Jonathan boards this historic train at Venice train station and travels via Innsbruck to Paris and then on to London. On board he meets other guests and gets ready for a black tie dinner. After a night spent on the train, he enjoys a lobster lunch whilst travelling from Paris to London. In Venice he explores the Rialto food market and cooks scampi which he buys there with chef Ivan Cantenacci. He visits the palazzo Lezze home of Marie Bagnasco, on the Grand Canal, and finds out how Venetians live and entertain in these palatial houses. He cooks with Chef Maurizio Adamo at a local fried fish eaterie, Paradiso Perduto and enjoys a bellini and a Venetian sunset at the Hotel Cipriani. In Paris Jonathan is invited to the laboratory of chocolate master Patrick Roger where truffle making doesn’t go quite to plan and he does retro dining at the art nouveau restaurant, La Fermette Marbeuf.
Jonathan retraces Queen of crime Agatha Christie’s footsteps in a journey which inspired her most famous novel - Murder on the Orient Express. This sees him travelling from Bucharest to Istanbul through the Carpathian Mountains to the former royal resort of Sinaia – where he cooks a wild venison dinner if a hunting lodge. In Bucharest Jonathan explores the emerging food scene and cooks with Mircea Dinescu, a poet and political revolutionary turned restaurateur and rustic food enthusiast. In Istanbul Jonathan explores both the traditional and more cutting edge food scene. He meets Istanbul’s ‘spice girl’, the only female shop owner in the historic spice market and he attempts to cook traditional Turkish cuisine with local cookery school owner Selin Rozanes.
Jonathan takes the British Pullman to Whitstable in Kent where he faces his phobia for oysters. He goes foraging on the beach with ‘fine food forager’ Lucia Jackson and cooks a gourmet dinner with his finds. His Northern Belle journey takes him to Rutland, the smallest historic county in England, where he has an early morning start making artisan bread. He then uses this bread to embark on a bread and butter pudding cook-off with Mark Beastall the chef of the Michelin starred country house hotel, Hambleton Hall. Back in London he is invited to the Orient-Express depot to see how the trains are restored, before cooking lunch with chef Anthony Garlando of Aqua, 31 storeys up, in the newly built Shard.
In Singapore Jonathan meets executive chef Christopher Christie who is in charge of 30 restaurants at the 8billion dollar ‘wonder of the world’ that is the Marina Bay Sands. He takes on a chilli crab challenge and cooks with young British chef Ryan Clift who is making a name for himself with his molecular approach to gourmet cuisine at the award-winning Tippling Club. He then boards the Eastern and Oriental train from the world famous Raffles Hotel, and travels through the night to Penang in Malaysia. On board he enjoys a dinner so much he goes back for seconds.
In George Town, the historic capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, Jonathan explores a Sunday morning market and sends up buying a 100 year-old egg which he eats back on the train with chef Yannis Martineau. The train stops off at the infamous bridge over the River Kwai and Jonathan pays his respects at the war graves there. On to Bangkok with its markets, temples and food on every street corner, where Jonathan gets the ultimate lesson in making Thai green curry from one of Thailand’s most popular celebrity chefs, Vichit Mukura. He then explores Chinatown and puts two restaurants, which are old rivals, to the test to see which one makes the best Tom Yum soup.
Jonathan’s journey starts in Budapest, where he tackles an ancient dish inspired by blood sucking leeches at the influential Bock Bizstro. He meets TV chef Zsofia Mautner who’s pioneering a fresh approach to traditional Hungarian food and gets behind the scenes at one of the city’s most famous coffee houses - Gerbaud. Since Budapest is all about spas, Jonathan strips off to enjoy these healing waters. The Venice Simplon Orient-Express takes him to Vienna, where he takes part in a cook-off at Figlmuller; the city’s most famous schnitzel dynasty restaurant and is let in on the secrets of a legendary Viennese lobster dish at the Opera House restaurant Vestibuel. He also finds out how a city vineyard in the centre of Vienna is producing award winning wine.
Jonathan travels the beautiful highlands of Scotland on the iconic Belmont Royal Scotsman. Starting in historic Edinburgh, Jonathan tries his hand at shortbread making, experiences life as a King on the Royal Yacht Britannia and gets his very own traditional Scottish kilt. Before being whisked off on an intimate 540 mile round trip on the glorious Belmont Royal Scotsman, where he takes in a bit of trout fishing at the Rothiemurchus estate and investigates Scottish history at the Culloden battlefield. Back onboard Jonathan dons his tartan for a Gala dinner with his fellow passengers and the festivities roll on throughout the night as they turn Dundee station into a midnight dance floor.
Jonathan takes the trip of a lifetime from the beautiful coastal city of Vancouver across the spectacular Rocky Mountains to Jasper, an idyllic Canadian town set in a stunning national park. In Vancouver Jonathan explores the emerging food scene in this ethnically diverse melting pot of a city, trying everything from sushi to street food, and from what can only be described as the most delicious sandwich in the world to the best high end restaurants in town. He meets the legendary Chef Tojo, who gave the world the California roll, and who gives Jonathan a crash course in sushi. Jonathan learns all about the sustainable food movement in the city trying his hand at bee keeping, and taste tests a brand new menu in trendy restaurant Rain City Grill. Back on board The Canadian the retro silver train that looks straight out of the movies Jonathan begins the first part of what will be over a thousand mile journey across Canada To say Jonathan enjoys the views of the spectacular Rocky Mountains would be an understatement, as he and fellow passengers revel in some of the most incredible scenery on the planet.
In the second part of Jonathan’s North American adventure aboard the glamourous and retro The Canadian he leaves behind the Rockies and heads to the vast expanses of the prairies. But not before taking a walk on the wild side as a biker in bear country and making hemp crepes with fire cooked salmon in the holiday home of Royalty at the Outlook Cabin. Stopping in Edmonton Jonathan visits a living museum and finds out what life, and food, were like for the first Ukrainian settlers. Things take a decidedly French twist with a macaroon making lesson and cake tasting at chic patisserie Duchess Bakery; and Jonathan takes part in a cook off at North 53 with locally sourced and sustainable food enthusiast Chef Filly. A delay could put an end to the whole trip but eventually back on track there’s a brief stop at the town named after the man who started the railroad, Charles Melville before The Canadian arrives at its final destination in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Starting in Australia’s thriving cosmopolitan west coast city of Perth Jonathan lives like a true Aussie when he cooks prawns on the barbie with Chef Russell Blaikie, gets a little pick-me-up when he samples an expresso martini and pays homage to the area’s printing press history with Chef Shane Watson’s black and white menu. Embarking on the first stage of his continent crossing journey, Jonathan boards the Indian Pacific, talks culinary influences and dines with Australian Masterchef winner Adam Liaw and has a go at cheese creation with artisan maker Chris Lloyed. Crossing the immense Nallabor plains Jonathan makes a brief stop at Cook, the once bustling historic town that now has a population of just four people. Back on board and heading to South Australia’s capital Jonathan samples an array of bush tucker with Chef Mark Olive and learns the outback isn’t as barren as it first appears. Attempting to get his signature dish, seafood curry, on the train menu Jonathan hits Adelaide’s food market in search of the perfect ingredients, cooking up a treat for Food Manager Bradley and visits the town of Broken Hill the location for Pricilla Queen of the Desert before saying good bye to the Indian Pacific as they arrive at the end of the line in Sydney.
In Sydney Jonathan takes to the skies for a flying visit to picturesque Palm Springs in a sea plane where he samples the laid back beach life and delicious Patagonian tooth fish at word famous Jonah’s. In the relaxed comfortable surroundings of Kitchen by Mike Jonathan samples the flavours of an entirely homemade menu and 3 day prepared pork. Having travelled to Cairns Jonathan visits Nunu and Nick Holloway, a chef who has the dream larder on his door step and cooks smoked red emperor fish packed with flavour. Before boarding the historic hand built railway on the way to Kuranda in the tropic rainforest where Jonathan gets up close with some of the locals with crocodile curry and cuddles with a koala. Having tried the old Jonathan heads for the new with high tech, high speed train The Spirit of Queensland which travels over a thousand miles in just 24 hours. After relaxing with his fellow guests in the bar and squeezing in some skin treatment, Jonathan settles into his reclining seat for the night as the train heads for its final destination of Brisbane.
Jonathan fulfils a dream of a lifetime when he visits Peru’s Machu Picchu. But first he visits Lima, the gastronomic capital of South America and tries a range of traditional dishes and local foods with a modern twist. Chef Herman’s culsa limenion embraces the variety of native ingredients to make a work of art dish and Jonathan samples the classic Peruvian drink, the pisco sour. A trip to the local food market with food writer Sergio means Jonathan must face one of his fears, the razor clam and Japanese cuisine meets Peruvian with Chef Tomas Matsufusi’s healthy and tasty take on the traditional cerviche dish. Visiting a local eatery Jonathan can’t go to Peru without trying the local dish of deep fried guinea pig before he heads to fine dining eatery Astrid & Gaston where he’s the guinea pig for Chef Ruben’s trialed dish of Yuca vegetables and octopus. In the UNESCO world heritage site of Cusco Jonathan gets his very own special blend of tea and enjoys a deluxe afternoon tea in the herb garden before boarding the historic Hiram Bingham train where he helps Chef William make Aji de Gallina for the lunch service After lunch Jonathan arrives on his trip of a lifetime at the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.