CARAVAN IS A MOROCCAN RESTAURANT AND THE ONLY NORTH AFRICAN RESTAURANT IN BEIJING, LOCATED IN THE OLD EMBASSY DISTRICT OF JIANGUOMEN, NEXT TO THE EMBASSY OF BRAZIL. The owner of the restaurant is Moroccan, and Moroccan cuisine is also the main attraction of this restaurant, but the Caravan Caravan Bar has to offer more than Moroccan food, live music, cultural salons, etc., and a variety of art and cultural activities are often hatched at the Caravan Bar.
The Caravan Bar's menu is dominated by North African Moroccan cuisine, complemented by a small selection of Cajun cuisine. Cajun cuisine is the food of the descendants of French immigrants in Louisiana, USA, whose food culture is unique in the United States. This peculiar pairing comes from the restaurant's owner, Badr Benjelloun, who is originally from Morocco and has a knack for Moroccan cuisine, and his experience in New Orleans has given him a taste for the local Cajun cuisine. The two dishes are very different, but at Caravan Restaurant, they complement each other surprisingly perfectly.
Morocco is an Islamic country, but its diet is not the same as that of Arab countries. Couscous is the most common main dish in Morocco, derived from the Berber food, and is widely popular in the North African region. This staple North African coarse wheat "semolina" is hand-ground into fine powders and coated in flour, and is often paired with a variety of ingredients such as meat, vegetables, and fish. Moroccans generally only eat couscous for lunch on Fridays and on special occasions, and the Caravan Bar follows this tradition and only serves couscous on Fridays. The three types of couscous are "camel caravan", "prince" and "vegetarian", the "camel caravan" consists of lamb and chicken, and the "prince" includes lamb, chicken, sausage and beef skewers. The wheat flour is soft and fragrant, and the gravy and rich seasoning give Couscous a rich aroma.
Tajine is also worth trying. Taji cuisine originated in Morocco, and the special feature is that it uses a pointed hat type pot called "tagine pot", which can be prepared without water, which is a novel idea that can only be found in North Africa, where water is scarce. The Camel Caravan Restaurant Bar has a choice of beef meatball tagine and lemon and olive chicken tagine, the beef meatball tagine pot is meaty, the lemon olive chicken tagine pot is more refreshing, and the slow-cooked chicken is rich in spices.
Arabic cuisine is also indispensable for kebab, including chicken, beef tenderloin, homemade Moroccan sausage Merguez, etc., and the barbecue rice Platters made with barbecue are also highly recommended, Moroccan-style grilled chicken, grilled beef tenderloin, or the more characteristic Moroccan beef and sheep sausage, accompanied by Moroccan rice and grilled vegetables. Roasted leg of lamb with dried plums is quite amazing, this is a flavor characteristic from Fez, Morocco, the slow-simmered leg of lamb wrapped in honey and raisins for 12 hours is slow-roasted, sweet and sour, and the taste is unique. The Caravan Burger and the Volcano Burger, the spice-filled beef patty with Berber bread are all exotic.
Cajun cuisine isn't the limit, but it's all worth trying, such as Cajun-style vegan rice, Hydronate jambalay, Cajun sandwiches, and Cajun chicken salad, all of which are New Orleans specialties known for their deliciousness. Every Tuesday is Mardi Gras, and Cajun flavors are 20% off.
The caravan caravan restaurant and bar is facaded in a brownish-grey hue with a North African dusty feel, so the austere façade does not distinguish CARAVAN from the monotonous official buildings of the old embassy district of the Temple of the Day. Inside, the goose-yellow walls and royal blue walls, as well as the relaxed, old-school bistro décor, give it a cosy atmosphere. The restaurant service is warm and attentive, and ESPN's rugby game broadcasts can be seen on the big screen. Restaurateur Badr is also a music critic, and the Caravan Restaurant & Bar is also a music scene, where performances are often niche and high-barrier, and are not to be missed by niche music hunters.
