How is The Q Train rated?

Oh the staff are so lovely, friendly and helpful. The concept is wonderful and the experience is nice and relaxing. I loved that part of it. However the food. Oh dear. It really was not very nice. I wish, I so wish it was nicer....This company would have suffered immensely over the last year but I just can't get past the dreadful food. It was executed nicely and it looked pretty. It just tasted awful. Maybe it was our taste...but in seeing other plates go back almost full, I think a lot felt the same way. Let's go over the menu. **The picnic basket. Nothing fresh in there to lift it. The bread was very hard and heavy. The butter was nice. The pickles, chorizo and olives were okay, but it needed tomato or something to add some freshness. **Beetroot and nectarine - eww. Imagine sweet cloying beetroot that was okay for the first mouthful or so but then became a little nauseating. Overall an odd flavour mix. **Gin cured salmon - no flavour. Gin has no real flavour and the salmon was not smoked, so it felt like eating cubes of raw fish. Bangarook Pork - this terrine was hard, very firm and even my husband who adores pork couldn't eat much of it. The pastry was tough. **Braised Mount Moriac Beef - okay so where was the braised beef dome promised? It was a dome of flavourless chicken mousse with a thimbleful of beef inside. This was not fair, we were promised a braised beef dome, very disappointing. **Goats Yogurt Mousse, frozen. Was quite nice. Had an unusual (Marshmallow?) topping over it but was the best course on the menu. I add the disclaimer of course this was just us, and others may think it is really great. However I don't think we were the only ones disappointed. If only it focussed less on the clever combinations that didn't work and rather on good food executed well. We were on the dinner circle tram a few years ago which was superb. I was hoping for similar here. Anyway let's hope that the food improves and that this company continues to grow and become a real contender in unique dining experiences.More

Date of visit: March 2021

Helpful?

michaelcJ8510ZX

47 reviews

Reviewed 15 March 2021

Outstanding food, outstanding service.

If you want a fun trip with gourmet food, fine wines and excellent service then please do this trip. Each course is designed to perfection and you would not know you are eating food prepared on the train. The staff are outstanding in their customer...service and a big thank you to Liam only his 3rd trip but none the less a consummate professional. Glad they rotate the menu every season as I can't wait to try the winter menu.More

Date of visit: March 2021

Helpful?

mytimenow2011

48 reviews

Reviewed 12 March 2021

Fabulous experience.

Loved our train trip and first class lunch. A lovely pace to see the countryside and enjoy excellent local food, wine and beer. We enjoyed a couple of stops where we left the train and enjoyed a stroll up and down the station platform. The...staff were very welcoming and the service was professional. We thoroughly recommend this great dining experience.More

Date of visit: March 2021

Helpful?

Sheppdox

17 reviews

Reviewed 1 March 2020

Fantastic night

We went as a family of 8 adults and we had a few food issues as 1 was Gluten Free and a few that did not like seafood l told the Kelly when l was booking and it was amazing everything was perfect. We had...to tables 2 of 4 and after each course moved around and the staff were amazing and the food was fantastic. Would highly recommendMore

Date of visit: February 2020

Helpful?

Mandy W

34 reviews

Reviewed 19 February 2020

Gourmet Meals on Wheels

Was lucky enough to enjoy a birthday surprise of lunch onboard the Q Train leaving from Queenscliff to Drysdale. Arrived at the station to be greeted with a glass of bubbles and canape. Time to take some pics on the red carpet before boarding the...train. Served immediately with our first course and the journey began. Great service and a delicious 5 course degustation meal, with a well stocked bar made this a really enjoyable lunch. At Drysdale time to walk through the train and see the other carriages including a disco one. Then to hop off and wander the lovely old station. Would highly recommend this to anyone heading to the Bellarine Peninsular during their time in Victoria.More

Date of visit: February 2020

Helpful?2

N8805LJmarym

105 reviews

Reviewed 12 December 2019 via mobile

Fantastic! Fantastic!

What a marvellous experience it was to travel by train from Drysdale to Queenscliff on the Q Train. The degustation cuisine was delicious and was sourced from local produce. We thoroughly enjoyed the wine, which was also sourced from local wineries. We can’t recommend this...experience highly enough. A big thank you to the staff, who greeted us and looked after us.More

Date of visit: December 2019

Helpful?

stuartp774

1 review

Reviewed 8 December 2019

Fabulous birthday lunch on the Qtrain

We had a wonderful lunch on the Qtrain yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We received a welcome canape and drink on arrival which was a nice touch and enjoyed all courses throughout the 3 hour service. Staff were friendly and the amount of food...served was just right. Would highly recommend for an enjoyable afternoon out.More

Date of visit: December 2019

Helpful?

KerryM21

40 reviews

Reviewed 17 October 2019 via mobile

An unforgettable experience.

An outstanding experience. Beautiful degustation lunch on a leisurely train ride with wines, beers or non-alcoholic beverages. Excellent service and truly outstanding food and wine.

Date of visit: October 2019

Helpful?

rickl566

80 reviews

Reviewed 15 October 2019

Great fun!

My wife and I did Sunday lunch in First Class and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The three hours went very quickly. Taking the experience as a whole I'd say this is definitely worth doing. The service is top-notch, being on a train is great fun -...especially one so lovingly restored and well appointed - with lovely scenery all along the line. While the food and wine wasn't 'sensational', it was pretty good and very thoughtfully done. We liked the strong emphasis on local produce and the food and wine pairings did work well.More

Date of visit: October 2019

Helpful?

Adam F

30 reviews

Reviewed 9 October 2019

Restaurant on rails

Last weekend we had a fantastic experience celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary on the Q Train. Leaving from Drysdale at 6:30pm traveling to Queenscliff and back to Drysdale around 11pm, along the way we enjoyed 5 courses our meals from local produce and beautifully matched...to local wines. We went first class so had a cabin to ourselves. The table was beautifully set, and the rolling views were great. The level of service was very high and they seemed to really care that you had everything you needed and were enjoying the experience. The standard of the food was amazing. We loved it very much and will be going back, for a lunchtime trip next time with friends along.More