After losing my job I decided I should book a trip to see my Dad up in the Highlands. I managed to find a very attractive deal to go from London to Inverness on the Caledonian Sleeper and back on the day train with National Express.
I stopped in on Drummond Street but for some reason did not feel like vegetarian food. So I did not make a bee line to Diwani or Ravi Shankar, but ventured to the western end of the street and tried Shah Tandoori Restaurant (159 Drummond Street, London, NW1 2PB ). It had a menu with meat and fish so was quite different from some of the other restaurants in the area.
I was in the mood for fish so tried the tandoori salmon starter
This was a generous portion of salmon fillet served with salad and coriander. It was - as expected - piping hot and was very tasty. I then decided to stay with fish and went for a dish whose name I noted - but I lost my notes 
So all I can offer is a photo... However I was also pleased with this dish. I had plenty of time to spare before my train so wandered around a bit.
I duly got on the Caledonian Sleeper which left punctually. I do not know whether it was boredom or greed but some hours later I felt peckish and wandered off to the lounge car. The lounge car is important because you can sit properly and read a book, whereas sitting comfortably in the sleeper cabin is challenging.
Sad to say, the offering reminded me a bit of Little Chef with a surprising number of cooked choices as well as things like peanuts, crisps and fruit cake. I ordered a bacon ciabatta and was astonished when the steward came back within minutes. I just could not believe how quick the service was.
I realised that it must have been microwaved and later glimpsed the galley area where the only means of cooking were a row of microwave ovens. However the bacon was a rather odd grey colour.
I do not want to moan about the sleeper generally which was excellent value for money and the staff were polite and helpful. However it is a shame that they do not do better than blasting food with the microwave. 30 years ago there were even proper griddles on the trains between Waterloo and Portsmouth. I think people would pay more money for something better. Last time I went to the Channel Tunnel we had not eaten before we were left so my passengers were hungry. In the queue for boarding there was a caravan selling hot rolls and although the bacon had been pre-cooked the woman griddled it for a few minutes and it tasted meaty... not like the microwaved grey stuff.
