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FGW Restaurants

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Essexman

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I enjoyed lunch on the 13.36 from Newton Abbot to Paddington this week – superb.

Excellent food, service and ambiance. Overall better than the old East Coast restaurants and probably than WAG (although I’ve only used that once – but am again next week).

Nine were dining paying average of at least £30 (most had wine). More would be using the restaurant on the evening runs back to Plymouth.

What a shame that this is one of just five true restaurant cars with choice of high quality food from menu that remain on our railways.
 
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chuckles1066

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I enjoyed lunch on the 13.36 from Newton Abbot to Paddington this week – superb.

Excellent food, service and ambiance. Overall better than the old East Coast restaurants and probably than WAG (although I’ve only used that once – but am again next week).

Nine were dining paying average of at least £30 (most had wine). More would be using the restaurant on the evening runs back to Plymouth.

What a shame that this is one of just five true restaurant cars with choice of high quality food from menu that remain on our railways.

I'm not altogether surprised.

If you can afford these prices then you employ a chauffeur, you don't use the railways:

Apéritif

The Great Westerner - our signature cocktail made with Plymouth Gin, apple and ginger cordial and a twist of lime £6.00


Starters

Orange Soused Cornish Mackerel Fillets with fennel & dill on a bed of watercress £7.00
Pan Fried Cornish Sardines with tomato caper sauce & caramelised onion £8.00
Summer Pea & Spinach Soup with fresh mint & crème fraiche £7.00


Main Courses

Fillet Steak with a choice of mustards £22.00
Duck Confit & Roasted Duck Breast with summer berry sauce £20.00
Baked Gruyère Cheesecake served with red pepper sauce £17.00

All main meals served with Cornish potatoes and a selection of seasonal vegetable


Desserts

Rich Chocolate Cake filled with red wine cherries £8.00
West Country Cheese Board a selection of regional cheeses served with quince jelly and biscuits £7.00
 

Essexman

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I have seen very similar prices in nice restaurants in varous places.

This was a nice restaurant in various places!
Fine dining with views of sea, river, hills and typical English countryside.

Not something I can afford very often, but a nice treat, and something I would do regularly if available when travelling for work.
 

Greenback

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This was a nice restaurant in various places!
Fine dining with views of sea, river, hills and typical English countryside.

Not something I can afford very often, but a nice treat, and something I would do regularly if available when travelling for work.

Indeed! I think it would be a very pleasant way of passing time on a long journey!
 

chuckles1066

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I have seen very similar prices in nice restaurants in varous places.

I'm sure.

But it doesn't matter how nice the food and the ambiance is, you should know when you're having your pants pulled down where the prices are concerned.

£7 for a small bowl of soup and £7 for a couple of bits of cheese and three Jacobs Crackers *is* having your pants pulled down.

But if you can afford it then go for it :D
 

Greenback

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I'm sure.

But it doesn't matter how nice the food and the ambiance is, you should know when you're having your pants pulled down where the prices are concerned.

£7 for a small bowl of soup and £7 for a couple of bits of cheese and three Jacobs Crackers *is* having your pants pulled down.

But if you can afford it then go for it :D

I have been disappointed by highly priced establishments quite a few times. Given the rage for nouvelle cuisine and its tiny portions a few years ago (or is it decades now?) I can tolerate small amounts on my plate as long as the quality is very good.

What I don't like is poor food, and poor food with a small portion would probably be more of a blessing!
 

fordylad

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I don't agree that the prices are expensive, you are after all paying for an experience and good table service. Which is increasingly hard to find. In contrast to other themed?! Restaurants. I believe you get more for what pay
 

aylesbury

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To many people seem to think that they should eat for nothing,food has to be paid for ,staff paid,premises paid for and a profit made so as to continue in business.Railway restaurant cars are no different to a high st restaurant the main difference of course is you get a terrific view most of the time and its a great experience.
 

TEW

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The price is probably about right, the restaurants on the two evening trains are usually full.
 
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I have been disappointed by highly priced establishments quite a few times. Given the rage for nouvelle cuisine and its tiny portions a few years ago (or is it decades now?) I can tolerate small amounts on my plate as long as the quality is very good.

What I don't like is poor food, and poor food with a small portion would probably be more of a blessing!

Although not on a train, I was served a salad in a London Hotel (1989) which set me back £14!!:-x That was extortionate.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I enjoyed lunch on the 13.36 from Newton Abbot to Paddington this week – superb.

Excellent food, service and ambiance. Overall better than the old East Coast restaurants and probably than WAG (although I’ve only used that once – but am again next week).

Nine were dining paying average of at least £30 (most had wine). More would be using the restaurant on the evening runs back to Plymouth.

What a shame that this is one of just five true restaurant cars with choice of high quality food from menu that remain on our railways.

Have only ever had sandwiches, when travelling on FGW. They were very good too. Couldn't complain at all.
 

Masboroughlad

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The price is probably about right, the restaurants on the two evening trains are usually full.

Couldn't agree more!

I think there should be more food cooked and served on board - EMT, GA, EC, WC, GW, and XC (and TPs longer routes) could all offer it.

Dining on board a train is special - particularly if the food is top notch.

Apart from the food, service, view etc, people seem to forget that it saves you time at either end of your journey too.

I can remember being very excited having my first meal on board a train. Was at college, saved up and had an evening meal on the train from St. Pancras to Sheffield in the 80s. Had a bog standard ticket (it was still called 2nd class then) and chose the cheapest things on the menu...... but had a great meal, in first class - a real experience!!

Dined on board a few times since then - GNER (excellent), BR (MML/XC TOC as it was) and on charter trains. You can't beat it.

And although not the cheapest - it is definitely VFM!
 

TEW

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FGW do offer quite a lot of freshly cooked on board food. There's only the four restaurant trains nowadays which allow passengers with any ticket to dine in First Class, although First Class passengers get priority so Standard Class passengers might get unlucky on the evening trains. They also offer the Travelling Chef service on lots of trains Mondays-Saturdays, across all the HST routes. It still offers freshly cooked food but it's cheaper and is served at seat in First Class with proper plates and cutlery and available to take away from the buffet in Standard Class in cardboard boxes and plastic cutlery.
 

TomJ93

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If I could find a cheap advance I would definitely go along for a steak!
 

38Cto15E

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Good point made by the lad, charter trains are usually £169 for the First Class seat, Full brekky, light lunch and evening Dinner.
If you break down the prices then Dinner must work out around £40.

I used to enjoy having Silver service lunch on the 1206 Paddington-Penzance but that fell by the wayside a couple of years ago, the service not the train.:)
It is still possible to buy at seat hot food service but the ambience is not the same as a restaurant car.
 

Aldaniti

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My first dining experience in a restaurant car was when Midland Main Line took over the franchise from BR. I can't recall what the ticket was called but it gave first class day return travel from Sheffield to London, a London Underground day ticket and a full silver service breakfast - it was without doubt the best breakfast I have ever had. Service started on leaving Chesterfield and we were around Luton when we had finished. It would have made the tiny breakfast that Virgin offer today pale into embarrassment and its still hard for me to believe that it only cost about thirty quid!

I've only eaten on FGW once coming from Plymouth on a lunchtime train and the quality was superb. Yes, thirty quid might sound a lot for lunch or dinner but, as mentioned by others, its about the same as a decent restaurant but the experience is far, far better. In fact I'd suggest that having a good meal on a train whilst watching the world go by should be one of those things that everyone does before they die!
 

142094

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Before East Coast brought in the complimentary food in 1st I travelled from Inverness to King's Cross, so sampled both the breakfast and a lunch meal, both of which were excellent.
 

chuckles1066

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If I could find a cheap advance I would definitely go along for a steak!

Wouldn't the price of the steak offset the cheap ticket? :)

£22 for a tiny fillet, a teaspoon of sauce, a couple of testicular sized potatoes and a tablespoon of vegetables.......we're not all on railway salaries you know.
 

ainsworth74

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£22 for a tiny fillet, a teaspoon of sauce, a couple of testicular sized potatoes and a tablespoon of vegetables.......we're not all on railway salaries you know.

How do you know that it is small? Have you sampled it yourself? If the former EC restaurant is anything to go buy I'd struggle to say that the attached is a tiny fillet with a teaspoon of sauce!
 

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ainsworth74

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I seem to recall that it was an incredibly hot day and the thought of a cold cider (even if it was Strongbow) was too much to resist. Besides there was little else on the 'adult' beverage menu that appealed (not a fan of wine).
 

reb0118

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Strongbow with steak??

Yes, I noticed that too. Un faux pas, non? Although, perhaps, we should not be too harsh - I do not think any train company sells Aspalls Cyder, I could be wrong though?

To ainsworth74 did it taste as good as it looked?
 

Essexman

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For my FGW lunch I paid £20 for a large piece of lamb, as many pototoes as I wanted, carrots & brocolli, served with gravy (OK they call it jus) and mint & apple jelly. Not bad value for high quality restaurant food. Strawberry tart was £7 - not cheap but deserts at good restaurants aren't.
 

sonic2009

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If you said gravy in a kitchen you would be told where to go. ;)

Jus is the correct term for gravy in a kitchen set-up.

Worked in a kitchen myself.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
 

142094

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Not a wine man myself, although a can of Pedigree would have been my choice, unless they'd ran out.
 
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