Yahoo News What to expect when one of London's most exciting restaurants opens its first venue in Manchester this summer
During a busy lunch rush in the middle of the week, the Caravan restaurant in London’s Fitzrovia, and in the heart of the West End, is packed to the rafters with office workers, families, tourists, shoppers and everyone in-between.
It’s that sort of atmosphere - where anyone can come in for either a big lunch or a small bite to eat, regardless of gathering or occasion - that owners behind the ‘well-travelled’ concept hope to replicate here in Manchester with the arrival of their first restaurant outside of London later this summer.
Based in the emerging St John’s neighbourhood, opposite the Old Granada Studios and near to Aviva Studios, the restaurant will feature dishes inspired from around the world, from salads and curries to roast meats and falafel. Think colourful and aesthetically pleasing food that is just as well-cooked as it is thought through.
Whilst Caravan may initially sound like an odd name for a restaurant, it sort of makes sense the more you think about it. Started in the early 2000s by three New Zealanders, Chris Ammermann, Laura Harper-Hinton and Miles Kirby, the name came about following a brainstorm not long after the trio first moved to London and decided to open up a new restaurant concept.
But who came up with the name first is a myth that perhaps will never be solved. Miles insists he first thought up the name, but Laura will tell you otherwise. Seemingly out of the debate altogether, Chris lays no claim to the name.
But the name is irrelevant if the food is not good. Thankfully, Caravan’s menu is full of delights and represents the “well-travelled” nature of its name. On the menu there are small plates (ranging from £5 to £12.50 on the London menu), such as spiced cauliflower served with harissa, tahini and pomegranate or the Jamon and smoked san simon cheese croquettes that have a perfectly crispy bite, whilst there’s also pizzas and grain bowls - like steamed rice with avocado, miso mayonnaise, mung beans sumac salted cucumbers and hot smoked salmon.
Amongst its other grains and bowls selection, there is hummus with falafel, halloumi, quinoa and roasted courgettes, with the option to add grilled chicken, chorizo, halloumi or crispy chilli-salt tofu to any of them. It’s all sustainably sourced through partnerships with local and independent traders, farmers and makers.
Also a special shout-out has to be given to the jalapeno cornbread, which is offered as a small plate and served with chipotle butter, coriander and lime. It's truly something special that needs to make it over to Manchester.
As New Zealand is known for its high-quality lamb, the large sharing plate of the chargrilled lamb Barnsley chop, served with chermoula, aubergine, tahini, labneh, pickled red onion and new potatoes is a true revelation. With the meat falling off the bone and packed with a punch of flavours, it’s an immediate show-stopper.
Other large plates on the current menu include baked cod fillet, served with miso butter, crushed potatoes and wilted spinach, and an impeccable Dingley dell pork schnitzel served with a fried egg, mustard dill cream, pickles, sage and a portion of French fries.
There are now eight Caravan restaurants across London, with locations from King’s Cross and Chelsea to Canary Wharf and Covent Garden, and they are often all busy with diners. But it’s not just their main meals that people flock to for either - their coffee is also known across all neighbourhoods of the capital as being one of the best too.
Freshly roasted in a former Victorian warehouse in Islington turned roastery by Caravan’s team of self-proclaimed ‘coffee geeks’ using green coffee sourced from single farms and specialty estates in Ethiopia, Colombia and Rwanda, the coffee is lively, fresh and beaming with flavour and you can always take a bag home with you if you want some for later.
And that same coffee also finds itself as an ingredient in some of Caravan’s other dishes, including an espresso salted caramel sauce which is other-worldly when served with their vanilla ice cream.
It’s easy to see how the mix of flavours and inspirations that form Caravan’s menu can fit into the booming food and drinks scene of Manchester, so it makes perfect sense that the three Kiwi’s have chosen here as their first location outside of the capital. Especially in such an up-and-coming area of the city.
Whilst the team says the menu at the Manchester restaurant will vary slightly to what’s on offer in London, and feature a few new dishes inspired by the north, it will mostly be continuing with what has made the restaurants so special so far.
Their St John’s restaurant will house two all-day dining rooms as well as a bar, a private dining room, two outside terraces and a takeout coffee brew bar with another coffee roastery.
With an interior said to be inspired by the ‘trail hiking huts and wool sheds ubiquitous in New Zealand’, the space will feature plenty of natural light as well as incorporating natural recycled materials into the surroundings. It's clear the passion in both the menu and how the place looks is there to make a real success of it.
Co-owner and CEO Laura Harper-Hinton previously said of the forthcoming restaurant: "We are so excited to be taking Caravan on the road to Manchester, but more importantly, we are really looking forward to spending more time in this incredible city. We’ve had nothing but great vibes and support from everyone we’ve come across so far.
"We’ve chosen a unique location which sits right next to the new Aviva Studios, behind the historic Granada Studios and right in the heart of a growing new district at St John’s. We hope to attract a real cross section of the city to our beautiful new restaurant & roastery.
"In our London spaces we see everyone from early morning gym goers and commuters grabbing coffee, business lunches, baby dates and cocktail heavy birthday parties in the evening!’ We’ll be open morning, noon and night and you’re all welcome anytime that suits you!”
Caravan's Manchester restaurant in the St John's neighbourhood is set to open this summer.
