Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains

2014 · Documentary

The mere mention of the Orient Express brings to mind evocative images of opulent carriages, stylish passengers and thrilling destinations all wrapped up in the romance of train travel. Jonathan Phang, a self-confessed bon viveur with a passion for gastronomy, feels the allure of old world glamour and sets off on a gourmet journey crossing continents aboard some of the world’s most elegant trains. Along the way he stops off in extraordinary culinary destinations, such as Venice, Paris and Istanbul to explore some modern fine dining. However, it is aboard the fabulous trains that Jonathan truly tests the old adage that sometimes it can be better to travel than to arrive.

Episodes

▶1. Venice-Simplon Orient Express - Venice to LondonJonathan boards this historic train at Venice train station and travels via Innsbruck to Paris and then on to London. On board he meets other guests and gets ready for a black tie dinner. After a night spent on the train, he enjoys a lobster lunch whilst travelling from Paris to London.▶2. Venice-Simplon Orient Express - Bucharest To IstanbulJonathan retraces Queen of crime Agatha Christie’s footsteps in a journey which inspired her most famous novel - Murder on the Orient Express. ▶3. British Pulllman & Northern Belle - The English JourneysJonathan takes the British Pullman to Whitstable in Kent where he faces his phobia for oysters. He goes foraging on the beach with ‘fine food forager’ Lucia Jackson and cooks a gourmet dinner with his finds.▶4. Eastern and Oriental - Singapore To PenangIn Singapore Jonathan meets executive chef Christopher Christie who is in charge of 30 restaurants at the 8billion dollar ‘wonder of the world’ that is the Marina Bay Sands.▶5. Eastern and Oriental - Penang To BangkokIn George Town, the historic capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, Jonathan explores a Sunday morning market and sends up buying a 100 year-old egg which he eats back on the train with chef Yannis Martineau.▶6. Venice-Simplon Orient Express - Budapest to ViennaJonathan’s journey starts in Budapest, where he tackles an ancient dish inspired by blood sucking leeches at the influential Bock Bizstro. He meets TV chef Zsofia Mautner who’s pioneering a fresh approach to traditional Hungarian food and gets behind the scenes at one of the city’s most famous coffee houses - Gerbaud.

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