Friday, February 5, 2016

EASTERN & ORIENTAL EXPRESS: on the gourmet train

By Stanley Sobari|  From JAKARTA POST, SEPTEMBER 26, 2015 |THE STAR |ANN |MING TEOH
ALL ABOARD!  Imagine being transported to a different time, ti the bygone er of Agatha Christie with famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Christie’s novel, “Murder on teh Orient Express”. Except this time, there isn’t any murder on the train, nor is there any famous Belgian detective.Teh plot has changed: on board is a celebrity chef and a bunch of journalists fro mfour countries – Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines – the public relatins team of Asian Food Channel, lucky winners of the “Jonathan Phang’s Courmet Getaway” contest, as well as other international travellers.
And this orient express isn’t the one that runs throughout the European countryside, but the Eastern & Oriental Express which travels through the exotic tropical rainforest , paddy fields, villages,  towns and cities of Malaysia and Thailand, journeying from Singapore to Bangkok.
Both trains are owned and operated by Belmond, a premium travel curator and connoisseur taht owns a collection of 46 iconic hotels, trains and river cruises worldwide.
Our journey starts from teh Raffles Hotel in Singapore wehre we checked in to the E&O Express.
While waiting, we are served teh renowned Singapore sling cocktail, born rihgt in this very hotel in 1915.
It was created by a Hainanese bartender working at the Long Bar at the hotel. We then proceed to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint to board the train.
Just like its original namesake, teh E&O Express exudes old world glamour. From the moment you step on board, it is like stepping into a different time and place wehre life slows down...and wehre there is no television, gym, Internet or Wi-Fi (gaps!). doormen in smart uniforms wait at the carriages to assisst passengers to their cabins.
Even in the limited space that one would expect on a train, it exudes elegance, and is very comfortable and extremly cozy.
Wood-panelled walls and warm lighting add tothe cahrming ambience as tropical rainforests, rivers and villages whizz by outside the large window.
The scent of fresh jasmine pot-pourti waft through when I open the bathroom door to a hot and cold shower compartment, sink, cabineet and seat toilet.
Each carriage is assigned a pesonal steward who sees to the comfort of the guests, reminiscent of a personal butler in days gone by.
My steward is Eakachai, or jsut “Ea”. He makes sure that i have breakfast in bed (literally, because the sofa is turned down into a comfortable bed before sundown and only reconverted into a sofa afte breakfast!) at time taht I specify, and afternoon tea each day with real china on a silver tray with real silverware cutlery.
Lunches adn dinners are held at one of the dining cars, quaintly named Malaya adn Rosaline.
Elaborate table lamps, polished silverware, crystal glasses, starched white tablecloths adn personalized menus – so characteristic of the charm of the 1930s – add to the opulent of a bygone era.
Lunch is a semi-formal affair, and dinner is formal, something that i have to get used to, as I’m a regular jeans-and-no-make-up kind of person, but dressing up forthe occasion adds to the whole romantic feel of being on board teh elegant express.
I am amazed at how such delicious meals of good portion could be prepared in such compct kitchens, and also the versatiltiy of the dishes, which combine both flavors of the East and the West.
the meals prepared by executive chef Yannis Martineau from France are the epitome of fine dining.
There are exquisite appetizers like cauliflower bavois and vegetable medley with smoked duck breast, mouthwatering mains like medallion of beef with foie gras croqueette and Asian vegetables, vindaloo sauce adn mustard foam, and delectable desserts like chocolae and pandan mousse on crispy hazelnut praline with coconut coulis.
For the participants of this trip, the icing on the cake is, of course, meeting UK-based celebrity chef and host Jonathan Phang, and enjoying a five-course Caribean-style dinner specially prepared by him on board the train.
What is special about Phang’s style of cooking is that, because of his unique Carribean background (his father is Chinese adn his mother is Creole), it is a potpourri of tastes.
It is enchanting to savor the diverse flavors in teh dishes that the celebrity chef serves up that night, which are also featured in his cook book, The Peerpot Club: A Celebration of Caribbean Cuisine.
Nuances of Western herbs and West Indian spices in the pumpkin soup, touches of West Indian spices in teh cod fish cakes with red mayonnaise, and traces of traditional chinese sesonings in the beef peppoepot and jerk chicken, as well as hints of East Indian spices in teh chickpea and vegetable curry, he mian courses served during dinner...all adds to the uniqueness of the meal.
So..what does one do on board a luxurious tain like the Easter & Oriental Express, wehre there are no internet or Wi-Fi, television or gym? To taht, i have to stay taht it’s a really “social” environment.
Besides hanging out in our cabins, tehr is a reading room wehre one can sit and while away time amidst the pages of a novel, a boutique wehr one can buy premium souvenirs, and evenings can be spentwathin teh sunset fromteh obwervation car which is adjacent to a colonial, planter-style lounge bar at the back fo the rain wehre one can chat with other travllers, sit and sip champagne, or enjoy an espresso while wathcing the world bo by.
There’s also a piano bar where guests can gather to enjoy cocktails and after-dinner drinks while listening to vveteran pianist, Singapore Pete.
Humour is a huge part of Phang’s adventures and the down-to-earth celebrity host and food adventurer really throws himself into each experience.
From telling us amusing anecdotes of his travels to joining in the sing-a-along at the piano bar after dinner, Phang is an excellent host and makes everyone feel at home.
Sleeping on a constantly moving train is a unique experience for me. For some, the rocking motion of the trains lulls them to slumberland easily, but for lights sleepers, wearing earplugs, or taking sleep medication may help.
I’m thankful that I have to do neither to sleep, but I wake up a few times during the night and wonder why everyting around me is moving!
Not all the time is spent on board the train. There are two exursions in the works.
The first is at the royal town of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, wehre we are brought on a wet market tour by Phang and Martineau to shop for ingredients for dinner.
We also visit the orayl Ubudiah Mosque, with its majestic golden dome and minarets. The second is tothe River Kwai Bridge, in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, wehre we go on a raft down the river, pass by a Vietnamese temple, and ivsit the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery adn Museum.
According to Phang, one of his most moving experiences travelling on the Eastern & Oriental Express was two years ago at this location.
When they wer visiting the River Kwai Bridge dan war cemetery, he noticed a group of older Australians who were learly war veterans on a pilgrimage.
“When you see the River Kwai Bridge, something rally hits you and you think: ‘Oh my God, how many people died here? Tens of thousands.’
“It dawns on you when you see rows of graves of young soldiers. That brought me down to earth very quickly and I did shed some tears off screen. It was a very special and emotional part of my journey. I tas teh place that moved me the most, and i will always remember it.”
Our journey rounds off at the Bangkok Railway Station where we are brought t othe Dusit Thani Hotel for the night before catching our flight back home the next day [*/traveladdress.blogspot.com]