Eat & Drink
Originally published on Thursday, 28th October 2010
El Camion
Cosy Mexican cantina with bags of kitsch charm
272 Portobello Road, W10 5TY - 020 8960 8556
Location
The smaller, scruffier brother of the newer, more polished Soho branch that boasts Dick Bradsell in the bar, this louche little outpost, tucked under the ultra-urban Westway has its own cult following.
Vibe
I’d been meaning to visit one of these groovy Mexicans when they were called El Camino (they recently changed the name to save confusion with Camino in King’s Cross). Everyone had urged me to head to Soho but I ended up at Portobello on a whim last week not entirely sure what to expect. After ten minutes of drinking cadillac margaritas from paper cups, nodding along to Elvis and being so close to the kitchen I could see the sweat glistening on chef Luis’ forehead, I was sold.
Flavours
As far as I’m concerned, food from this part of the world isn’t meant to be gourmet – that’s the beauty of it. As long as the it’s fresh and well seasoned (which the guacamole, shredded pork tostadas and jalapeno poppers certainly were on the night I went) and the tequila flows, a top notch cantina should be just as much about the atmosphere, which isn’t lacking here.
Décor
The plastic fantastic-ness of the venue – from the cutlery and tablecloths to the baskets the food comes in – is half the charm. The other half is the size. With a total of five small tables (which are first come first serve), you have no option other than to be on top of each other – always a good ice-breaker – or hang outside with cool, fag-smoking ‘kids’. Crammed with kitsch memorabilia, it’s the perfect intimate location for Dio de los Muertos (1st and 2nd Nov), which, needless to say, always ends up being colourful.
Upshot
Owned by Sir Terence’s youngest and most wayward son Ned Conran, and his wife Sage, El Camion, and particularly this one, has an appealing insouciance that too few other foodie hotspots share. Manager Tom is also poised to start home deliveries on his push-bike within a 1 mile radius. Whether he wears his lucha libre mask whilst doing so is yet to be seen, but it could bring a whole other meaning to trick or treat.
