According to Condé Nast Traveller, Southern African luxury train Rovos Rail is one of the most impressive in the world when it comes to its dining offering, with meals rivalling top Michelin-starred restaurants, served in an ambience to match.
It found that lavish dining may be one of the reasons people trade flying for luxury railroad trips.
With itineraries ranging from 48-hour trips to 14-day tours, depending on the number of passengers, Rovos uses either one or two restaurant cars. Long dresses and suits are required for evening dining, while the dress code for lunch is smart casual.
Its leisurely four-course meals are served with South African wines. The focus is on fresh, local ingredients, with regional dishes such as springbok loin, karoo crumble and koeksisters, all spotlighting African culinary traditions and excellence.
The publication ranked Rovos along with these luxury trains for their dining experiences:
- Belmond Andean Explorer, Peru, whose menu includes dishes like trout fillet with quinotto, Italian grapes and popular South American drink Pisco, or baked sea bass with Andean herbs.
- The Palace on Wheels, India, serves regional dishes focusing mostly on Rajasthani specialities like rich ghee and sweet jowar (sorghum), mutton saagwala and tandoori chicken.
- Venice Simplon-Orient Express, Europe, has three dining cars blending the Simplon’s gastronomic heritage with local produce, focusing on French, Italian and Austrian dishes.
- Seven Stars, Japan, has a dining car named ‘Jupiter’, serving dishes from the island of Kyushu, which the train travels through.
- The Ghan, Australia, has three restaurant cars serving regionally inspired menus including local lamb, saltwater barramundi and grilled kangaroo fillet.
- Royal Scotsman, Scotland, has two dining cars offering Scottish smoked salmon, pigeon salad, kedgeree, spiced roast halibut and a Scotch Malt Whisky Tour.
