Name: Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2014-02-11

Overview

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.

Seasons

Season 1

6 Episodes

2014

E01

Venice-Simplon Orient Express - Venice to London

2/11/2014

Jonathan 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.

E02

Venice-Simplon Orient Express - Bucharest To Istanbul

2/18/2014

Jonathan retraces Queen of crime Agatha Christie’s footsteps in a journey which inspired her most famous novel - Murder on the Orient Express.

E03

British Pulllman & Northern Belle - The English Journeys

2/25/2014

Jonathan 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.

E04

Eastern and Oriental - Singapore To Penang

3/4/2014

In 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.

E05

Eastern and Oriental - Penang To Bangkok

3/11/2014

In 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.

E06

Venice-Simplon Orient Express - Budapest to Vienna

3/18/2014

Jonathan’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.

Season 2

6 Episodes

2015

E01

The Royal Scotsman – The Highlands

4/11/2015

Jonathan travels the beautiful highlands of Scotland on the iconic Belmont Royal Scotsman.

E02

The Canadian – Vancouver to Jasper

4/18/2015

Jonathan takes the trip of a lifetime from the beautiful coastal city of Vancouver across the spectacular Rocky Mountains to Jasper, an idyllic Canadian town set in a stunning national park.

E03

The Canadian – Edmonton to Winnipeg

4/25/2015

In the second part of Jonathan’s North American adventure aboard the glamourous and retro The Canadian he leaves behind the Rockies and heads to the vast expanses of the prairies. But not before taking a walk on the wild side as a biker in bear country and making hemp crepes with fire cooked salmon in the holiday home of Royalty at the Outlook Cabin.

E04

The Indian Pacific – Perth to Sydney

5/2/2015

Starting in Australia’s thriving cosmopolitan west coast city of Perth Jonathan lives like a true Aussie when he cooks prawns on the barbie with Chef Russell Blaikie, gets a little pick-me-up when he samples an expresso martini and pays homage to the area’s printing press history with Chef Shane Watson’s black and white menu.

E05

The Spirit of Queensland – Cairns to Brisbane

5/9/2015

In Sydney Jonathan takes to the skies for a flying visit to picturesque Palm Springs in a sea plane where he samples the laid back beach life and delicious Patagonian tooth fish at word famous Jonah’s.

E06

The Hiram Bingham – Cusco to Machu Picchu

5/16/2015

Jonathan fulfils a dream of a lifetime when he visits Peru’s Machu Picchu. But first he visits Lima, the gastronomic capital of South America and tries a range of traditional dishes and local foods with a modern twist.