caravan

caravan is a coffee, bar and restaurant located near the popular station king cross. 
the kitchen in the restaurant is mostly international, contemporary. 
can recommend to try their breakfast menu and most specifically the two eggs any style, skeaky bacon, slow roast tomatoes and creamy soy mushrooms on sourdough or grain toast or the cornbread french toast with bacon, rocket and avocado!
as a drinks can advise you to order the hot chocolate or the mochaccino. 
great venue to have you breakfast or late brunch!

if you are with some friends this place is simply the best where to go

this restaurant sent four foodies (my friends and me) into a spin of joy! the atmosphere inside this place is what will leave you amazed. food is great too and absolutely inexpensive.

we shared 6 courses and we ordered eggs, fish (which was really good), a soutsouki pizza some desserts with apple and ice cream. all this stuff made us wildly happy.

the design of this place is simple but nice. it’s most of times super busy but if you can put aside your impatience you will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience.

price is just right! so, don’t miss this place if you around.

caravan does those trendy little dishes, referred to as 'plates', which provide so much choice it becomes difficult to come to any decision at all.  my eyes wandered for so long over the menu that i just let my mother take over and waited for whatever arrived. the food was a bit hit or miss, though a rabbit in chocolate mole sauce was a surprise hit.
the restaurant, despite its name, is a huge, cavernous place that feels a little bit like a very chic cafeteria; this does create a pretty loud eating environment but even with so many diners, our waiter managed to make his service very personal.

good brunch, good coffee, really cool interior.

i had heard a lot about caravan from friends and also in a book i brought on london. so we hiked all the way out to kings cross to try it. it was one of the lucky last sunny autumn days so we sat outside in the courtyard which was great. brunch on a tuesday was a good option as i hear its crazy busy in the weekends and you will have to wait a long time for a table.

the menu was rather limited but had some good options. i went for the courgette fritters which were delicious. the relish was fresh with a hint of spice which i thoroughly enjoyed. i ordered two poached eggs as a side which was good as the meal itself wasn't huge and i was starving! my friends enjoyed their breakfasts apparently the baked eggs are the winner!

if there's no sunlight don't fret, the inside has the feel of a modern warehouse with good seating and a really cool interior.
the staff were friendly enough and the food came out in a timely manner.

filter coffee was good my friends soy flat white however was terrible the milk horrifically burnt and lumpy. they weren't that impressed when we pointed this out however they did replace it quickly with a slightly better version.

around 12-15 pound for brunch and a coffee.

so we all know that with caravan you have to arrive one hour in anticipation of any kind of hunger pangs, because this is how long you are going to have to wait to be seated, but there are three reasons why this is so totally worth it.
1) the staff really are pretty cool, with their signature red lipstick and rolled up black sleeves/skinny jeans, maintaining a nice hipster uniform.
2) the atmosphere is just great. sharing tables makes for meeting wonderful people - we befriended a lovely deaf couple, who taught us the signs for pepper, water and food envy
3) the grub really just can't be topped. try the coconut bread/ baked eggs for the ultimate foodgasm experience

what: brunch

where: kings cross, london

value: £15pp

food review: upon entering at 11am on a sunday for brunch, i was told it would be a 2 hour queue. i then decided to wait with a coffee ordered from a very packed bar, also people waiting, the coffee itself, woke me up instantly which numbed the pain of waiting. once waiting for more than 2 hours, we were finally seated. i was able to overlook the menu. first i ordered a fruit juice, cheese and onion jam on toast, and middle eastern poached eggs alongside berry compote with waffles. the freshly squeezed watermelon and mint juice were the first to come, a refreshing taste following on from the waiting with a large amount of people. next the cheese and onion jam on sour bread, which melted in your mouth and warmed your inside. the eggs seemed to be done in a middle eastern style, which was unusual as the restaurant did not have seem to have a middle eastern them, anyhow, they were still delicious. to finish of the meal were a berry compote with waffles and a dollop of cream, eaten as a trio, it was amazing.

settings review: the location is set on the edge of a square encased within a large warehouse. the interior is very minimal with a side room where the chefs are on show preparing the food and a bar at the back stretching around the corner, completing the rustic look.

positives: big flavours, good coffee

negatives: long queue

3 words: appetising, flavoursome, delicious

caravan king's cross has a completely different vibe to caravan exmouth market. the latter being compact, dimly lit and packed with foodies, the former attracts a much more varied crowd in an expansive farmhouse-esque building.

i've only ever had tapas-type dishes, but when i took my dad he had a pizza. the chicken on the pizza was quite dry, and although the flavours worked well together, i don't think the pizzas are one of caravan's best dishes. however i have always had good experience with the tapas. value-wise it's quite hit and miss, but when it's good, it's very good. the wine list is extensive and the cocktails are tasty.

service is polite but can be slow, probably due to the size of the place. i'd recommend for special occasions, or for larger-than-average budgets.

make sure you get there early for brunch though - you can't book and i've heard queues for the japaleno cornbread are loooong.

caravan - great space, friendly staff (not efficient, mind) and good food - if you make the right choice.

when you order well in caravan the food is fantastic (fried soft shell crab, i'm looking at you) but quite often dishes are a bit disappointing (why lamb tongue, why?!)

they have some of the best and most delicious desserts i've had in london for a while (lemon meringue with sago) and i hear the coffee is great.

warning - do not expect to get the bill anytime soon. it's nearly impossible to pin a sever down, but then again i thinks it's just that they need more. the restaurant is never quiet

great location out the back of kings cross, nice for a sunny afternoon. the menu is interesting using some interesting blends but i think they are just missing something as the flavours where not all fully infused.

some of the food could have been warmer like the octopus but maybe that's just me and i should be served cooler.

a must have is the coffee rubbed lambs ribs, although i didn't get any flavour of coffee the ribs were fantastic, the meat was falling off the bone.

they make great latte as well.

karen from smashing the glass suggested caravan, one of her favourite dining destinations, well known for their excellent coffee and brunch offerings as well as a fantastic lunch menu that fuses mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine. 

the restaurant is based in a converted grain store and the decor is industrial-chic with a high unfinished ceiling, open pipe work and concrete floor. the look is similar to caravan's neighbouring restaurant, grain store, which i review earlier in the year and absolutely loved!! smells of coffee and freshly baked bread drift around the restaurant and despite the urban decor, it still manages to be homely. 

the menu is packed with unusual ingredients, many of which neither of us had heard of. i love menus like that, where you're almost certain to be trying something new. i opted for a starter and main course, whereas karen, who prefers to graze, chose a selection of small plates. 

karen started with heritage carrots, ras el hanout, kale, goat's cheese and sultanas. we both agreed that we would have never guessed that it was a plate of carrots! karen enjoyed the starter, which was quite piquant but the goat's cheese helped to neutralise the spice. 

i chose smoked salmon with apple jelly. for me this dish was incredible, a generous portion with a very light dressing and the added spice of a bit of pepper. the apple jelly didn't add much in terms of flavour but it did make the plate even prettier. 

karen and i had so much to talk about, our own weddings, developing our blogs and our love of nice hotels! we discussed the stories behind some of the real weddings that appear on her blog and some of her beautiful creative ideas for decor, stationary and food that really add personality to a wedding. 

chorizo and octopus was the first of karen's small main courses and unfortunately she found it a little too spicy to eat. i also noticed there was very little octopus and it was rather heavy on the spanish sausage.

her second small plate was a soft boiled duck egg, served with baba ghanoush. the middle eastern dish fared better and the egg opened to a perfect runny yolk complimented by the mildly spicy chilli oil and coriander.

my main course was a black sea bream with a balsamic glaze, orange pesto and a side salad of fennel. the zesty and refreshing dish went down a treat for me and the combination of flavours is a favourite of mine.

karen needed to get back to relieve her babysitter of duty so our lunch flew by all too quickly. we really enjoyed most of the food but the end of the meal was spoilt a little as the staff were very slow to bring the bill and we were in a hurry to leave. i had been very keen to try the famous coffee from caravan but because of our rush i had to take it away instead.


it was fantastic to meet karen and to find out we have masses in common! i loved caravan too, despite some patchy service, and i'm keen to come back to try the famous brunch and salted caramel hot chocolate!

i loved caravan too, despite some patchy service, and i'm keen to come back to try the famous brunch and salted caramel hot chocolate!

unusual place for brunch, bit difficult to find but part of a highly regenerated area in kings cross. food was delicious and very clever flavours. the place is huge so the service was a little hit & miss. i did go back for an evening meal here for a tapas type meal, very interesting dishes, quality ingredients & lovely procecco on tap. pricey mind!

on our way to meet a good friend before my flight tomorrow and she recommended this off beat hipster looking place, and what a great recommendation it turned out to be. a mix of different foods and tastes we haven't come across and the ambience just amazing. the food actually wasn't amazing but just different but a great setup, ambiance and server more than made up for it. great ice creams too btw. would def. wanna come in again.

caravan - useless. last tuesday i found the betchaman arrms kitchen closed. a kind waitress suggested that i try caravan; in the pouring rain i made my way there to be ignored for ten minutes by staff busying themselves around the entrance. if they had had the slightest civility, one might have been given an idea of waiting time to get a place. no, ignored for that length of time meant a very disgruntled potential client, normally very patient, going away disappointed at the complete lack of manners of the staff. i'm sure the venue is popular enough to succeed with such rude service but, one asks, for how long?

....great brunch food, but be prepared to wait for a table at weekends and don’t drink their coffee black.