Camino, Kings Cross, N1

Official site of Camino - camino.uk.com

Official site of Camino - camino.uk.com

A first in here the other night with a group, all of whom wanted a sherry and given our long hike, not a bad way to ward off the chill. This is indeed a much-changed area, certainly in no way like the days of the '70s and '80s; no sign of any rave reviews either. This is a rather bare, sparsely furnished affair with what appears to be an L-shaped room, part restaurant and part bar with modern high tables and seats throughout with a bare boarded floor and bare brick walls with slightly industrial lights as well as slightly industrial exposed metalwork. There's outside seating for when the climate is a little more Spanish and there's table football within; music played at slightly too great a volume and sport was shown on a TV with the sound off. The Spanish may have discovered the New World but they've yet to discover Real Ale, the only options being Spain's equivalents to Stella. As for the sherry? They didn't really seem to stock the stuff and when it arrived, it was £6.00 for a 100ml glass!! An interesting curiosity, and one to which I'll not be returning except as part of a group.

We actually came here to eat in the restaurant section and didn't actually realise till leaving that there is a bar section on the far side of the restaurant with its own alfresco courtyard area at the back. The usual collection of standard Spanish beers, Estrella, Mahou, Moritz as well as the ubiquitous SM. But then also a couple of more interesting craft beers from Spain available in bottles and I had something decent from The edge brewery of Barcelona with my Tapas. Not a place I would frequent as a bar but plenty were and the outside area was packed with young professionals on this early evening. Its a good spot for an after work alfresco drink though and vastly different from the days of my youth in the 70's and early 80's when you used to find a different type of professional down a back alleyway behind Kings Cross station.