Caravel

Two years since we last reviewed Caravel, this family of barges seems to be growing. Caravel now has its own bar, Bruno’s, next door, and Studio Kitchen is thriving too. It seems tales of Caravel’s excellence have spread far and wide in the last couple of years, but we’re glad to see that this little stretch of the Regent’s Canal hasn’t lost its charm. You still need to buzz your way in through a gate to get onto the pontoon where Caravel resides, so the whole experience still feels rather special.

Fin and Lorcan Spiteri have fashioned a rather romantic space out of what was, presumably at one point, a not very romantic grain barge. Two banks of four-cover tables run along each side of the long room, bedecked with white tablecloths and cabaret lamps. There’s a stripped back beauty going on here - perhaps not surprising given the Spiteri’s heritage around the likes of St John, Quo Vadis and Rochelle Canteen.

The menu could more or less be titled, ‘lovely things we’d like to eat on a barge’. There’s excellent bread and butter, obviously, and little bites of caviar and sour cream on crispy potato rostis - an infinitely better vehicle for caviar than a blini could ever hope to be.

Lorcan Spiteri’s menu plays smartly on nostalgia too - the bare bones sesame prawn toast on sliced white would be an odd fit otherwise, but it suits the theme of wistful childhood memories. So too does a slice of treacle tart for dessert - the answer to the question, ‘how much sugar can you fit into a tart case?’

Elsewhere we would say that the cooking has improved in the last couple of years - a dish of venison haunch with potato terrine was nicely cooked, and any seasoning gripes we had when Caravel opened were not present here. Is the food revolutionary? No, but it’s well executed all round, and Caravel is just as much about the unique setting as it is anything else - it’s more than worth its salt in London’s restaurant regatta.

Originally converted to create extra dining space during COVID, this ex-office barge is now the location of Caravel - a moorside restaurant on the Islington stretch of the Regents Canal, that takes inspiration from Britain and the Med with a pared-back menu. 

The inside of this old barge has been made rather romantic - tables are suitably clothed, and shadows flicker across the room courtesy of candles on each table. It's actually quite spacious inside, and row after row of tables leads the eye to the back of the barge, where a small prep kitchen holds a couple of chefs. 

With that in mind, you may already have a good idea of what to expect on the menu here. The kitchen at Caravel turns out menus of rustic, classic British cooking, with a few nods further afield, whilst a compact drinks menu includes some signature sips and excellent wines by the glass.

The menu at the time of writing features a selection of snacks, small plates, mains and desserts, and changes relatively often as produce comes in and out of season. Things kick off with snacks like little potato rostis with sour cream and caviar, then small starter plates such as duck croquettes with wild garlic aioli, salsify, gribiche and hazelnuts and winter tomato salad. There's pressed lamb, sprouting broccoli and anchovy, for example, and a warming dish of mussels, chips and veloute. The menu rounds out with simple but heartwarming puddings like rhubarb jelly with chantilly and honeycomb, and caramelised banana and almond tart. 

On the drinks front, the team has assembled a compact list of drinks that focuses on independent, organic wine producers, as well as as including a handful of cocktails.