Fine dining when rolling along a tram track

An evening dining out must fulfill two requirements. First the food has to be superior to daily offerings and secondly, the ambience needs to be somewhat different from the norm. Happily a recent experience on Christchurch Tramway Restaurant brilliantly ticks those boxes. I am with my mate Ken Henderson and we are helping a colleague, Gerhard Eickenhorst from Switzerland, make the most of his last night in Christchurch. The tram ride and dining is tropically a two-hour event. Along with the familiar rumble of steel wheels on rails is the continuous babble of about 30 accompanying diners. I have the impression of enjoying an extended happy hour which essentially it is. Along with all other goodies is experiencing the city after dark. The lit-up Bridge of Remembrance is particularly spectacular. Tram driver Barry kindly stops long enough for me to take photographs, even inching the tramcar No. 411 into the composition.

Maitre di Jannetta is excellent, keeping our glasses topped up with an agreeable Sanctuary pinot noir.  Her assistant Murray deftly moves through the slightly swaying tramcar expertly managing a tower of prepared orders.

I must point out that everything is prepared on board pretty well from scratch. We are not party to a constant whirring of a microwave. I am reminded a documentary featuring movie star Peter Ustinov on the famed Orient Express. He visits the galley in the dining car, liking it to be what he would expect to see in a submarine, and expressing his amazement at the food preparation quality.

The same can be said for the galley on the Christchurch Restaurant Tram.  I pluck up courage and ask chef, Christian, to glance up momentarily for a photograph.  His food is such I wonder if he would take out MasterChef without too much effort.

For entre I go for Mille feuille with brazed leek and aged cheddar. Tastes are way beyond reach of my own culinary efforts at home.

My mains are Slow roasted lamb with a sumptuous potato gratin and seasonal greens. Again, taste buds are applauding.

Dessert is a cheese cake I accompany with a glass of pinot gris.

This is my third Christchurch Restaurant Tram experience over about five years.        

       I have experienced a worthy progression in quality, both in the food and overall experience. Ear-to ear grins from our Swiss guest say it all.