Blogalicious, I wasn’t too impressed by the options. Once I passed the security checkpoint, I pulled up my Yelp app and discovered One Flew South in Terminal E. First of all, Terminal E feels like the mecca of all the terminals at ATL. Definitely take the tram/train to get there because it’s a long walk, longer when you’re hungry.
Seaweed salad with soy egg, radish, carrots, and sesame vinaigrette
One Flew South received rave reviews on Yelp, but what caught my attention was that they served a pork belly dish (photo below). I wish I had taken a photos of the restaurant itself. Blame it on the hunger. The atmosphere of the restaurant was calm and relaxed, unlike right outside where people were rushing to make their flight connections.
There were so many delicious options on the menu I had a hard time deciding. My waitress’ favorite is the salmon hot pot, but my heart was set on the pork belly. I started with a local Georgian brew, Sweetwater 420 while I waited for my food to arrive. My waitress was very friendly and even asked what time my flight departed. I’m assuming it was to make sure I wouldn’t miss my flight. The food did not take long to arrive at all. I started with a seaweed salad because I knew my Thyme Roasted Pork Belly would be rich. The seaweed salad was topped with a hard boiled egg that had been soaked in soy sauce. It reminded me of a the eggs in the Vietnamese thit kho dish I make at home, but subtler.
Thyme roasted pork belly with black-eyed pea & arugula salad, parsnip puree, and blackberry-onion marmalade
The roasted pork belly, oh my. I love pork belly. It’s a cut of pork that is common in Vietnamese cooking. I think all the reality cooking shows like Top Chef have made more people aware of it. The pork belly was tender but not mushy. It was definitely very rich, but the arugula salad and onion marmalade help cut the fattiness of the pork belly. The pureed parsnips were a little sweet which was a nice contrast to the savory pork. I probably would have licked the plate if I wasn’t so full.
They also offer sushi and a huge cocktails/wine list in addition to heartier fare. If you ever find yourself in the Atlanta airport with around an hour to spare, take that train to Terminal E and dine at One Flew South. Yes, it’s a little pricier than Sbarro but the food will not only satisfy your hunger but your tastebuds will love you for it. Who knew you could find fast, delicious gourmet dining in the airport?