Caravan opened to much fanfare and has been given great reviews in the blogosphere. A friend works right by Exmouth Market, where Caravan is situated, where I had never been before, so we thought we would grab a few Thursday beers and food here.
The weather was good and the streets were full of arty cool people and there was a pleasant al fresco buzz about the street. The road is lined with restaurants and bars and I definitely want to come back and explore some of the others, in particular Moro which I hear is great.
So Caravan. I arrived on my own and was seated by a polite young waiter. The place was light and airy with the doors open and tables spilling out onto the street. I ordered a bottle of Whitstable Bay beer. Ta very much. Light and refreshing. A good start.
Joined by my friend, we were asked if we had been here before. We hadn't. We were then told about the "Caravan Concept" which is basically a tapas style grazing menu that is so popular nowadays. "How many dishes do two hungry lads need?" we asked. Apparently 3 each should be plenty. More about that later...
A shot of miso soup as a complimentary "amuse bouche". Not too much of the amuse here, it was too salty for me.
Rich oxtail was pretty decent and sticky (£7.50). I can't quite remember what the stuff underneath was (it was a few weeks ago) but I remember it being good at soaking up the meat juices.
Goat's curd, tomato, lentils and a sumac cracker (£5.50). Not a whole lot going on to be honest. It lacked any real flavour.
Rabbit Terrine (£5.00). This was the stand out dish of the meal and was rich, moist and delicious. Interestingly, this was also the cheapest proper dish we had and has since been taken off the menu. Shame.
Chargrilled spiced mutton chop with mint yoghurt (£7.50). You can see why we ordered it. Whoever writes the menu should be given a raise because they hooked us in good and proper. What we got was one bony chop with a minuscule amount of meat. How are we meant to share that? And the price? At £7.50, someone is becoming rich, fast. Avoid.
A side of fries. Thank the Lord for the fries or my stomach would have been consuming itself to maintain my core bodily functions (£3.00).
The meal left us both starving. I was literally eyeing up kebab shops on the way home. At £40 for two I admit it didn't break the bank but it would have if we filled up. Caravan is a clever concept. It charges lots of money for small amounts of food. I guess that's why "grazing style" concepts are so popular today. The food was competent , the service great, and the atmosphere young cool and buzzy. Having said that, I go to dinner to eat. Yes the former attributes are important clearly, but at £20 each with one beer each, I don't expect to feel short changed. And I did.
There is a limited number of "big plates" and perhaps that's the way to go here but with so much fierce competition in London, I would probably only go back for drinks and a few picky bits, not dinner.
p.s. Dear Caravan, why is your website still under constructions months after your launch?! Sort it out.
Monster Munch Rating: 60%
Caravan Restaurant Bar and Roastery
11 - 13 Exmouth Market
London
EC1R 4QD
0207 833 8115
http://www.caravanonexmouth.co.uk/
