Camino has been slowly peppering London with its brand of buzzy Iberian charm since 2007, and Curtain Road marks the fifth outpost in the collection – after King’s Cross, Monument, Bankside, and Blackfriars. Opening in October 2017, this Shoreditch site slots neatly into Principal Place, all exposed brick and industrial lines softened by a healthy dose of Spanish warmth. Founder Richard Bigg and executive chef Nacho del Campo keep the formula tight: tapas done with confidence and just enough gusto for EC2. There are the obligatory hits – patatas bravas, croquetas de jamón, padrón peppers – but also plates that lean heavier: arroz negro glossy with squid ink, garlic-popping gambas al ajillo, and the standout shoulder of Ibérico pork served blushing pink. I came here just after a trip to Barcelona so expectations were high.
£3.25 gets you olives with lemon and rosemary, simple but zingy, and utterly indispensable for starting a proper tapas session.
Padrón Peppers £5.75, some scorch, some don’t, all dusted with Malden sea salt. It’s the tapas equivalent of a lucky dip. But they’re good, blistered in all of the right places – they a classic for a reason.
Tortilla de Patatas £4.75 – Cotswold eggs from Clarence Court are used for this dish, they come gloriously runny, hugging soft potatoes in a way that speaks comfort and good timing.
£7.25 for wild mushrooms, butter beans, and a runny Cotswold eggs topped with olive oil crumb – simple ingredients, but give maximum satisfaction when combined.
Octopus with chickpea and beetroot purée £12.50 – the tentacles are firm but pillowy, we dragged them through a velvety, earthy purée flecked with paprika and slicked with rich extra virgin olive oil. Every bite has the meaty depth of the sea; soft, rustically-hewn spuds gives the dish a nuttiness.
Presa Ibérica with sweet potato mash £10.75 – the pork arrives blushing pink, tender and juicy, while the mash is silky, refined, and bursting with sweet, nutty notes that perfectly complement the acorn-fed swine. Each bite is a quiet, luxurious indulgence – it was gone in 60 seconds.
“The Big Ibérico” £9.75 was a proper beast of a burger: Ibérico pork patty treated to the Maillard reaction, spicy chorizo, melting penapelada cheese, and crispy buttermilk onion rings all smashed into a pillowy brioche bun. One bite and it’s OTT indulgence in the best way: juicy, spicy, cheesy, messy, decadent, and unapologetically over the top. It’s a carnivore’s daydream, a nap-inducer, and exactly the kind of burger you don’t bother putting down until it’s gone. The chorizo, though, feels a little unyielding, its firmness fights the soft, tender elements rather than letting your teeth glide through. Still, it’s a carnivore’s wet dream that’s perfectly devour-able.
With the burger comes patatas bravas with black garlic aioli – ruggedly cut, golden spuds, each cube requires dunking in the thick, chocolate-dark, caramel-toned aioli that has a good slap of umami and mischief.
verdict
When did I go? March 2019
The damage: £30-50 per head sans boozing
The good: Olives that bite sharp with lemon and rosemary, patatas bravas are rugged cubes drowned in black garlic aioli, and tortilla de patatas oozes golden comfort. Padrón peppers do their thing with hot-and-not roulette, while mushrooms with butter beans and Clarence Court eggs steer earthy and rich. The Big Ibérico burger is indulgence without apology, Presa Ibérica blushes pink against silky, nutty mash, and octopus with beetroot and chickpea purée is a prime example of how to cook a Spanish classic. Camino isn’t delicate – they deliver bold interpretations of Iberian staples.
The bad: There’s not a lot to dislike.
Rating: 3.75/5
Would I go again? It will take some convincing
Address: 2 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3BL
Web: https://camino.uk.com/restaurant/shoreditch/
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