This time last year I enjoyed lunch on the Golden Hind which is Great Western Railway 's flagship inter-city train service between London and Plymouth, and I didn 't think that the experience of tucking into a four-course meal with wine whilst the verdant countryside of Somerset and Devon whizzed past the picture window at 100mph could be improved upon in any way. Earlier this evening I was travelling by rail from Portsmouth to Swansea via Reading. In spite of the fact that GWR 's journey planner made no reference whatsoever to a Pullman Restaurant on the Red Dragon train from Paddington to Carmarthen, and the station announcements at Reading made no mention of one either, there were indeed...
We decided to opt for the 7.05 train from Exeter to London Paddington, and have dinner in the dining car. We purposely chose this option, rather than an earlier train and dinner in London instead. Imagine our disappointment when boarding the near empty dining car, to be told they couldn't seat us, as they had no food on board, completely ridiculous. On that evening (Thursday 25th May), there were 3 other people who also wanted the dining car (that we know of), so goodness knows how much revenue they lost that evening. We normally spend in the region of £150 on the train. Such a disappointment. I thankfully had a cool bag with picnic food from M&S (for the next day), so we were able to eat th...
The only way to travel! This was our first experience of the GWR Pullman Dining, and what a wonderful experience it was. From the assistance with our luggage when boarding, to our beautifully presented table with white table cloth, proper cutlery and crockery and real glasses, our first impression was one of why haven’t we done this before The menu was small and select with something for everyone, with an excellent choice of wines. I can highly recommend the steak, cooked to perfection, with the attentive service of the team, my wine and water glasses were topped up continuously throughout the journey For the very first time, we arrived at Paddington relaxed, refreshed and feeling our time a...
Excellent service and lovely meal on both legs of a journey to and from Plymouth. We dined last year and thought we would do it again and weren’t disappointed. The price is about what you’d pay in a good restaurant, but there is something special about eating good good on the move. Only thing to be aware of is that despite booking you’re unlikely to get any food until about 45 minutes into your journey from Plymouth in the afternoon. The booking system is a bit unreliable. Our return journey was showing as unavailable until about three days before we were due to travel. Glitches like this appear to be an all too frequent issue and something GWR need to sort out. You might not get the menu th...
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Really pleasantly suprised by this. Friendly staff, good service, good value wine. The food wasn't bad, but was expensive for what you got, but I guess they've realised people will pay for the novelty factor. Slighly chaotic booking system, which could better explain how it works when you're on the train, as nobody seemed quite sure when it was going to open, or how long you'd get to eat your meal. It certainly made the 4 hour trip back from Cornwall much quicker.
This has long been on my bucket list and it didn't disappoint in any major way. The staff were absolutely outstanding and the reaction to the tip we left told me that many passengers don't bother to tip! I was a wee bit disappointed at the disposable tablecloth but the meal was excellent, as was the wine. A wonderful way to watch the world go by, took me back to my childhood when serious dining was available on most mainline routes.
As ever, a fantastic experience from Diane and Marc. How are they always just so... wonderful?! The food is lovely and oh my goodness the steak!? *chefs kiss* But honestly, with the level of service we get from Diane and Marc. The food isn't even the reason we use the Pullman Service. Even after not taking the train for months and months you feel like you're meeting old friends the moment you step into the carriage! Top Tier!
After reading reviews on Tripadvisor and my parents 50th wedding anniversary, I decided to book the GWR Pullman service from Swansea to London Paddington. The experience was fantastic- Diane Marc went out of their way to ensure we had an enjoyable meal as a family . Recommend to anyone !
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What a fabulous hidden gem … found completely by accident … staff are extremely friendly and can’t do enough for you … the food is fantastic quality and excellent value for money … I can’t praise this service highly enough … thank you so much
This is Britain’s best kept secret. Great grub and wine made even better by the fantastic service from Diane, Marc and Vicki. Magic.
