After a decade of French dining courtesy of Raymond Blanc, first-class Eurostar passengers from November 4 will be tucking into food onboard by British chef Jeremy Chan and a former ‘world’s best pastry chef’ as part of a brand-new menu.
Eurostar promises a ‘journey through flavours’.
Jeremy’s restaurant, Ikoyi, on the Strand in London, has two Michelin stars and is ranked the 42nd best eaterie in the world. Spices feature heavily, with guests paying £350 for a tasting menu experience that includes dishes such as mussel custard with saffron and caviar, and hibiscus and fermented Scotch bonnet.
Jeremy’s high-speed train dishes – he’s responsible for the new amuse-bouche and mains – won’t be as sophisticated, but passengers can rest assured that they’ll be tucking into meals created by the master chef himself.
Jeremy told MailOnline Travel at the St Pancras International launch event for the new menu: ‘I’ve written every single recipe. I didn’t send an “inspiration pack” and get the team to make it. Every dish is 1,000 per cent mine. It’s not an “inspired by Jeremy’s menu” menu. All the flavour combinations – it’s all on me.’
After a decade of French dining courtesy of Raymond Blanc, first-class Eurostar passengers from November 4 will be tucking into food onboard by British chef Jeremy Chan (above)
And what flavours can guests expect?
As with Jeremy’s Ikoyi creations, plenty of spices.
MailOnline tried one of the amuse-bouche – ‘smacked kohirabi with pine nut milk’ – and thought it was superb. Spicy, crunchy, packed with flavour and extremely moreish.
Other dishes on the menu, developed by the chefs during collaborative workshops and multiple tasting sessions, could include an amuse-bouche of curried cauliflower mousseline, and mains of baked salmon served with coconut rice and tangy potatoes, and roasted pumpkin with honey and cashew miso. The meal, says Eurostar, might be complemented by a ‘rich’ Colston Bassett Stilton, paired with burnt honey and apple, or Montgomery cheddar with quince chutney.
Jeremy told MailOnline Travel at the St Pancras launch event for the new menu: ‘I’ve written every single recipe. All the flavour combinations – it’s all on me.’ Above, from the new menu: Citrus glazed duck, pumpkin, candied pecan, treviso salad; Colston Bassett Stilton with burnt honey; Smacked kohlrabi, pine nut milk amuse-bouche; citrus delight, green cardamom dessert
Jeremy said: ‘When I go abroad, I miss the comfort food of Britain. So in the menu there are nods to that, to that sense of comfort’
It might also include a braised lamb shoulder that Jeremy says ‘looks like a school dinner’ – but that is much more ‘interesting’ than it appears.
He said: ‘It’s got a garlic/anchovy/harissa marination and is served with pearl barley and carrots. It literally looks like a school dinner. Lamb. Carrots. Barley. But how do we make it interesting? The barley is cooked in a really intense mushroom stock, it has roasted button mushrooms blended in, the carrots are glazed with honey.’
We asked Jeremy if, while designing the menu, he had in mind mostly pleasing the British or the French.
He said: ‘I don’t think about pleasing anyone. With the recipes, I thought, “How can I make it as universally delicious as possible without thinking of anyone specific?” Some of the recipes are comfort food that I would like to eat in winter. When I go abroad, I miss the comfort food of Britain. So in the menu there are nods to that, to that sense of comfort.
‘For the French side… I love French cuisine. I love Dijon mustard. I love tarragon. So I made a sausage recipe with Dijon mustard and tarragon in it – and it’s on the breakfast menu. That’s how I thought about the British and French.’
The desserts have been created by Jessica Préalpato, a French pastry chef who ‘favours natural flavours such as ancient grains, unrefined sugars and plants’. Named Best Pastry Chef in the world in the World’s 50 Best in 2019 and the first woman to be named Pastry Chef of the Year by Gault et Millau, her dessert offerings might include citrus delight infused with green cardamom, and honey and hemp financier.
The new wines and Champagne have been selected by British sommelier and co-owner of London restaurant Sune – Honey Spencer.
The new wines and Champagne have been selected by British sommelier and co-owner of London restaurant Sune – Honey Spencer (above)
MailOnline tried the new Champagne – Fleury Extra Brut, made from Pinot Noir grapes. It was delicious – nutty and confident.
The wines include a Domaine de la Dourbie Oscar red from the Languedoc region in France, which retails for around £14.50 a bottle, and a Moulin de Gassac Terra Blanc white from the Languedoc, which retails for around £13.50 a bottle.
Commenting on the wine list, Vagabond Wines’ wine buyer Colin Thorne said: ‘The list puts well-made natural wines within reach of every passenger.
‘The producers are firmly committed to growing grapes with the utmost care and responsibility for their land. Sustainable and organic methods require a lot of diligence on the part of the grower, so these should all be well worth a glass or two during a Eurostar trip.’
Honey Spencer said: ‘Each wine is unique and offers a glimpse of France’s most progressive estates, each with its own story to tell and flavours to reveal.’
Left to right: Head Pastry Chef Jessica Préalpato, Head Chef Jeremy Chan and Head Sommelier Honey Spencer walking alongside a Eurostar train in Paris Gare du Nord
The dishes were developed by the chefs during collaborative workshops and multiple tasting sessions
Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar, said: ‘By reinventing the onboard culinary experience, making it more innovative, daring, and environmentally friendly, Eurostar is presenting itself as a destination in its own right. Eurostar is more than just a train – it’s a promise of new discoveries and unique moments. Our new chefs bring this vision to life and we’re delighted to work with them on this journey.’
Matthieu Quyollet, Director of Development and New Customer Experience, said: ‘We have come up with a bold and modern concept, with, for the first time, a team collective of three talents, three chefs who have joined forces to create a perfectly harmonised menu, all of which can be served at a speed of 300kph. With their expertise, we have designed a “journey through flavours”, a unique culinary experience on board.’
The Standard Premier menus remain the same.
Also launching on November 4 are new travel classes. Eurostar Standard, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier will replace the current classes – Standard, Standard Premier and Business Premier – throughout the Eurostar network.
For more visit www.eurostar.com/uk-en. Full review of the new menu to come…