StreetXO is the long awaited entrance of ‘punk’, Michelin Starred Chef, David Muñoz. His restaurant in Madrid DiverXO, serves fusion cuisine that is presented as theatre rather than the stuffiness associated with Michelin Stars. In 2010, DiverXO earned Muñoz his first Michelin star, followed by a second in 2012. In 2013, the restaurant became the eighth in Spain to be awarded with three Michelin stars. The waiting list to eat there is a year – Crazy, apparently even the Real Madrid Football team couldn’t get in.
We went to the London version, Street XO, just after Xmas and it was definitely an experience – for the right reasons as it was fully accessible with a disabled toilet.
The restaurant/bar is accessed via a lift at the entrance and it opens into a ‘large, dark, black, red and neon turbulent basement where a bar precedes an extensive open kitchen with some counter seating that is kept for walk-ins’ (too high if in a wheelchair). Muñoz says he wants the place and the food to be a party (in the mouth). It was certainly that, although the service was rather too rehearsed and when we asked our waitress tricky questions like ‘where is the disabled toilet’, this threw her off her well rehearsed description of the menu. The waiters are all in straight jackets – maybe this restricted her thinking??
StreetXO serves fusion cuisine in a casual sharing plate/tapas way. GQ described the dishes as
“incomprehensible until they reach your mouth. Fusing Asian and Spanish cuisine, crunchy pigs’ ears coated in strawberry hoisin sauce and dumplings of prawn brain paste are served alongside cheddar cocktails and fish bowls of fluorescent purple liquid, while burger buns crammed with whole, fried, spindly crab legs and sides of crispy chicken feet look as if they might walk off the table”.
We tried each of the above and they were delicious. However, watch out for the cocktails served in large goldfish bowls, they’re inventive & dangerous. I had one with ginger and palma violets. It knocked my socks off due to the large quantity of alcohol!
We also received this reader review of Street XO, from Sau Tran a wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury:
“This must be the coolest place I’ve been to in a while. Think lunatic Wonderland on ecstasy. From the bright neon signs and staff in straight jackets, to the dessert drink in a pink panther tail and ginormous fish bowl cocktail glasses. The entrance is more like going into a club, with a lift to take you down to the basement restaurant. Music is pumping but just at the right level to still have conversations with your group.
Staff had good knowledge of the menu and really seemed to enjoy what they were doing. Everything had a wow factor. Each dish was a perfect mouthful of yumminess, bursting with flavour from opposite ends of the world. They were elaborately presented with a brief description from the staff of what it entails and how to eat it to savour the flavours. This is like a Michelin starred restaurant (with the prices too) but at street food level.
The whole experience was deliciously entertaining and I enjoyed every bit of it. You can see why it’s so popular and hard to get a reservation. If I had another booking today, I wouldn’t hesitate in going again. With so many new restaurants popping up around London, it’s rare for me to go to the same place twice, but with it being fully wheelchair friendly, along with everything else I raved about, it’s unforgettable and I’m already craving more.” He also confirmed the accessibility of the disabled toilet (accessed via the lift), which is on the first floor but when we visited it was locked! Sau says “the disabled toilets were available with plenty of room.”
It’s not overly expensive both for the experience and such high quality food, at £150/2 with cocktails and wine. It’s certainly worth a visit if you fancy something accessible and different. We’ve awarded them 2.5 BBS Ticks.