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2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20
Who often takes the train in front of the expression " dining car ”Has two possible reactions: the first is a held back despair, out of politeness. The other is blatantly exhibited hilarity.
Unless conditions are such that you have to eat on board, it is a common strategy to feed yourself before getting on or buying anything ashore. Or again, prepare the bowl and consume it on the train, having a ready answer in case of disapproval of the other travelers.
Despite the efforts, in short, neither Italo with its luxurious lunch box, nor the Frecce with the signature of Carlo Cracco and the regional menus (ah, May is the month of Provolone Valpadana PDO, in case you are interested) have managed to improve the image of the gastronomic supply by rail.
To make a train trip properly, there would be another solution, but you need a credit card limit, let's say, large.
You immerse yourself in history without restraint, enjoying the landscape from the window while the word "dining car" takes on a new, shiny and beautiful meaning. A journey with clinking glasses and lavender-scented tablecloths.
What more or less happens if you are on board the Venice Simplon-Orient Express.
A short guide
4 October 1883, Paris-Constantinople section. 40 selected passengers inaugurate the train that more than any other has entered the collective imagination of travelers, as well as cinephiles and readers.
If you happen to see James Bond and Agata Christie on board, do not worry: the hallucinations of enthusiasm are understandable and shared.
Born from an idea of the Belgian entrepreneur Georges Nagelmackers, in partnership with the American George Mortimer Pullman (the inventor of the homonymous railway carriage, yes), the train experiences the golden period around the 1930s, between fates alternating and setbacks between the two world wars, with the fear that the dream would vanish in 1962.
Finally, in 1982, the revival in grand style with the inauguration of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
It is managed by the Belmond group (the same as the Hotel Cipriani in Venice) and includes 17 luxury carriages, including 11 sleeping carriages built in the 1920s and 1930s and restored. The network touches numerous European cities including Venice, London, Paris, Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Istanbul.
It is time to talk about prices (some readers will forgive the inelegance but here you have to go to the practical otherwise the deadline for reservations expires).
The Paris-London route, only during the day, is the cheapest: around 800 euros per person, but you will miss the charm of the night on board.
The Venice-Paris, or vice versa, includes an overnight stay and costs around 2500 euros per person per way, including lunch (three courses), dinner (four courses), breakfast and tea, excluding wines and extra drinks.
The most demanding routes, lasting five nights, are the Venice-Vienna-London (3500 euros), the Venice-Budapest-London (about 4000), the Istanbul-Bucharest-Budapest-Venice (only departure 2016 on 2 September, from over 7000 for about 8,600 euros each) and the Paris-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul (only departure on August 26th, same prices).
If you have taken note of everything and have already notified the office for the holidays, we can continue.
While on the interregional you have to deal with crowded compartments with a memorable smell, blocked windows, seats with dubious upholstery and tables that should not be opened, the typical traveler of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express enjoys the view in the double cabin designed as a living room with bench sofa, footrest, coffee table and cabinet with sink.
At night, the same cabin becomes a bedroom with one upper and one lower bed. Of course, there are also suites: consisting of two connected cabins, they can have a combination of two single beds, or one with a lounge on one side and beds in the other.
Are your eyes starting to sparkle?
Well, we are not yet at the details: interiors treated with precious woods, brass, opalines, Flanders fabrics.
There are three dining cars: the Côte d’Azur, with Lalique glass panels, the Etoile du Nord with elegant inlays, and L’Oriental, decorated in black lacquer.
In the center of the train, the bar car with a pianist.
If you are thinking of leaving your interregional in the running, here is one more reason to do so.
The most important to be honest for us enthusiasts: food.
Executive Head Chef on board, author of traveling refinements is Christian Bodiguel since 1984, thirty years of experience on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express with the ability to collect and rework the suggestions of the destinations reached in the dishes.
“The cuisine we serve” - he tells us - “is European and follows a seasonal trend. The menu also changes according to the period of activity of the train, from March to November ".
The idea is to combine historical dishes with new creations, taking into account the cities crossed: practically it is as if with a single menu you could take a bite of Venice, Paris, Prague, Budapest, Berlin.
And Venice and Paris are the reference cities, also for supplies: take advantage of the stop to stock up on fresh raw materials (in particular shellfish, fish and vegetables) and to draw inspiration from the Rialto market.
But how do you cook in such a small space that even the tightest Ikea set-ups are envied? Just be organized and perfectly coordinated, says Bodiguel.
Considering that the dimensions are those of a narrow corridor and that the staff is made up of about 6-8 people, we believe that Christian Bodiguel's skills go beyond the purely gastronomic sphere and extend to the logistical-military one.
The concern for the work spaces and the mood of the brigade, however, disappears as soon as the waiter brings the menu.
It seems that among the most popular dishes are the Charolais beef fillet served with truffle caviar (in autumn) and the presale roast lamb served with sage-flavored polenta (in the summer).
The list of delights is long and there is no time to tell it all: the conductor already has the whistle in his hand.
If you do not have a ticket to board, and you are under thirty, we recommend the #viaggiointesta contest: sign up and you could win a dream trip, just like the one on the Venice Simplon-Orient Express.
Or, men get a tuxedo; the ladies an elegant dress in pastel colors, a rustling silk stole and a string of pearls.
Smile in moderation, adopt a stately demeanor and climb without hesitation. You may even be able to get to the bar car before they call the conductor.