Great Western Railway: on-board catering, buffets, Travelling Chef, Pullman - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

As I said a couple of posts back bobm and I dined on the Pullman last Wednesday to sample the new menu one which began on 18th January 2016. On this first menu of the three in rotation (see attached) there were a couple of new dishes, with the ever present standards of Salmon starter and Steak main. And the fish dish and alternative meat main see changes in their preparation/sauce rather than being totally new compared to what went before.

For starter I ordered one of the completely new dishes - Broad Bean and Pea Samosa with Spiced Aubergine


I'm not a huge fan of either broad beans or aubergine, but this was an interesting looking addition to the menu so I thought I'd give it a go. The samosas were delicately spiced and very tasty. The aubergine accompaniment was similar to a houmous. Again, very nice. I suspect the aubergine is either North African or Middle East inspired.

My main course was an evolution of a previous menu dish - Slow Braised Somerset Pork Belly with Fennel and Quince


I really love the slow braised pork. The flesh is so tender and the fat just melts in the mouth. This dish was probably my favourite from the previous menus. Now prepared with a fennel and quince sauce which is, to my mind, an improvement on the cabbage and wholegrain mustard sauce it previously came with. My favourite dish is now even better!

For dessert. A simple dish - Butterscotch Pudding with Somerset Brandy Sauce


As puddings go it was okay, just nothing special. I would have liked to have had some clotted cream to go with it just to cut through the richness of both the pudding and sauce. Only minor criticisms though - I still polished it off!

There are some new additions to the wine menu but I stuck with my favourite - the Clotilde Davenne Chablis. Also on the drinks menu is a new spirit - Shipwreck Somerset Cider Brandy (BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News item about the cider brandy and the barrels used to mature it). Both bobm and I wanted to try one of these as a postprandial snifter but unfortunately, while the bottle was aboard, it hadn't been added to the Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS^▸ (Electronic Point of Sale)), so couldn't be sold. Another time...


Overall, a very enjoyable meal. The service remains excellent, with staff who are dedicated to the job they do. I've said it countless times, they are a credit to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). It's just a shame that the reason for dining last week was because of an experience at the hands of another GWR employee who was anything but a credit to the company.

My thanks to my dining companion bobm for coming along. Although, to be fair, he doesn't need much encouragement to partake of a Pullman meal! My thanks also to Jason Ness, Jo Elliot and Matthew Galton at GWR who arranged and signed off on the complimentary meal and drinks. In fact, double thanks to them - I was only expecting my meal to be covered but they added a '+1' to the booking.

Finally, another thing I always say when reviewing the Pullman services. Get out there and try it. There really is nothing that compares to fine dining at over 100mph. If you've never done it then put it on your bucket list. The nature of rail services in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) mean nothing is ever certain forever, and we don't know what the future holds for Pullman dining on the Greater Western franchise, so better to try the experience sooner rather than later.

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronyms

[broadgage]

The new menu sounds impressive, I would probably go for the long established smoked salmon starter and fillet steak main course, but might of course be tempted by the newer choices.

I am particularly pleased to see English white wine, English sparkling wine, and of course the Somerset cider brandy on the wine list.

A neighbour would like to know "can non dining passengers buy wine from the Pullman wine list" They appreciate that the Pullman wines would not be part of the normal buffet stock carried on most services, but wondered if non dining customers can buy them if on a service that DOES have a Pullman.

[Oxonhutch]

How does the seating for two work on the Pullman?  Is it still a pair of seats facing each other over a single table, or must couples sit at a table for four like they would in the new layout of First Class with the single seat airline style arrangement?

[ChrisB]

They're on a table for 4, either opposite or side-by-side....

[JayMac]

They're on a table for 4, either opposite or side-by-side....

Nope.

Coach K (when it's not a Standard Class micro buffet!)  has three bays of 4, two bays of 2 and a single seat. A couple could therefore sit at a bay of 2.

That's the usually layout in a 407** Trailer Restaurant First Buffet. There are some minor variations in other TRFBs^▸ (Trailer Restaurant First Buffet (Mark 3 coach type)) but always at least two bays of 2.

Usual allocation to Pullman services is a set with a 407** catering vehicle. These have the full size kitchen.

408** vehicles are ones that have seen their kitchens extended, noticeable by a blanked out full size window on the kitchen side of the vehicle. These can also be used by the Pullman crews but are less favoured as there are fewer appliances. They'd not normally be diagrammed for a Pullman service.

402** and 409** Trailer Restaurant First Buffet's (TRFB)s vehicles are useless for Pullman service. Noticeable by having 4 large windows and additional seating bays. These have tiny kitchen areas with insufficient appliances to produce a full Pullman service. They shouldn't be diagrammed for Pullman services.

Edit:VickiS - Clarifying acronym

[grahame]

Having a silly thought. Do sets with 407xx vehicles have short or long swing links?

[John R]

Dining on the Weymouth Wizard maybe?  At a guess, as the SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)) sets were originally built for the Cross Country services they would be unlikely to have a restaurant kitchen.

[ChrisB]

Coach K (when it's not a Standard Class micro buffet!)  has three bays of 4, two bays of 2 and a single seat. A couple could therefore sit at a bay of 2.

Thanks for that clarification.

[bobm]

Just as a postscript to bignosemac's guide to catering vehicles - if a 402xx turns up you should still get a meal depending on the chef.   Some will do only starters and desserts, others will cut down the number of main dishes on offer due to the lack of facilities in the kitchen.

[grahame]

Dining on the Weymouth Wizard maybe?  At a guess, as the SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)) sets were originally built for the Cross Country services they would be unlikely to have a restaurant kitchen.

 

[JayMac]

The vast majority of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s fleet is SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)). I'd be very surprised if the majority of the TRFBs^▸ (Trailer Restaurant First Buffet (Mark 3 coach type)) aren't SSL.

On my diverted trip to Waterloo at Easter 2015 we were on a set that had one LSL^‡(resolve) carriage in the set. That wasn't the TRFB I was sat in.

So, I think the idea of special service to Weymouth with at seat food service could be a good promotional venture.

[John R]

I did find this elsewhere on the net, so maybe all is indeed not lost.

4) Practically all (if not all of) the fGW HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets have been fitted with the Short Swing Link modification in case diversions into third rail territory is required. The two types can be identified by the letters LSL^‡(resolve) or SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)) painted on the coach ends.

[Rob on the hill]

I would be very grateful if it could be explained what LSL^‡(resolve) or SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)) means in relation to eating a meal on a train! Thanks.

[TonyK]

I would be very grateful if it could be explained what LSL^‡(resolve) or SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)) means in relation to eating a meal on a train! Thanks.

Something to do with swinging. I'm not sure I want to know the full truth.

[John R]

I would be very grateful if it could be explained what LSL^‡(resolve) or SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125)) means in relation to eating a meal on a train! Thanks.

Fair question. Short Swing Link bogied sets are not able to run on lines where third rail is present, so can't run to Weymouth. Hence, if one wanted to have a restaurant service on the Weymouth Wizard, it would only be viable if at least one restaurant car is fitted with the Long Swing Link variety. Which, after some thought, I concluded was the idea behind Grahame's question a few posts back.