Incredible meals on wheels from around the world
Facebook/Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
Meals on wheels
Ever thought about eating a five-course meal on a tram? Well now you can. These are some of the most incredible restaurants on wheels from around the world.
Facebook/Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, Melbourne, Australia
Welcome aboard Melbourne, Australia's Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, part of the famous fleet of historical trams that are the first traveling tramcar restaurants in the world. Guests are driven around the streets of Melbourne, all while feasting on a luxury five-course meal of seasonal Australian cuisine and local wine. On the menu are the likes of duck terrine, veloute of Kent pumpkin soup, roast fillet of beef and warm black forest pudding.
Facebook/Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, Melbourne, Australia
Since its inception in 1983, the restaurant has become a bit of a tourism symbol for Melbourne, acting as a sightseeing trip as well as an immersive dining experience. Dining on the tram costs around AUD$85 (US$65/£53) per person for a four-course lunch, or up to AUD$140 (US$106/£88) for an evening five-course dinner.
Facebook/Basement Gallery
Basement Gallery, Walthamstow, London, England
If Londoners don't get enough of the London Underground during the day time, there is always the option to hop on into the Basement Gallery – a stationary tube carriage in north-east London, which specializes in gourmet supper clubs (yes, people actually have to talk to each other on this train).
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Basement Gallery, Walthamstow, London, England
Originally named The Basement Gallery Supper Club, the venue is run as a catering company, serving up classic French brasserie and Scandinavian flavors by chefs Alex Cooper and Shiann Stuvier, all on a 1969 London Underground carriage.
Facebook/Basement Gallery
Basement Gallery, Walthamstow, London, England
Alex Cooper is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu School, Paris, where he trained under some of France’s top chefs, while fellow chef Shiann Stuvier normally cooks up his culinary delights at Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social restaurant, also in London.
Facebook/Basement Gallery
Basement Gallery, Walthamstow, London, England
On the menu, you'll find the likes of figs, feta and rye with burnt honey to start, duck leg for the main course, and blackberries with Oreos, white chocolate and elderflower for dessert. However, the menu changes regularly and the chefs bring in a range of seasonal produce.
Eastern & Oriental Express, Asia
Some of the finest train dining experiences in the world are to be found on the Eastern and Oriental Express, one of the many Belmond trains that travel the world, providing five-star transport, accommodation and food.
Eastern & Oriental Express, Asia
Travelling from Singapore to Penang, Bangkok and Kuala Lumper, the train ride is clearly more than just a dining experience, but with dishes served up by Australian chef Luke Mangan and Yannis Martineau, you'll certainly be well fed.
Eastern & Oriental Express, Asia
On board, you can feast on the likes of roasted saba mackerel, tender spiced chicken leg and a medley of Asian citrus fruits with yuzu sorbet, all while admiring the beautiful Asian countryside. Just expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 (£1,600) per person for two nights of travel.
Gourmet Bus, Singapore
The meals on wheels in Asia don't stop there. In Singapore, you can hop onto the Gourmet Bus, which is designed to act as a restaurant combined with a city bus tour.
Gourmet Bus, Singapore
The Gourmet Bus is one of the first of its kind in Asia, and allows you to dine in this snazzy restaurant with all the latest technology and see the city by day or by night.
Gourmet Bus, Singapore
Guests are served a luxury meal of Indo-Chinese cuisine, such as Vietnamese rice paper rolls, lemongrass chicken and mango with sticky rice. After the main course, there is a scheduled hop-off at Gardens by the Bay, a nature park with a light and sound show, for some evening entertainment.
Belmond Hiram Bingham, Peru
Back on the rails, Hiram Bingham is another luxury Belmond train that lets you dine in style while trundling through the Peruvian countryside to Machu Picchu and Poroy on a 1920s Pullman train.
Belmond Hiram Bingham, Peru
Named after the explorer who rediscovered the Inca citadel, the train has two dining cars, as well as an observation bar car and kitchen car, which serves brunch and a four-course Andean-inspired dinner.
Belmond Hiram Bingham, Peru
The brunch menu includes the likes of smoked trout, grilled tenderloin beef and a corn cheesecake, while dinner features dishes such as caviar, stuffed zucchini, confit duck leg and 55% organic cacao.
The Rosebery, London
Possibly the most prestigious converted bus in Britain, the Rosebery hosts anything from intimate dinners to cocktail parties. You'll usually find it hanging out at significant sporting events, but it can also be hired for private locations across the country, such as weddings and birthday parties, providing you've got the cash to splash of course.
The Rosebery, London
Downstairs is a chic cocktail bar, while upstairs acts as a dining space with a roof that rises at the touch of a button. The food on the menu very much depends on the nature of the event, but don't worry, you won't be sat in the kitchen as the chefs cook up their treats in a standalone vintage horsebox and bring the food to the bus.
Hoftrammm, The Hague, Netherlands
Our next stop is at Hoftrammm, a tram converted into a modern restaurant that travels around The Hague, Netherlands.
Hoftrammm, The Hague, Netherlands
Just a few months before being converted into a restaurant, Hoftramm was just a regular tram with the number 3035. But from May 2014 it started riding around the center of The Hague serving up a luxury four-course dinner. The best part? The whole thing was funded through crowdfunding via the platform CrowdAboutNow, with 177 investors placing their trust in it as a viable business.
Hoftrammm, The Hague, Netherlands
For €77.50 ($85/£70) per person, a ticket on the tram includes a four-course dinner including mackerel crème brûlée, a poultry-chorizo canoe and a reversed Bounty chocolate bar with a peanut butter lollypop. Yum.
Hoftrammm, The Hague, Netherlands
All dishes on the menu are designed by executive chef Pierre Wind, who isn't always present to cook, but uses his gastronomic creativity to put the menu together. He is a well-known Dutch TV personality.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Europe
Arguably one of the world's most famous train rides, the Orient Express takes you on a crisscross journey through Europe and provides views like this, while you also enjoy some pretty incredible food.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Europe
The train travels anywhere between Venice, Paris, Verona and London, and can cost up to $3,000 (£2,500) for a two-day trip. But it is inclusive of lounging areas like this, as well as a luxury cabin, and not forgetting the food.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Europe
Prepared by chef Christian Bodiguel and his team, guests are served set menus featuring local dishes such as lobsters from Brittany, tomatoes from Provence and saltmarsh lamb from Mont St Michel.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Europe
Breakfast is also a big part of the dining experience on board the Orient Express, and if you opt for the 'Celebration Breakfast', you'll receive a selection of baked breads, smoked salmon, eggs, truffles and caviar. However, options such as this one are à la carte and available at an additional charge (around €100/$109 per person for a breakfast like this). The rest of the set menu options are available as part of the trip.
Wünderlust, Deptford, London
Nestled in the depths of Deptford, South London, you can find an old London red double decker bus playing dress up as a restaurant and bar.
Wünderlust, Deptford, London
While the red bus is a permanent fixture in Deptford, called 'Big Red', the food available changes as restaurants rent out the space on a pop-up basis. Currently residing there is Wünderlust, a pop-up project run by Austrian street food trader Fleisch Mob.
Wünderlust, Deptford, London
On board, you'll find street food including Bratwurst, burgers and fries, as well as traditional British roast dinners on a Sunday using seasonal and local produce.
Wünderlust, Deptford, London
Wünderlust is a word that doesn't exist in English, but the restaurant claims it represents a combination of passions; for music, food, drink. Apparently, it's "about that warm feeling you get from hanging out somewhere with a good vibe". As well as eating good food, you can also party on the bus as every night upcoming and established DJs take to the decks and the drinks just keep on flowing.
Belmond Grand Hibernian, Ireland
Our final destination is the Belmond Grand Hibernian. This is the first luxury rail experience in Ireland, which traverses the Irish countryside, coastlines and cities, all while serving up food that rivals a lot of the best restaurants in the country's capital Dublin.
Belmond Grand Hibernian, Ireland
There are two different restaurants on board: Sligo, a restaurant car arranged into tables of four; and Wexford (pictured), which seats guests at tables of six.
Belmond Grand Hibernian, Ireland
Both restaurants serve seasonal dishes prepared by head chef Alan Woods, who puts a contemporary twist on traditional Irish fare. Some of the main dishes include roast Killarney venison loin, scallops sourced from the Beara Peninsula, Donegal Turf smoked salmon and traditional seafood chowder.
Belmond Grand Hibernian, Ireland
And of course all of this is served while looking out onto views like this. Who said traveling on public transport was unpleasant?