StreetXo is the sister restaurant of DiverXO, a three Michelin star restaurant based in Madrid. Street Xo is casually located on Old Burlington St and is the kind of place that I’d completely walk past unless I knew what I was looking for. You go from a quiet street into a funky, lively and upbeat downstairs restaurant with neon lights everywhere. The vibe reminded me a bit of Chotto Matte and the first impression was great. We sat at the bar counter to watch the chefs work their magic. The combination of Spanish and Asian cuisine made the tapas stand out. Most dishes were crazy flavourbombs which is how I like my food. Below are the dishes we tried:
Steamed Club Sandwich which contained pork, ricotta, quail egg and chillies mayonnaise (£14.50). The combination of this club sandwich was insane and the ingredients worked so well together! I can safely say this was one of my favourites.
Grilled Iberian pork belly, served with pickled shiitake mushrooms and topped with sriracha sauce (£14.50). The pork belly was perfectly cooked, crispy and juicy. This was also one of the dishes I’d highly recommend.
Pekinese Dumplings drizzled with strawberry hoisin sauce, served with slices of crispy pork ears (£14.50). I enjoyed the presentation of the strawberry sauce painted accross the paper full of dim sums. Although the combination of the flavours between the sauce and the dumplings worked, there was something missing from the flavour of the dumplings. The dish wasn’t bad by any means but it didn’t stand out as much as the other ones and are probably not worth the price.
La Pedroche Croquettes – these were croquettes of fatty tuna belly, kimchi and sheep milk topped with bottarga and Lapsang souchon tea (£18.90). I loved the presentation, texture and flavour of these croquettes.
Korean Lasagne XO Style with Galician beef, shiitake mushrooms, and sour tomato sauce (£18.30). The lasagne was beautifully layered with a great mix of flavours.
Slow roasted milk fed baby lamb shank (£19,30). The presentation of this dish was probably one of the best but there was something about the taste which didn’t sit quite right. Although the meat was nicely cooked and tender, the sauce didn’t go well with the lamb in my opinion.
Hot Smoked Scallops served with creamy citrus ponzu, a coconut kaffir lime reduction and apple blossom (£11.30). Again, the flavour combination was so different yet on point. I loved this dish as well.
Last but certainly not least… the drinks menu.
Thirsty?
Each drink comes with it’s own unique combination and presentation but the one I liked the most was the Liquid Madrizzzzz’s DriverXO with jasmine, coconut, lime, ginger and violet candy nectar (£13). Look at the size of that glass!
Whilst I loved the mixture of the main menu’s dishes, the desserts didn’t quite live up to the same standard. The mixture of ingredients came across a little random and didn’t give that magic blend which the food and the cocktails did.
STREETXO REVIEW SUMMARY
I really enjoyed Street XO. It had been a long time since I had left a restaurant so excited. I think the experimental menu combined with the funky underground vibe of the restaurants go so well together. The dishes I’d recommend the most are the scallops, club sandwich, lasagne and pork belly. Do keep in mind that the dishes are quite small and therefore given the prices, it could be pretty expensive. The good news is that they have a £25 lunch menu which includes most of my favourite dishes. Its excellent value in comparison to the main menu and I’d highly recommend it.
4/5
This looks fabulous!