Just back from a York - Dundee trip. Brief account of how it went:
Outbound - York - Dundee. 0736 (ex Leeds 07.10) - Friday 6th September.
Train arrived on time at York. On boarding I immediately realised it was the tired old ex-EMT set, which was confirmed by the friendly chap who quickly came round to greet me and offer the reduced breakfast menu. No wi-fi (throughout), and therefore no electronic seat reservations. Breakfast offered was either bacon roll / porridge / "light breakfast" (apparently crossaint and yogurt). No toast(!) which would have certainly upset a fair few forum users! Order placed for the bacon roll as we traversed north past the NRM - coffee served shortly after - overheard staff member reiterating the talk of this being the former EMT set to other passengers, and apparently it was supposed to have been pensioned off a couple of months earlier, but had been hastily drafted in due to an issue with the booked set.
We rolled in and out of Darlington about 5 minutes down, and no sustenance had arrived - a further pour of coffee offered nearing Durham, and the aforementioned breakfast orders appeared. Sadly, the bacon roll was the most pathetic I have ever had the misfortune to consume on the UK rail network. What appeared to be a "long-life" catering bread roll was presented to me with a solitary rasher of bacon inside it. No spread/butter - although the sachet of brown sauce did add a little moisture to this dry offering. I noted that most in the coach (M) had opted for the only carnivorous option,so perhaps some rationing had taken place, given there was little else up for grabs. Another coffee / juice run north of Newcastle was offered (with food for newcomers), prior to crockery being gathered around about Berwick. I cannot fault the crew - they were all great - and clearly as frustrated as passengers having to put up with what (in my opinion) is now an antiquated set (Coach M looked sorry for itself - while reasonably clean, the seats are looking tired - headrests in many places are either missing or hanging from threads, and many seats refuse to lock into the upright position, meaning you are slumped down). No wi-fi, a severely reduced complimentary offering, no seat reservations (particularly annoying for those boarding north of Darlington - this was not a lightly loaded service, so seats weren't easy come by), toilet facilities which are somewhat outdated (drawing water from a footpump into a basin for handwashing) does not constitute a decent first class service.
North of Edinburgh (we were now about 15 minutes down, mainly owing to matters outwith control of LNER owing to a malfunctioning level crossing in Northumberland), there was a crew change. First class was still reasonably well loaded - a further complimentary offering was available on departure of Inverkeithing. Declining the sole hot option of (another) bacon roll, I went for the smoked salmon sandwich, declined the crisps, and accepted the cake, along with a g&t - the drinks trolley following soon after - the lady dealing with food was friendly and enthusiastic, while the lady in charge of drinks was less so. A passenger further down the carriage was loudly refused a second drink - the explanation being "one drink only from the trolley at a time". My sandwich was pleasant enough, albeit slightly dry, but a good size and filling enough for lunch on the move, and the cake very nice indeed. Arrived at Dundee 23 minutes late, and was bid a cheery goodbye from the guard as I stepped off the train. (Side-note, no ticket inspection on this occasion after departure from York until we were north of the Forth Bridge).
Returned today (11/09) on the 11.07 from Dundee (ex 09.52 from Aberdeen). Train arrived on time and got seated without issue in "M". Before we had even got to the Tay Bridge, one of the first class hosts approached and offered a bacon roll - which took me by surprise - as it was immediately put in front of me, rather than awaiting a further visit from the kitchen. Very tasty, and much more substantial than that presented on the outward leg. A bit of a wait for the drinks trolley, with coffee served after Leuchars (apparently there had been a hold up in "L" with a ladies fiftieth birthday gathering causing excitement for passengers and staff alike). Service wound down until after Edinburgh with crockery gathered in around Kirkcaldy.
Lunch orders taken ten minutes after departure from Waverley. Fishcakes appeared to be the favoured option for most (they looked and smelt good!), but I went for the Ricotta & Asparagus Canneloni. No menus on the tables, so the crew had to relate the options to most passengers. (I had already had a quick look on the LNER website whilst killing time at the station). Meal was pleasant enough, and filled a gap for lunch, but would have required something else for a main (evening) meal. Crisps and cake offered, but declined. Took a G&T from the drinks trolley around about Grantshouse, just before the meals arrived close to Berwick. Further drinks run south of Newcastle - and a bonus run after Darlington (which is, in my experience, unusual), with a G&T eagerly guzzled on each occasion! Arrival on time at York just before 3pm, with excellent service throughout, fully functioning wi-fi / plug sockets etc). Definitely two contrasting journies, but the one consistency of the offering was that the staff were - on the whole - great on both legs.