caravan king's cross {london} - Elizabeth Minchilli

I was in London a few weeks ago, and more than ever I was shocked at how much construction is going on. Some of it is really bad (like the buildings here) but some of it is actually pretty great.

One of the areas that is almost unrecognizable is King’s Cross. The neighborhood surrounding the train station used to be pretty grungy. But in the the last few years not only have completely new buildings gone up, but restored old ones and managed to create some pretty beautiful open spaces as well

One of the cultural touchstones of the regenerated neighborhood is the newly transferred Central Saint Martins. This world famous art school moved from its former cramped location in Bloomsbury to the fabulously restored Granary Building. The square fronting the brick building holds an enormous dancing fountain that you really should make an effort to see. And you can do so while on the way to have lunch at Caravan.

Caravan is located on the ground floor of the Granary building and is an extension of an already pretty successful coffee roaster and restaurant in Exmouth market. So yes, the coffee is great. But the food’s the thing.

The space is fantastic, retaining much of the feeling of the grain warehouse that it was. Long tables run the length of the dining room, leading to the coffee roasting operation at the back.

Focusing on small plates with influences from all over the world, it’s an easy place to stop by almost any time. Order one plate and it’s a snack, two makes a meal and three is a virtual feast. I was with Emma and we ordered four plates to split and were completely stuffed.

It was hard to choose, since they all sounded so good. We both loved the squid which was served with a lemony salsa verde and a smear of nori puree. The borlotti bean and carrot salad was tossed with watercress and a sharp vinaigrette to bring it all together.
And I will definitely be trying to recreate the quinoa and broccolini salad. Almost everyone else was also ordering pizza, which I have to say looked pretty great. But, well, I just can’t bring myself to go all the way to London, and then order pizza.

While Emma went to go do some errands, I lingered over an AeroPress coffee (the best coffee I had on the whole trip) before heading back outside to watch the fountains dance.