StreetXO London: A first look at Mayfair’s wacky foodie theme park

There’s a lot about StreetXO that is very silly, but it really isn’t just about wacky flavours and pretty plates, says Ben Norum
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Ben Norum11 December 2017

This week saw Spanish chef David Muñoz finally swing open the doors to StreetXO in Mayfair, a mere two years after it was originally due to start service before a plethora of building troubles pushed it back and back.

Over this time Muñoz and his restaurants have become something of an urban folklore among London’s foodies.

For those who don’t yet know the full backstory, Madrid-born Muñoz cut his skills working at a number of Asian restaurants in London before returning to his home city in 2007 to open DiverXO. By 2013 it had won an astounding three Michelin stars and was being heralded as the new el Bulli. A tasting menu there will set you back €225 now.

In 2012 the chef, by now a proper celebrity, opened StreetXO atop a Madrid department store. It offered a more affordable, less intense dining experience and prioritised walk-ins in contrast to the eight-month waiting list at DiverXO.

David Muñoz
Amit Lennon

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First impressions are certainly striking. Located down a golden staircase, the dimly lit basement space is relentlessly clad in shimmering black and red lacquer, the only let-up coming in the form of dazzling glowing neon.

Unlike virtually every other restaurant in London at the moment there is nothing remotely rustic, authentic, minimal or industrial at play, which is refreshing. But it does rather resemble a strip club, which is less so.

Madrid’s StreetXO

If you can nab a seat at the counter, though, the view improves immeasurably. From here you can see across the whole kitchen, where a jovial gang of chefs put finishing touches to intricately absurd dishes. There are lots of them — apparently 80 per cent of the restaurant’s staff are chefs — which might be partly due to the nature of the dishes, but is probably also because they each spend a fair bit of time chatting to customers.

It’s all part of the theatre of the restaurant. They are even in costume, donning chef’s whites styled as straight jackets because — presumably — their cooking is just that crazy.

The menu lists around 18 small plates, designed to be shared tapas-style. A lot of them have a Spanish influence, but there are also pronounced Asian and South American flavours.

The majority of them hover somewhere between £12 and £18, which is quite a lot given the number you would need to fill you up — at least three, really four.

Pekinese dumplings

One of the most famous dishes from Madrid, Pekinese dumplings served with crispy pigs’ ears and gherkin slices, comes on a sheet of greaseproof dribbled and dotted with strawberry hoi sin sauce in the style of a Pollock. The dumplings are best scooped up in your hands and eaten whole when they pack a pretty impressive burst-and-crunch punch. The sharp soy and citrus flavours are exhilarating in themselves.

"the dumplings pack an impressive burst-and-crunch punch"

Utterly tender grilled octopus is served with a vivid green sauce of apple and tomatillo that tastes like a sharp version of guacamole and comes with “fake Chinese wok noodles” which are actually soy-drenched enoki mushrooms. Both elements are delicious in very different ways, but what they gain from sharing a plate is unclear.

Prawn suquet stew features meaty red prawns in a rich shellfish broth, with a prawn-filled dumpling and a cracker made from powdered dehydrated prawn shells. It’s surprisingly normal — not far from something you might be served in Catalonia — and all the more enjoyable for it.

“Le Pedroche” croquettes

The best dish I try is slightly less familiar. Crunchy-edged and creamy-centred “Le Pedroche” croquettes are filled with sheep milk and topped with thin slices of fatty cured tuna belly and kimchi: they are at once earthy, creamy, fishy and meaty, and packed to the rafters with joyful umami.

Cocktails are the drink of choice for washing these creations down, and they are just as bold. A Tokyo-Jerez comes with a prawn head to suck before sipping, while a bright green Tiradito blends mezcal, calvados, coriander, jalapeno and salt made from tequila worms. Liquid Diver, a twist on a G&T, comes in a comically oversized wine glass, to ensure the aromas surround you when taking a drink.

Tokyo-Jerez cocktail

This last cocktail is a prime example of just how silly StreetXO is. But the croquettes are just as perfect an indication of how clever the creations whipped up by Muñoz often are.

And that’s the key. There’s a lot about StreetXO that is very silly, but it really isn’t just about wacky flavours and pretty plates; there is substance there, too.

The enthusiasm of the team serving them is also intoxicating and addictive: they love and live what they create but don’t take any of it too seriously.

Go with it and think of dining here less like visiting a restaurant and more like going to a foodie theme park full of thrills for the senses. When you leave it will be a toss up as to whether your taste buds or your wallet come out of the experience more distressed, but it will have been exhilarating all the same.

You won’t go back again and again and you might not love every single dish. You probably won’t love the decor, but you will the chefs, the waiters and the energy of the place. Overall, you’ll probably be glad you did it.

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