Celebrated Madrid-based chef David Muñoz opens the high-octane Street XO in Mayfair
Words Hannah Hopkins
If you’re looking for an alternative take on tapas, note Street XO. David Muñoz – celebrated chef and enfant terrible of the dining scene – has opened the London outpost of his Madrid restaurant on Old Burlington Street in Mayfair. A high-octane and more accessible younger sibling to Diver XO (Madrid’s only three Michelin starred restaurant) it delivers on taste and theatrical dining.
David started his cooking career in the kitchens of Madrid before moving to London in 2002. His most formative years were spent under the tutelage of the head chefs at Hakkasan, Nahm and Nobu where he learnt the foundations of Asian cuisine.
Like the original Street XO in Madrid, the menu at Street XO London takes inspiration from European, Asian and South American cuisines but most dishes have either a Mediterranean or East Asian back bone. Not for the faint hearted, David’s playful menu aims to shock, surprise and delight diners with bold and gutsy flavours from visually arresting creations.
We try a special menu created by the chefs. Dishes are made to share and will certainly get you talking. Standouts include the Pekinese dumpling with crunchy pig’s ear and strawberry hoi sin, and kimchi croquetas with tuna steak and burnt butter. Cocktails are equally experimental – one comes served in a giant heart-shaped vessel (complete with ventricles) and another in a vast goblet (cameras at the ready).
We were seated on bar stools right in front of the kitchen. There is little delineation between chefs and waiters, both weave in and out from the kitchen, and if you’re sat by right in the action – the chefs will deliver creations right to you. We loved the dishes presented on sheets of paper, like a canvas, in front of the diner.
The moody and atmospheric interior combines a rich material palette of stained wood with deep red marble and concrete. We liked the industrial backdrop, with dramatic artworks and neon light installations that gave it a clubby vibe. Now all we have to do is head back to check out the cocktail bar next time…
15 Old Burlington, London, W1S 2JL
+44 20 3096 7555
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