Restaurants

By Guy Dimond

If you're travelling to the central belt of Scotland, your options are: fly (takes just as long, but is much more hassle); get the west coast train (often subject to delays); or take the east coast trains which get you to Edinburgh in a little over four hours from London King's Cross. Taking the east coast train is by far the most civilised method – assuming you get a good seat, you get four hours of uninterrupted reading or work on your laptop (the train has its own free internet access – slow, but it works). Just try doing that in the airport queue.

For the epicurean, the Highland Chieftain is the train to catch. Leaving from Kings Cross at noon, it has a proper restaurant car with two meal sittings -- one after departure, then a second after York, two hours later. Table reservations are not taken, so you need to take your seat soon after as the train departs to be assured of a table.

The restaurant car is operated by the McCoy Brothers, who have an excellent reputation in the North-East. The menu's no pricier than a good gastropub, and of similar style and quality. Smoked haddock fishcakes were of excellent quality, with a brandade-like texture of fibrous white fish, served with a mustard-coloured curried sauce and salad leaf garnish. Oven-baked chicken breast was also tip-top, the chicken supreme (ie with the wing bone attached) topped with a flavoursome, well-spiced stew of chorizo, chickpea and chopped carrot and celery. Starters and desserts are also done properly, from a basil-flavoured carrot soup to the eton mess – a pudding of crisp meringue, strawberries, and whipped cream. The restaurant car is licensed, with a brief but well-priced list of aperitifs and wines some by the quarter-bottle (from £4.95).

Service was cheery, attentive and informative on our trip, and the bill refreshing – a subtantial lunch for two came to just over £40. We were all set to recommend the experience unconditionally – then our train experienced mechanical problems outside Edinburgh. We had to leave the train at Waverley for two hours while repairs were carried out, before the train was able to continue northbound. Our fellow passengers were vocal on the subject: 'It's one of the longest routes, and they always put the oldest trains on,' said one.

Time Out September 2008