From buns and cocktails to signs of maturity, Caravan Black comes of age (sort of).
Miguel Rodriguez admits he’s a changed man after the pandemic.
Since opening Caravan Black in 2016 with his wife Chicho Suarez-Rodriguez, and friends Rico Serrano and Andrei Aquino, Miguel acknowledges that surviving the pandemic was their biggest challenge to date, almost like a coming-of-age as entrepreneur.
“The pandemic was a nightmare. We almost didn't make it; we were very close," he shared. "Our staff had no idea what we were going through financially but we had to motivate them every day. Just coming to work was very difficult and scary. So we had to be strong for them, but deep inside we were freaking out. We were like, these numbers, we're not going to make it.”
Granted this was my first time meeting Miguel, I couldn't imagine this guy — as laidback as a business owner could be in his 'cafe culture' cap sitting across me on a rainy Tuesday — freaking out. He looked so chill! They even allow pets inside the coffee shop (well, maximum of three pets at a time), that's how cool they are...
Thank goodness they didn’t give up. They weren’t going down without a fight. So their team decided to up the ante to drum up sales.
“From June to October [2020], we put out a lot of new items: new drinks, new sandwiches, new pastries — just to make noise. And everyone from shops to fast food to fine dining restaurants were doing online. So it was like a free-for-all for all the restaurants. How do you stand out? So that was always the issue. We were lucky enough that people responded,” Miguel shared, adding that they received a lot of concerned messages from regular customers who became their close friends.
Miguel gives credit to their customers and hardworking team. “A lot of people helped. It’s overwhelming. Luckily, by 2021, people started coming to the office. We were about to go and we survived. We haven't looked back since.”
Signs of Maturity
Much have been said about the effects of the lockdown on businesses — layoffs, cutbacks, closures — but not a lot of people are talking about the pandemic’s effects on the people behind these businesses. How fighting to survive takes a toll on actual people.
Surviving the pandemic was already an impressive feat, but bouncing back even better than before was something short of a miracle. Miguel shared how the pandemic changed their strategy and how they found a new side of maturity as entrepreneurs.
“We've always wanted to renovate. We had enough money to renovate and we wanted to do it smartly. We’re so paranoid now with our spending because of what happened,” he said, referring to the pandemic.
Aside from being more careful with spending and making sure to save enough for more than just a rainy day, the team behind Caravan Black also learned a very important mark of maturity: trusting experts.
For their new cocktails and bar bites menu, they followed the lead of all-around chef and restaurateur Him Uy de Baron and seasoned mixologist Clayton Paul Munar.
The Asian touch on the new dishes were deliberate and they also made sure the cocktails have low ABV (alcohol by volume). Just enough to give you a pleasant buzz, but it won’t get you smashed.
“Clayton put in a very diverse lineup, so I did not question him. I know he knows what he's doing; he knows the industry,” he explains. “For the Bar Bites, we wanted to put a new spin on it [because it] won't be served all day, so it needed […] to come from left field… So we're like, ask for his help to see what Chef Him could come up with.”
For their renovations, they trusted the expertise of Architect Lara Fernandez Barrios of Larawan Ink.
From their black and white interiors, Caravan Black now boasts of dark green walls with wooden accents to add warmth, aside from the bright neon lights welcoming guests upon entering the café.
Miguel also points out that the bar is completely new, but Phoebe (their beloved La Marzocco machine) remains. The café's design plays a vital role in promoting their products and providing a space that fosters the entire ‘Cafe Culture’ experience (with matching merch, too! Gotta get my hands on that). The strategically positioned coffee bar acts as a community hub, a place for ideas and inspiration. Here customers can relax, listen to Caravan Black’s personally curated playlist, and enjoy a delicious meal while sipping their favorite drink — whether it’s coffee or cocktail.
New Grub, New Goals
Chef Him, who’s also a culinary instructor, made it a point to create dishes that Caravan Black can easily make in their small kitchen. His prime example is the Eggplant Gyoza. Chef Him shared that the owners wanted to put dumplings on the new menu, but he knew the amount of space it takes to create the dumpling wrapper alone. So instead of using traditional dumpling wrappers, he crafted dumpling fillings encased in soft eggplant, giving the dish additional depth in flavor and texture, while also making it easier for the kitchen team to recreate.
Miguel also shared that they’ve been developing the new drinks and dishes since early 2023 and have finalized the menu since March, but they didn’t want to rush anything. They took their time to learn, practice, and perfect the new offers to make sure it’s made just the way Chef Him and Clayton designed it.
The new menus is short, sweet, and very Asian — with plot twists only Chef Him can pull off. He shared that his favorite from their new Bar Bites menu is the Orange Chicken Buns, a handy version of their famous Orange Chicken.
During my visit to Caravan Black, I was able to try the Thai Glazed Chicken Wings with its unbeatable sweet-and-salty combo courtesy of sugar and patis (fish sauce). The pickled jicama and carrots balanced each bite of the flavor-packed chicken, making you wish you had some rice.
Some may consider the Dandan Lasagna a bastardized iteration of the Italian classic, but it’s far from that (unless maybe you’re Italian)! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine tomatoes, peanuts, and béchamel would go well together, but oh man, it just works. And I polished that plate clean.
And of course I couldn’t leave the tasting without trying their cocktails. I had the Purple Sangria made with Bacardi and red wine with sweet potato syrup (yes, apparently that’s a thing!). It was light, refreshing, and could’ve passed for really fancy juice if not for the ever-so-subtle buzz after finishing the tall glass. I can imagine leisurely sipping this while reading a book, listening to Caravan Black’s playlist (coffee shops, man, they have the best songs) and the gentle bustle of people doing their own things — just like the coffee shops of old.
There's just something contemplative about coffee shops. Somehow, despite everything that’s happening around the café, I could still hear myself clearly. I’ve fallen in love with the concept of coffee shops when I was in college. Whether I was studying or spending time with friends or simply want to catch up on some reading, I head to my favorite coffee shop.
Back in Los Baños, I have two go-to’s: Coffee Blends, a quaint neighborhood joint frequented by students and locals; and Riceworld Coffee Shop inside the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), more for expats and graduate students. And after experiencing Caravan Black once again, I kinda wish I live near BGC.
Caravan Black’s new Cocktails & Bar Bites menu is available every day starting 5:00 p.m.
Caravan Black
FB/IG: @CaravanBlackCoffee
G/F Seven Neo Building, 4th Avenue, BGC, Taguig City
Sun-Thu, 7am-7pm
Fri-Sat, 7am-9pm
0917 122 8795
