Blue Caravan
Blue Caravan is a new global restaurant in the Upper West Side. The menu features influences from many parts of the globe but does tend to put an Asian twist of certain dishes. When you walk in there’s a lovely bar area with a nice communal table that’s great for those in the area or people to get after work drinks (every Monday night live music is featured). The long and narrow restaurant helps set the mood with certain touches such as its artwork and the friendly service also makes its patrons feel like they’re at home.
Mei Chau creates a menu that hits virtually every point on the globe while keeping true to her Malaysian roots. Dishes such as the Calamari with a soy reduction and blood orange sauce. The Bruschetta with truffles, Parmesan and rockets was a fantastic ode to Italy. I really enjoyed Blue Caravan’s new take on this traditional Italian dish. The truffles and Parmesan weren’t heavy together which made for a great dish. Up next were the calamari I was talking about earlier, porcini and sweet pea arancini and chicken satays. I couldn’t fairly tell you how the satays really were since I couldn’t have the peanut sauce they were paired with (the sauce is a main component of satays) but the calamari were good though the sauce did become a bit overbearing as you continued eating it. The Porcini and Sweet Pea Arancini however were very good and I feel that the more bland flavor of this dish went well with the sweetness of the calamari. Lastly I had the Tumeric Salmon. I felt the salmon was cooked well but the dish was a bit more bland than I expected (perhaps due to the coconut milk). Though I am glad the coconut milk was included in the dish as it masked the flavor of the ginger which tends to be heavy and overbearing. But the mango pie for dessert more than made up for this with its sweet flavor and fresh mango (it almost tasted exactly like an apple pie)!
Overall I did enjoy my visit to Blue Caravan. The menu is well thought out and the decor is very nice for a family dinner or just a quick visit for drinks. I’d be sure to go back especially on Mondays for their live music!
