Caravan Fitzrovia
With Grace Dent currently busy in the Australian jungle, I have decided to take on the onerous task of sampling some outrageously good scran in the big smoke this weekend. How dreadful. I do not claim to have any qualifications that give me authority to do this from a professional standpoint, however my impressive appetite is something I pride myself on. Additionally, for my 7th birthday I requested a meal at a French restaurant, in order to try ‘escargots’ and ‘cuisses de grenouille’, so am by no means a fussy eater. However, I am now predominantly vegetarian. Make of that what you will.
Trips away mean relishing the opportunity to stray from my standard diet of tinned potatoes and Linda McCartney sausages, whether this be through dining in a more upmarket establishment, or simply having something wilder than an egg mayo sandwich for lunch. Therefore, I am more than happy to write about my foodie endeavours, starting with ‘Caravan’ in Fitzrovia…
A short, yet agonising, battle down regent street on Black Friday evening led us to the haven that is ‘Caravan’. Situated on Great Portland Street amongst a myriad of tempting pubs, restaurants, and kebab shops, this cosy yet sophisticated joint had me feeling like the cosmopolitan London professional that I hope to be one day. Framed by floor to ceiling glass windows, yet lit by delicate candlelight, Caravan has truly mastered the art of ambiance.
Their menu offering was attractive to the whole family. An all day offering of ‘small plates’, ‘greens and grains’, ‘large plates’ and ‘pizzas’ meant that any appetite could be catered for.
My dad began with a Christmas special cocktail, not his usual tipple, then we dove into a table full of appetisers. We chose to have these before our main courses, yet the restaurant does offer for things to ‘come when they’re ready’ in a style similar to Wagamama, if that is what the diner prefers.
My parents opted to share the following;
• Steamed edamame with sea salt,
• Jalapeño cornbread with chipotle butter, coriander and lime
• Spiced cauliflower with harissa, tahini and pomegranate
• Jamon and smoked san simon croquettes with saffron aioli
Followed by;
• Grilled halloumi with minted freekeh, charred courgette, peas, broad beans, basil yoghurt and moscatel vinaigrette
• Dingley dell pork schnitzel with fried egg, mustard dill cream, pickles, sage, french fries and rosemary salt
They regaled each plate with gusto, even deeming the cornbread to be the ‘best thing’ they’d ever tasted. A resounding success with the padres it seems.
Personally, after two wholesome pots of fresh mint tea, I began my feasting with the ‘steamed cod dumplings, sambal, soy, crispy shallot and coriander’ dish. This offered me a veritable explosion of Asian style flavours, accompanied by chunky pieces of perfectly tender cod. The coriander’s freshness sliced through the chilli beautifully, and I savoured every bite of my three little parcels of joy. For my main, I chose the ‘burnt stem broccoli, charred sweet potato, spiced black bean salsa, green chutney and coconut yoghurt’ bowl. Although these grain bowls do come with the option of adding a protein, I opted to have the bowl naked.
I was not disappointed. Shards of the most tender sweet potato I’ve ever eaten sat on a bed of highly seasoned black beans. The tender stem broccoli could even be said to be the star of the show – not at all reminiscent of an overboiled school dinner veggie. Another generous helping of coriander finished of the dish, which was just spicy enough to excite the tastebuds, yet not overpowering.
(For reference, I am a Nando’s lemon and herb gal.)
The meal left us satisfied, but by no means feeling slovenly, in addition to believing we’d been on a culinary adventure of flavours none of us had had the treat of enjoying before. Overall, Caravan provided us with a spectacular evening, at good value for money. The selection of available meals were satisfactory for both veggies and carnivores, and I will definitely have to return in order to try one of their bougie pizzas.
The Sprightly Spud 
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