We remember the Orient Express putting brakes on the service in 2009, yet another victim of the financial turmoil of that time. Today, finance and commodities face even greater uncertainty and the specter of the legendary train service is pulling back into stations at Cannes, Paris and Bordeaux. The AFP reports that this reincarnation is but a temporary measure, hence ‘specter’, as triple Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno’s pop-up restaurant, La Table Orient Express. The service will be in stations between May 3 and July 30 so it will be just in time for the Cannes International Film Festival.

Immortalized by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, this most luxurious of trains is teasing a return to service this summer. Although it won’t be taking passengers to the gateway of the Orient, it is likely to inspire just as much nostalgia and passion, especially among foodies, since its famous blue Pullman carriages will be catering specifically for gourmet diners.

Passengers can step aboard the 38-seat Orient Express dining experience from May 3 and July 30, and enjoy a gourmet meal amid period decor from the train’s heyday in the 1920s. This special service will take diners on a three-hour trip, serving up a selection of dishes from chef Alléno as the scenery goes by.

La Table Orient Express will be starting its culinary voyage on the French Riviera, coinciding with the Cannes International Film Festival, May 2 to 28.

Diners will be served canapés with rose petals, foie gras and a dusting of hazelnut, as well as a Bellevue lobster consommé. Then comes the starter, promising a modern cassolette of demoiselles de Loctudy langoustines cooked in a seawater court-bouillon and with an elderflower fritter. The main is a Pascal Cosnet poularde de Mayenne hen poached in milk spiced with Iranian black lime, cinnamon and cardamom, and served with fine-grain semolina with coriander and sultanas.

Dessert will be the work of Yann Couvreur, former pastry chef at the Prince de Galles luxury hotel in Paris, and who is expected to open his own boutique soon. The young master of desserts will be preparing a meringue nest with Gariguette strawberries and mint, served with vanilla whipped cream. The meal costs €530 (approx. $602) per person, with an additional €60 (approx. $68) for specially selected wines to accompany each dish. Tables can be booked online at www.orient-express.com.

La Table Orient Express rolls into Paris (Gare de l’Est) from June 1 to July 16, before heading to Bordeaux from July 20 to 30.