It might be in the heart of the city, but Bloomberg Arcade is so much more than a coffee pit-stop for w*nker bankers.
Smack bang in the middle of London’s square mile, the covered pedestrian arcade runs through the site of Bloomberg’s European headquarters. There are tons to sink your teeth into, from the more casual Poké House and Bleecker Burger to Brigadiers Indian BBQ, fresh noods at Koya, or bottomless brunch at Ekte Nordic (proving there’s reason to visit come the weekend). In fact, if you’re hitting up any of the tourist hot spots – St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Museum of London or the Barbican centre – this little foodie haven is for you.
We went to check out Caravan, which was heaving on a sunny mid-week afternoon. With everything from hearty salad bowls, sourdough pizza and more substantial mains (pork chop anyone?), it’s just as suitable for a business lunch as it is for afternoon cocktails, with the kids in tow.
So with the bubbas in their high chairs, and the mamas with their “Chef’s Margarita” (tequila reposado, triple sec, pink grapefruit, lime and fragrantly toasted cumin), we kicked things off with a couple of small plates to share. Rustic “broken” lamb meatballs are spiked with chermoula and sit alongside aubergine, tahini, creamy labneh, and bright pink pickled onion. To scoop it all up, we also had flatbread, with spiced chickpeas in fenugreek-chilli butter. And if you’re after pure holiday vibes, we’d recommend constructing a whole meal out of the small plates section (think burrata, croquettes, nduja and goat’s cheese wontons and jalapeno cornbread).
However, with sites in King’s Cross, Exmouth Market, Bank, Fitzrovia, Canary Wharf AND Chelsea, it means Caravan is big enough that the menus now legally have to display the calories. Not something we’re a fan of if we’re honest. (Another thing you can thank Boris for). And this is probably the reason we went for a calorie-conscious bowl of burnt stem broccoli with charred sweet potato, spiced black bean salsa, green chutney, coconut yoghurt and curry leaf oil. Although to be fair, we did add a little chorizo on the side.
We’d be remiss if we failed to mention coffee, after all, it’s at the heart of the Caravan story. Roasted in a Victorian warehouse in Islington, the eco-friendly hub roasts some of the world’s best beans, resulting in a super full-flavoured brew. So, well worth rounding your meal off with a double espresso if you ask us.
With so much on offer at Bloomberg Arcade, we feel like we only just scratched the surface. So with that in mind, we’ll be back for a glass of wine at Vinoteca, all the fresh pasta at Lina Stores and a Homeslice for the road.
