Dinner Is A Black Tie Affair!
Because it was our anniversary, we adhered to the train’s request to keep dining a black tie affair, so we made our way down the coach hallway to dinner….well, with a stop on the way…
Of course, to get to dinner you must go through the bar car, and that means we begin our night with a special drink and some piano music…
Next up, we head to one of three dining cars – tonight, it’s the classic Cote d’Azur car with a real south of France vibe…
Our Anniversary Menu…
The dinner menu is a four course affair, although as you can see from the above menu, you can order ala carte as well, but we loved what they proposed, which began with a panfried turbot steak with thinly sliced potato scales and truffle carpaccio Champagne sauce:
Next up was a roasted fillet of lamb, coated with argan oil and sweet garlic, with an Oriental spices jus:
The dish was accompanied by a Zucchini, eggplant, sweet pepper and tomato Ratatouille and Tabbouleh with fresh peppermint.
Of course, we chose Italian wines for dinner since we were going through the Italian countryside…served is special “VSOE” glasses – this is, after all, the Venice Simplon Orient Express Train!
By the way, this was our view as we ate on the train – the Italian countryside at sunset…
A cheese tray is brought to your table next, and you choose your cheeses – and then as a surprise, they brought us an anniversary dessert!
The Venice Simplon Orient Express Chef de Cuisine Christian Bodiguel stopped by our table after the meal and got a picture with Alex, and yes, I found a way to not only take the picture but photobomb it as well:
It was a great dinner, beautifully prepared and presented – and that was true of every meal we had on the train, for lunch and dinner…and since we were done in the dining car, we made our way back to the bar car, where a party had broken out!
It was only packed to the rafters because these people were about to get up to have their dinner, so when they did, we all had seats to continue the party! Let’s turn over the narrative to Alex, who shows us the bar car at midnight:
What a great night of celebration! the entire team at the Venice Simplon Orient Express is phenomenal, and we each got pictures with them at various times…
OK, Chef was distracted on my shot – after all, he had a lot of amazing food to prepare!
This is the latest story about our incredible trip on the vintage Orient Express Train…
You can see what the accommodations are like onboard, check out the story here!
Hope you enjoyed our anniversary meal!
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what that looks absolutely LIT
~B
What a wonderful experience, one I’d like to do some day.
Thank you for commenting, it was truly a special trip for us!
That looks like something out of a James bond movie. Happy Anniversary!
Thanks, “From Russia With Love” had that great train sequence!
I thought so!
What an awesome experience it looks and sounds amazing and the menu…My type of food 🙂 Happy Anniversary albeit belated 🙂
Thanks Carol it was terrific!
what a blast, looks amazing
Wishing you both a very happy (belated) Anniversary, congratulations! And wow, what a wonderful way to celebrate!! Certainly something different and it looks so elegant and exciting, definitely lots of fab memories to cherish there 🙂
xx
Wow!!! This looks like a fantastic anniversary – think I might wave your posts about the Orient Express under hubby’s nose…..
It’s a truly spectacular adventure!
Looks fabulous and such delicious food! Made me realise I’m quite hungry! Great photos, thanks for sharing your experience
Thank you for reading and commenting! It truly was magical!
Gorgeous pictures. Delectable menu. Love the way you have made the celebration so unique and special.
Woooah John, this looks like such an amazing trip! They really spoiled you both! 😀
Going the whole way to Istanbul sounds pricey, but amaaaazing!
They only do Istanbul once a year, but the idea of going from London to Istanbul, with a stop in Budapest AND Bucharest sounds too good to pass up! Thanks for the comments!
It looks like a fantastic meal, John. A wonderful trip you both enjoyed.
Thanks Robbie! It was an incredible meal!
That was a great set menu indeed. Another night to remember, among so many others.
Though maybe not Abba’s ‘Fernando’ being played on the piano. 🙂 Mind you, that in itself is something of a joy.
Best wishes, Pete.
What an amazing experience! Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for the note! After seeing “Murder On The Orient Express”, it was fun to live it!
Happy Anniversary–and thank you for sharing your trip with us!
Thank you for the comment – it was a “once win a lifetime” trip we plan to do again!
Congratulations John what a superb gift one most can only dream of. Another wonderfully shot post written with enthusiasm.
Thank you – the food was spectacular and the entire Orient Express team is incredible – a true “once in a lifetime” experience that we plan to do again, this time going the other direction and all the way to Istanbul! Thanks for the comment!
Wow that will be amazing doing it both ways.