Camino has done well in catering for the after-work drinks crowd at its new Shoreditch location. The City toilers of Liverpool Street will doubtless be delighted by the heated outdoor terrace, serving typical Spanish tipples like cava – bottomless on Saturdays – and less typical ones like (delicious) vermouth by the glass. It’s also nailed its sangria recipe: it was refreshing, very alcoholic and delightfully fruity (and also comes in a very large glass).
The tapas menu is gigantic, so choosing just four plates per person was a task. Despite that, the chorizo ‘riojano’ (a spicy style) was great to start. As were the Iberico meatballs, in a rich and peppery tomato sauce. The larger plates, sadly, were more lacklustre: my octopus came with a fine beetroot purée but was pricy for the size. Pork shoulder was tender, cooked well and served with sweet potato mash but not particularly flavoursome. Highlights were the fresh endive salad and the huevos rotos, a creamy potato bake topped with egg and smoked paprika.
All said and done, the drinks were better than the food, which would work better as bar snacks rather than as a standalone meal. Dumbing down the main menu to a few great plates and expanding the bar offering to cater for the boozers would likely work in Camino’s favour. In the meantime, that vermouth is well worth the visit.