Karravaan Opens in D.C.’s Union Market District This Week | Eater DC
"Led by chef Sanjay Mandhaiya, this Union Market restaurant is an ambitious, Silk Road–inspired destination that blends Persian, Portuguese, Indian, Turkish and other regional influences into a single tasting journey. The experience begins with unlimited bread service featuring Indian naan and yeast‑leavened Persian barbari and continues through an extensive lineup of passed plates and family‑style dishes: jamon‑wrapped dates, Tibetan pork and vegetable momos, a smoky Persian eggplant dip given Indian flair (caramelized Italian eggplant, labneh, and pine nuts), khachapuri-style cheese-and-egg bread boats with roasted jalapeños, ginger‑brightened chickpea falafel, a wild mushroom biryani studded with raisins, and a playful fettuccine a la goshtaba that fuses Kashmiri lamb curry with fennel beurre blanc, Parmesan, and tellicherry pepper. Larger sharing items include a seasonal sabzi tagine served in its traditional vessel and a lamb shank polov with candied carrots and raisins inspired by Afghan, Uzbek, and Persian traditions. Cocktails likewise reflect the restaurant’s wide remit (examples include a baiju‑forward Terracotta Warrior and a saffron- and baharat‑laced martini), while a railway motif in the dining room—train‑platform ceiling and an open kitchen evocative of a parked train car—reinforces the theme of culinary journeys meant to reunite diners across cultures." - Lulu Chang
