tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post8808263244123460182..comments2024-02-08T15:14:11.323+00:00Comments on The Secret Diner: Virgin Trains East CoastThe Secret Dinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234142113837499731noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-34658834384727648462017-07-15T12:35:59.042+01:002017-07-15T12:35:59.042+01:00I agree wholeheartedly with your review of the Vir...I agree wholeheartedly with your review of the Virgin East Coast "Tasty Journey" menu. As a frequent VTEC traveller, I can honestly say the food has gone steadily downhill to the point I am starting to bring my own (and starting to consider standard class rather than 1st).<br /><br />To serve a sausage roll with pastry so flaky it goes off like a booby trap when you bite it is a nightmare for business travellers who don't want to arrive for their meeting covered in greasy crumbs. A sausage roll is the kind of thing 14yr olds buy from Greggs for their school lunch, not the kind of thing a grown up would eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner (VTEC love the sausage rolls so much they serve them for every meal).<br /><br />Mind you, as you attempt to sweep the crumbs from your shirt you should consider yourself lucky you are getting anything hot at all - and indeed a plate - the latest wheeze seems to be serving chilled, clammy sandwiches and wraps direct in the box. Like a second rate hotel packed lunch.<br /><br />The days of a restaurant car with a tablecloth and real wine glasses are a distant fading dream. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-17505585774347653572016-09-03T10:29:17.652+01:002016-09-03T10:29:17.652+01:00No, you don't hide behind Anonymous, you hide ...No, you don't hide behind Anonymous, you hide behind someone called Unknown, whose link, when you click on it, goes to exactly the same Google account as 'Lynn Banks'. What a coincidence! Next time you want to pretend to be another reader, I suggest you use the 'Comment as Anonymous' label that I have provided in the drop down menu. Over and out, whoever you are.The Secret Dinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234142113837499731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-59900229611672989792016-09-03T10:09:09.113+01:002016-09-03T10:09:09.113+01:00Anything I comment on has my name on it, I don'...Anything I comment on has my name on it, I don't hide behind anonymous! Maybe its a like minded person who sees the bias against James Martin! As for the peoples comments about passengers breathing on the food and soggy cheese sandwiches, surely that's down to the train company staff? Nobody can seriously expect James Martin to be running up and down every train with face masks to stop people breathing on stuff!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283750492083349023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-13605809622793048682016-09-03T09:55:55.208+01:002016-09-03T09:55:55.208+01:00Are you really suggesting the two near-identical c...Are you really suggesting the two near-identical comments on this page, both starting 'I have never seen such a biased review in my life!' and both including phrases like 'James Martin has been a successful chef for over 20 years, long before his TV days', weren't written by the same person?? <br /><br />Perhaps you'd now also like to compose some anonymous comments on behalf of the people you know "who have had the curry, muffins and sausage roll and said they were lovely". They certainly haven't written to me. <br /><br />On the other hand, here are two genuine letters from readers, amongst several more that have been published in The Journal since my review: <br /><br />"Dear Secret Diner, <br /><br />I totally agree with your comments on Virgin Train’s 1st class menu (last week’s Journal). I'd just returned from a trip to London & couldn't believe that James Martin would lend his name to such rubbish.<br /><br />I had the sausage roll on the way down thinking it must be 'gourmet' style: how wrong can you be – it was cheap & nasty with a grey fatty filling. Greggs can do better (and I'm not a Greggs fan!).<br /><br />I decided to have the cheese & pickle sandwich on the return journey thinking it had to be better - wrong again! It was floppy, wet & stuck together. All the food was paraded down the carriages uncovered and level with people talking and breathing over it. <br /><br />Well done to you for highlighting a dreadful service.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Kath Thompson"<br /><br />"Dear Secret Diner,<br /><br />Your review of the "first class" dining on Virgin Trains East Coast was spot on. It's all fur coat and no undies. <br /><br />It's utter tat, but served up by pleasant, competent and busy staff. It's as local as a penguin on the Farne Islands. The glossy menus are impressive though. They should bin James Martin and get John Calton or Kenny Atkinson on the case. <br /><br />Yours, <br /><br />Andy Ward"<br /><br />Or this from Dr Anna Batchelor, Dean of one of Britain's most distinguished medical organisations, who tweeted this to me shortly after review was first published: <br /><br />"I agree Virgin Train’s food is dire. I’ve been travelling 16 years – it’s a slow inexorable downhill trend."<br /><br />Biased? I think not. Just accurate.The Secret Dinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234142113837499731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-58736299215096980902016-09-03T09:24:59.639+01:002016-09-03T09:24:59.639+01:00Firstly I still think the comments in your piece a...Firstly I still think the comments in your piece are very biased against Mr Martin, as does the other person whose put a comment on the piece, so it's not just me. Secondly I know people who have had the curry, muffins and sausage roll and said they were lovely, I have to say vegetable tagine is likely to get more criticism, however good, because like my two adult sons the mention of vegetables puts them off! Thirdly there's the 'Trip Advisor' effect, one person puts something bad and everybody jumps on the bandwagon and joins in, probably like me never having eaten it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283750492083349023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-89855601884101234512016-09-03T09:09:41.870+01:002016-09-03T09:09:41.870+01:00What I actually wrote was: "It was so unbelie...What I actually wrote was: "It was so unbelievably awful that its memory deserves to be buried along with James Martin’s reputation." It was Mr Martin who put his own reputation on the line, as far as customers of Virgin Trains are concerned, by passing off this food as his own. He didn't have to put his name to it, but because he did, his reputation must take the consequences. The fallout includes a large number of tweets and emails I've now received from very disgruntled Virgin Trains diners, every one of which (other than your own) strongly agrees with my verdict.<br /> The Secret Dinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234142113837499731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-44211202167865056032016-08-31T13:54:53.157+01:002016-08-31T13:54:53.157+01:00I have never seen such a biased review in my life!...I have never seen such a biased review in my life! Firstly your facts are inaccurate, James Martin has been a successful chef for over 20 years, long before his TV days. His Manchester restaurant has been open for 3 years, not something he's just put his name to! I've had the pleasure to eat there on several occasions and the food and service were top class! But the most telling part of the review is saying it should be buried along with James Martins reputation! Does that type of comment have any place in a proper, supposed unbiased review? Really? It undermines the whole value of the article! Vindictive rubbish!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283750492083349023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723901521102060136.post-76898542069107985332016-08-31T13:02:58.522+01:002016-08-31T13:02:58.522+01:00I have never seen such a biased review in my life,...I have never seen such a biased review in my life, it kills all credibility in this organization! Firstly James Martin has been a successful chef for over 20 years, long before his TV days! His restaurant in Manchester has been open for 3 years, not something he's just put his name to! I've had the pleasure to eat there on a number of occasions and the food and service are excellent! I know people who have had the food on Virgin EC and have said it was very good, admittedly they didn't have the tagine, but have had several of the other meals. I think the real reason for this review lies in the comment that you'd like to bury Mr Martins reputation! Is that really appropriate for someone who professes to be honest and fair? It undermines the whole credibility of everything you've written! Very unprofessional!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283750492083349023noreply@blogger.com