ALL ABOARD ANOTHER WORLD

Looking for a very special dinner, but don’t fancy the same old five-star Bangkok hotels? You might want to consider an elegant culinary journey onboard the Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Express. That’s the iconic green-liveried train that runs a sumptuous regular service between Bangkok and Singapore.
     Joining the “Taste of Luxury” dinner two Sundays ago as part of a media group, I was told to dress up for a world of “timeless elegance, style and glamour” during the four-hour ride from Hualampong to Bang Pa-in in Ayutthaya. I was among the few Thais waiting in an E&O lounge on Platform 12 chock-a-block with more than 100 farangs, mostly international Rotarians who had flown in for a meeting in Bangkok the next day.
      Exiting the lounge for the 6.30pm departure, our spiffy E&O group looked like we were walking hand in hand to a society ball. Ordinary folks waiting on the platform alongside their cardboard boxes and sacks gave us wide-eyed looks of disbelief.
As we clambered aboard the fully-air-conditioned train we got our first taste of another world – strictly no jeans, shorts or trainers. Eager to toast our departure, we headed past the three types of private cabin (Pullman, State and Presidential) and through the saloon car (with reading room, restaurant and boutique) before reaching the main bar car. The resident pianist was helping guests to relax into
the romantic atmosphere of the Orient – pale ash wood panelling, wall carvings, silk-embroidered pelmets and wall mirrors etched with a lotus flower motif. I grabbed a glass of sauvignon blanc and strolled back to my State cabin shared with other media members. The cabin – next door to the rearwards Observation Car and another bar – featured a banquette-style sofa and a pair of armchairs.
The Bangkok cityscape slid by from slums to Chitralada Palace to concrete tower blocks as night fell. We spent most of the time in the bar chatting with other guests and popping in and out of the observation car.
Dinner is served at 8, and I sat opposite Joe Cummings of the Bangkok Post and Leesa Lovelace, E&O general manager. A train journey is all about socialising, said Lovelace, though there are always passengers who prefer the privacy of their own cabins.
The kitchen of the restaurant car, resplendent in rosewood and elm panelling, was manned by executive French chef Yannis Martineau, a veteran of E&O’s Mandalay-Bhamo-Bagan Burmese river cruise. On his menu was a feast of Euro-Asian cuisine.
“We can accommodate all dietary requirements,” said Lovelace, who hails from California. “Our chef has created his signature dishes. On this trip, you’ll get to taste his tom yum cappuccino. His goal is always to infuse local ingredients and flavours into dishes but still create a very Oriental Express presentation.”
These days Western E&O guests feel more comfortable trying nasi goring, khao soi and other Asian dishes along with the elaborate European cuisine.    
Our first course exuded Asian aromas: medley of seafood with oyster mushroom, red pepper, curry oil and crispy ginger. It was a revelation: I never dreamed that “train food” could be this sophisticated.
Next up was Martineau’s signature fennel-celeriac veloute on tom yum cappuccino. The taste of tom yum was there, with a thin veil of spiciness, but not too much, which was a delight for all.
The main course, rack of lamb crusted with pine nuts and pistachios accompanied by bah kut teh sauce, bok choy and vegetable tian, was a tribute to local cuisine, an “East meets West” dish that looked European but tasted Asian.
The dessert course was lychee mousse roll on banana ice cream with cinnamon mille-feuille. The latter looked and tasted like something created in the kitchen of a five-star hotel, yet it came from the cramped kitchen of a train in motion.
The banana ice cream was to die for. I washed it down with a cup of Cameron Highlands tea. Bliss!
As well as the food to savour, there was the conversation over the table. I ended up learning of the link between hypnosis and sak yant tattoos from Cummings, author of “Sacred Tattoos of Thailand”, who also shared tales of his guitar obsession. Lovelace chipped in with a recommendation I visit fast-changing Myanmar – a river cruise to Bhamo would be fun, she said.
      Time flew by along with the scenery beyond the window. Before I realised it the train was pulling back in to Hualampong.

        TICKET TO RIDE?
To book a trip on the Eastern & Oriental Express, call 001 800 8392 3500 (toll free), e-mail [email protected] or visit www.Orient-Express.com.