Platform restaurant, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset

THE LOWDOWN

Platform is a unique restaurant and cocktail lounge located in two sumptuously decorated vintage railway carriages and a Victorian railway station in beautiful West Bay, near Bridport.

The story starts back in 2015, when the owners Claire and Ross Moore bought an old railway station and turned it into a café they called The Station Kitchen. Discovering original railway tracks still in place, they bought a 1911 Great Western Railway carriage (preventing Channel 4’s Hollyoaks from blowing it up in a train crash scene – eek!), and brought it back to Dorset. A second carriage followed a couple of years ago, and the restaurant was later renamed Platform.

Platform has held 2 AA rosettes since 2021, has won numerous Taste of the West Golds, and was twice voted Best Restaurant in Dorset, Somerset & Bristol in the Muddy Awards in 2024 and 2021. Food critic William Sitwell and actors Hugh Laurie and Martin Clunes are all fans.

THE VIBE

From the outside, a couple of classic railway carriages seem to have stopped at a country railway station by the sea, waiting for a steam engine to take them on their way. But inside, oh my….

Brunel is a 1911 Great Western Railway carriage which served as an makeshift ambulance during the First World War, transporting medics and injured soldiers back from the likes of the Somme. Today, the carriage is warm and inviting, with wood panelling, clocks, mirrors, trinkets, artworks to buy, twinkling lights, and some of the original cast-iron fittings. It feels a bit like being in the Wild West.

It’s warm and super cosy, especially with the subtle sound of rain on the roof. As people walk up and down, the tassles on the lampshades occasionally sway, a gentle reminder that you’re not on solid ground.

If there are a few of you, I reckon these are the best seats in the house.

Sip cocktails (South West Bumble, Passion Fruit Fizz, anyone?) or dine in Beeching, a carriage dating back to 1958, with teal leather studded booths and opulent décor. Very glam. The carriages are the perfect setting for their regular themed murder mystery evenings, held throughout the year with a talented cast of actors and three-course set dinners.

The Station House, built in 1884, was the end of the line of the Bridport Railway and named West Bay railway station to attract Victorian tourists, closing to passengers in 1930. Nowadays you can have come here for pre-dinner drinks or to dine – with your dog, if you like.

In the summer, they put tables, chairs and umbrellas along the platform – it must look very jolly – but this was definitely a day for cosying up inside.

SCOFF & QUAFF

Almost everything is cooked from scratch using fresh, seasonal produce, some of which is grown in their own vegetable garden. On Sundays the focus is on Sunday roasts but first, some small dishes ‘for the table’ like roasted padron peppers, warm sea salt and rosemary foccacia, olives and the like, or starters from their main menu. So here’s the prawn cocktail Platform-style: sweet plump prawns sitting atop avocado mousse and shredded lettuce, snug in a water-thin cucumber cocoon (clever idea), and surrounded by swirls of Bloody Mary gel.

The cured trout ‘mosiac’ – a thick slab of cured trout on a bed of gochujang Asian slaw, with citrusy yuzu gel, compressed cucumber balls, pickled Japanese shimeji mushroooms – was fresh, flavoursome and pretty… delicious.

On to the main event – the Sunday roasts. There’s a choice of roast chicken, sirloin of Dartmoor Beef, Holsworth Roast pork, ‘The Fat Controller’ (all three meats and a nod to Thomas the Tank Engine ), a ‘landing of the day’ (hake on our visit), and a veggie option.

Apparently, most people choose ‘The Fat Controller’ and I can see why. Succulent slices of roast chicken, roast pork, and perfectly pink roast beef, came perched on top of roast garlic and thyme potatoes, roast carrot and roast parsnip. Crispy onions, a herby sausage ball, a super crispy crackling twist and the biggest Yorkshire I’ve ever seen somehow all found space on the plate, served with a rich, dark gravy. These days, many restaurants and pubs seem to skimp on portions; not here!

The veggie option of wild mushroom and celeriac in a Grelot onion suet pudding, with all the same accompaniments as the roasts, was hearty, tasty and just the right amount of ‘stodge’ – not as solid as a brick.

We were served a whole week of our five-a-day in one dish piled high with buttery swede mash, nicely al dente tenderstem broccoli, beans, curly kale and red cabbage.

To be honest, the starter and the main courses were so generous we really didn’t have room for puds, but they sounded very tempting – homemade crumbles, their famous cheesecake, apple & blackberry tarte tatin – that we just couldn’t resist (albeit sharing one between us). Sorry, the photo doesn’t do the dessert justice. The creaminess of the pear panna cotta was offset by an intensely flavoured cherry sorbet, a pear poached in rich red wine, and pieces of crunchy honeycomb. Yum.

We didn’t have booze on this occasion (driving) but there’s a decent wine list of wines from around the world, a long list of gin and other spirits – and those cocktails. Service is excellent, with a team of busy bees making sure everyone’s happy.

OUT AND ABOUT

West Bay’s cliffs, beach and marina are a couple of minute’s stroll away for pre- or post-prandial perambulations. ITV’s Broadchurch, with David Tennant and Olivia Colman, was filmed in and around West Bay, including East and West Cliff, Jurassic Pier and West Harbour. There are walks all around, including one along the old railway track into pretty Bridport.

CHILD FRIENDLY?

On Sundays, children can tuck into half portions, at half price, from the Sunday lunch menu (and off the main menu on other days of the week), and the Little Loco’s menu is always available. No chicken nuggets here but creamy fish, chicken or veg curry and rice, fish and chips, cheese on toast, milk chocolate brownie and ice cream.

DOG FRIENDLY?

Eat and drink in Beeching or The Station House and your dog can come too. Woof!

ACCESSIBILITY

There’s wheelchair access to the platform and they can put a ramp between the platform and both restaurant carriages – The Station House is on the level – and move or replace chairs for easy access and comfort. Loos have a couple of steps but there’s a public accessible loo at the end of the platform.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: A huge, hearty – superior – Sunday lunch with friends and fam in cosy, quirky surroundings, and well worth making the trip for. It’s not only good food but also a fab experience. They’ll cater for gluten free, coeliac, dairy, nut allergies and more. It’s always best to book beforehand though if you rock up on the off chance, they may be able to fit you in. With warning, they can arrange the seating to suit groups of all sizes up to 45 peeps. A couple of large municipal car parks close by makes parking a breeze.

Not for: Those with bird-like appetites. Don’t come if you’re not feeling hungry. Minimalists.

The damage: Very good value we say, especially the mains. ‘For the table’, £5–8; starters £11–12; Sunday lunch mains £20–24; desserts £8.50–£15. Kids’ menu:, mains £7–12, desserts £5–7. Wine by the glass from £9 and by the bottle from £30.

Sunday lunch 12pm – last booking at 5pm. Otherwise, they’re open for lunch Wednesday to Saturday, 12pm – 4pm; dinner Thurs to Sat, 5pm – 11 pm (last booking at 8.30pm); afternoon tea, Sat only, 1pm – 3pm.

Platform, Old West Bay Railway Station, Station Road, West Bay, Dorset DT6 4EW. 01308 422845. info@platformrestaurant.co.uk

Review: All aboard for Sunday lunch at Platform, West Bay, near Bridport

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