The owner of a planned Thai restaurant in a train carriage in Pitlochry aims to open the “authentic” eatery in the coming weeks.
Fergus McCallum, owner of The Wee Choo-Choo, says work on the carriage is nearly complete after its arrival in Highland Perthshire last week.
The carriage, which featured in Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible 7, now sits at its new home just off Station Road.
All that is left is the finishing touches, with wallpaper, furniture and utility connections the last steps before opening.
1930s-styled Thai eatery nears opening
Fergus, his wife Isara, who will be head chef, and daughter Mia, restaurant manager, all hope their 1930s-styled carriage will offer the perfect venue for a “silver service” experience.
He told The Courier: “Things will move at a great speed; it’s just the practical things that are left.
“As far as I can tell, everyone has been so supportive and seem to be looking forward to it.
“It’ll be something different that will add to the vibrancy. It’s been a good couple of years in the general area, there have been a few businesses opening.
“The carriage is really starting to look the piece – we want it to look like a Thai train carriage in the 1930s or 40s.
“It’s lovely for my family to get so much support from the community – we’re really looking forward to it.
“Perth and Kinross Council have been amazing. They have been phenomenally pro-business and helpful which has been a massive part of the movement over the last couple of years.”
The inspiration behind the project came from Fergus’ love of trains, Isara’s desire to open a restaurant and Mia’s aspiration to work at front of house.
They make the impossible look easy. 😎#MissionImpossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is now available on Disc and Digital. https://t.co/iiohwc5QHP pic.twitter.com/5t3BiJsplu
— Mission: Impossible (@MissionFilm) November 6, 2023
The Norwegian carriage was revived in Derbyshire before being transported north on the back of a lorry
And despite setbacks, which included a fight to lease council parking spaces, the scheme is finally full steam ahead.
‘Great to see the carriage arrive’ in Pitlochry
Fergus added: “It was great to see the carriage arrive.
“In terms of dining, it’ll be silver service with white tablecloths and Thai uniforms that resemble railway staff.
“It’s a fairly small carriage so it’ll be a restaurant with a dozen choices which will change during the seasons and using local produce.
“Hopefully it’ll be a really different experience; there currently aren’t any Thai restaurants in Highland Perthshire.
“It’s very authentic and it will be based on southern Thai cuisine, which is more of a fusion with Malaysian cuisine.
“It will be a different experience with different food and I really hope people will be happy with it.”
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