Since my efforts to get a reservation at Dabiz Munoz‘ three-starred-restaurant DiverXO failed, the logical thing to do was to visit his street-food inspired StreetXO. It is located in the (for me) most awkward location possible – the top floor of the shopping mall „El Corte Inglés“.
There are no reservations, so you have to get into line and wait…what we did for approximately one hour. Which was not so bad in the end, since one could go for a walk in the mall, while the other was queuing.
The whole atmosphere has a certain asian-punk-rampage vibe, beginning with the music and colors and ending with the uniform of the waiters and chefs. You sit on the bar, that sourrounds the open kitchen and get a view of the chefs preparing the dishes. They offer wonderful cocktails that go perfectly with the selection of soul food. The menu offers approx. 20 dishes that are mostly a fusion of spanish and asian ingredients, tastes and techniques.
My favorites were the Korean Lasagna with it’s savory, creamy texture and a lot of refined, complex spicyness and the SAAM that had this wonderful contrast between rich and meaty pork belly and fresh herbs and sauces.
All the dishes were amazingly pleasing and comforting – but never blunt. Every dish had a certain kick of acidity, fruit, spice or deep fermented notes. That made the dishes really outstanding. So whether you go to StreetXO’s big sister restaurant or not – a visit is most definetely recommended.
Visit: October 2017
Michelin stars at time of visit: –
Budget: 75€/person (including cocktails)
Location: 7/10
Service: 6,5/10
Food: 7/10
