Camping Mar, Spanish, Barceloneta

They almost make it look too easy at Camping Mar. No sooner have we placed our orders for starters and our smiling server is already setting the food down. She’s wearing a mask, but her cheerful gait and bouncing ponytail makes me assume she is smiling. It’s the 1st of January 2022. It’s sunny and crisp outside, and I’m trying to grab 2022 by the scruff and make this year my bitch. I am purposely stepping into the year on the right foot with a lunch like this. With a sunset sea dip planned later for good measure.

Camping Mar is underneath the W. But not underneath by Pez Vela (Tragaluz Group), off to the side and at a sub-level I’m unaware existed. My sister and I have to walk around a still to be developed empty lot. Once I find it, Camping Mar shows off the confidence that all the En Compañía de Lobos places do. Striking interior and a large outside space that boasts the use of a landscape artist. And the speediness of the food arrival. This is a restaurant group whose kitchen is so professional that I would argue they should work in an artificial delay between order and delivery.

Far from having been rushed and sloppy, our dishes are good. And yes, I am surprised because mere minutes have passed. Fried artichoke halves are crispy and still hot. Ditto croquetas. I am not a fan of their version of braves, thick horizontal slices with a jammy brown sauce and no contrasting mayonnaise. There is a plate of stracciatella, with buttons of pink pepper and some leek rounds standing on it like soldiers.

We are all drinking Aperol because the colour contrast with the turquoise paper mats is spectacular in the bright sunshine. I’ve ordered a paella with botifarra and mushrooms for two even though there are four of us because I’ve noticed that a two-person paella typically feeds four. Maybe because of the (ahem) speed with which it’s expedited, the paella doesn’t boast enough of the much-coveted socarrat. But it doesn’t matter because we are outside having lunch in the sunshine on the 1st of January and it doesn’t get much better than this.

We are settling into a lazy Sobremesa after a too sweet lemon meringue pie when our (still) cheerful server serves us the bill we didn’t ask for. We pay and reluctantly leave our sunny table for someone else to enjoy. If there is one thing En Compañía de Lobos knows how to do, besides train their kitchen and front of house staff, it’s how to turn those tables.

Camping Mar
Pg. Joan de Borbó, 103
08039 Marina Vela
www.encompaniadelobos.com/camping-mar

More like this:
La Barra Carles Abellan
Pez Vela
Salamanca