If you are looking for something different to do on a weekend, or want to show some interstate or overseas visitors our beautiful country side, then the Spirit of the West is for you! A couple of Sunday’s ago I had the privilege of sampling not only the menu, but the entire experience of a train ride throughhistoric Guildford, Midland, Swan Valley and the breathtaking Avon Valley country side.
The carriages we rode on date back to 1915 and upon boarding the locomotive you feel as though you are set back in time. With a welcome fit for a King and Queen it must be said that the enthusiastic staff set the scene for a wonderful afternoon.
My wife and I took along my Dad Bruce, who was over from Echuca (my home town) for the weekend. We thought it would be a good opportunity to get an Eastern Stater’s opinion on what the whole experience was like!
Once all the guests were settled in, the staff came around to take our orders. Each course (Entrée, Main and Dessert) has a choice of three, four and four dishes respectively. For entrée Dad went for the Smoked Salmon and Caper Tian, Bree had the Warm Tartlet of Red Onion, Feta and Roasted Pumkin and I had the Ham Hock, Potato and Parsley Terrine. All entrées were wonderfully presented and equally as tasty.
Our main courses were soon on their way and I decided to have the Fish of the Day, which really was delicious. It was served on a potato rosti with a lemon butter sauce. I really enjoyed this (it was a great size as you can see by the picture!) My Dad chose the sirloin steak which came served with prawns which had be sautéed in a light garlic cream sauce and crushed roasted gourmet potatoes. This looked really impressive, but Dad thought it was a little over cooked. Other than that he said the flavours were delicious. Bree went for the chicken for a change and was really glad she made that choice! The chicken breast was stuffed with shitake mushroom and spinach mousse on a sweet potato gratin served with Champagne Beurre Blanc. I would have to say that this looked like the dish of the day – the chicken was moist and the sweet potato gratin complimented the other flavours.
By this stage we had reached the half way point and were in West Toodyay. This is where the locomotive rests for approximately 20 minutes (enough time for mains to be cleared and another glass of wine or beer to be consumed!) while it performs its shunting operation and detatches from one end and moves to other end so that we can begin our journey back home.
The wines on offer included in the package were Jane Brook and Angoves. Both are lovely wines, though if you prefer a wider selection there is an extended wine list for an extra charge. The beer selection included Boags St George, Carlton Mid Strength, Crown Larger and James Boags Light which caters for all beer drinkers. Our only extra cost for the afternoon was $15 for a cocktail for Dad – a Long Island Ice Tea – of which he said they didn’t hold back on the spirits in that!
Overall we had a wonderful afternoon and I highly recommend giving the Spirit of the West a try for a totally different dining experience.
Until next time,
Michael Braun
