Yeah they are bad IMO. In the Western, we had the Azumas (in class 800 guise) earlier than the ECML.
I mourn the days when I could catch a (GWR) HST to London, sometimes on the train with a restaurant car, the proper breakfast was a real treat, that's what train travel should be, comfortable and civilised.
The cl800 on GWR are basically a commuter train to serve the Thames Valley from Didcot to London, the rest of us living further out don't count so we get stuck with the horrid ironing board seats and paltry catering offer.
These days if I need to go to London, I am better off driving to Reading and picking up a train there, that yields more comfort and a wider range of options for getting into London. Or driving to one of the Metropolitan Line stations just off the M40 and riding into central London on an s-class train.
TPO