Madrid Eats Throwback: StreetXO
Clearing out my backlog of pictures, I came across these from a visit to StreetXO in Madrid, from May 2018. StreetXO is the casual restaurant of the bad-boy chef David Muñoz, whose DiverXO restaurant, also in Madrid, has 3 Michelin stars.
StreetXO is located on the to floor of the El Corte Inglés department store on Calle Serrano 52 in the tony Salamanca neighborhood. When it was brand new, there were really long lines to get in, but I didn’t have to wait very long to be seated.
I had a non-alcoholic cocktail that was citrusy and gingery with a lemongrass stick for decoration. It was nice but a bit sweet, if I remember correctly.
Consistent with the “bad boy” image of David Muñoz and the “crazy street” theme of the decor, the waiters wore these straightjacket uniforms!
The menu itself is nice and compact, but I have to make a note that one of my big complaints of this place is that unlike a normal tapas bar in Spain, you can’t get 1/2 orders, making it really hard for a single diner to try multiple things.
I tried one of their signature dishes, the Peking dumplings, with confit pig ear and strawberry hoisin sauce. It was rather sweet (not surprising due to the strawberry), and the overall aspect of the dumplings themselves was kind of commercial with that kind of wrapper.
Another one of their specialties is the Croquetas “La Pedroche.”
These are comprised of crunchy fried croquettes of kimchi and sheep milk, and are topped with tuna sashimi.
The contrast between the crunchy croquette and the cool and soft tuna was nice. But seriously, why can’t I order just a 1/2 portion of this tapa, or even just 1 of these like in a normal Spanish restaurant?
I wasn’t sure what else to order, and the waiter suggested this dish:
“Butter tikka masala” with chicken, “guacamole-Mumbai,”…
…and cheddar cheese naan. This was well-prepared and delicious, but I don’t remember anything particularly innovative - just really nice Indian-ish food.
Overall, there were some hits and some misses, and I was disappointed I couldn’t taste more dishes since I was dining alone and there weren’t half portions. I still ordered more than I would normally eat, because I figured that I probably wouldn’t have the chance to return later. Altogether, this meal was almost 60€, and given the quality, I doubt I’d go back even given the chance.
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El Corte Inglés Serrano 52
Calle de Serrano, 52
28001 Madrid
Spain
streetxo.com/madrid/carta/
