The lamb shank nalli biryani from Karravaan. Photograph by Sarah Galaviz.When Sanjay Mandhaiya, chef at Logan Circle Indian restaurant Pappe, saw a vacant Union Market District restaurant property across the street from the NoMa Metro station, inspiration struck. “I was raised near a railway station, and my childhood memories are hanging out there,” he said. “The food scene was great— you could get anything you wanted.” Now, Mandhaiya wants to give DC-area diners the same experience at his newest dining concept, Karravaan. The Middle Eastern, Indian, and Portuguese-inspired restaurant is slated to open in Union Market in early spring. Karravaan’s menu—with colorful plates of pork chop vindaloo, whole branzini with spiced celebration rice, and cocktails with date and rose syrups—will be all over the map. But don’t call it fusion. Instead, Mandhaiya describes it as a retelling of  “a culinary journey to India through the silk route.” The pork chop vindaloo from Karravaan. Photograph by Sarah Galaviz. The menu isn’t finalized yet, but it will rely on Persian, Turkish, and Goan ingredients and preparations, as well as other nostalgic Indian recipes from Mandhaiya’s childhood. He hopes that the dishes will serve as a history lesson on South Asian cuisine, especially the cooking of North India, with its origins in the historical trade routes and cultural exchange with the Middle East and Europe. In a nod to communal dining traditions across the Middle East and the subcontinent, Karravaan will also offer shareable platters for feeding two to three guests each, centered on proteins like whole branzini. Mandhaiya characterizes these dishes as “royal,” and uses a heavy hand with saffron and pomegranate seeds. He put the platters out on a “trial run” at Pappe on New Year’s Eve, but plans for them to be an integral part of the Karravaan menu. “It’s a little bit of Indian, a little bit of Portuguese, and little bit of the Middle East,” Mandhaiya says about the platters, which will come with celebration rice, house-made sauces, and bread. “I’m trying to bring it into one plate.” With tentative plans to hold Karravaan’s grand opening in late February or early March, Mandhaiya looks forward to serving more dishes that he describes as “untraditional”—and to telling the stories behind them. “It’s basically the food that was lost,” he says. “I’m trying to bring it back.” Karravaan. 325 Morse St., NE.The post A Persian-Portuguese-Indian Restaurant Is Coming to Union Market first appeared on Washingtonian.