Triple Michelin-starred chef Dabiz Muñoz’s Street XO has established itself as one of the capital’s most talked-about restaurants since its 2016 opening, and the new menu will doubtless bring another wave of punters into its achingly cool basement.
From the neon fish sculpture to the bright red bar to the cocktails served in vast and ornate receptacles in the shape of practically anything that isn’t a normal glass, Street XO makes a dinner into a (very Instagramable) event.
Fortunately the food lives up to the surroundings. While you can do the traditional three-course option (or more), allow us to nudge you gently in the direction of the chef’s menu: nine courses of fabulous, fantasy food intended to show off every trick in Muñoz’s locker.
Sometimes, like a particularly skilful footballer, there’s one step over too many. Irish Oysters on Holiday to Acapulco! (yes, that’s the name of the dish; yes, including the exclamation mark) comes in gazpacho of Jalapeño and tomatillo verde. Fine gazpacho, no question, but as any oyster lover knows the only acceptable dressing is lemon juice and / or tabasco sauce, and even the latter is debatable.
But then you have the Pekinese dumplings, happily a survivor of the previous menu: dainty little parcels topped with crispy pig’s ear. You get two each and that’s approximately twenty less than I could polish off in one sitting.
The express lunch menu is a mere £25pp and offers some seriously strong dishes
However, it’s the headline dishes that prove to be the real VIPs. Fillet of Cornish Sole in a Thai Meunière, Spanish “Socarrat” Paella, and A Scottish Cow visits Mexico (beef cheeks in a curry of a jalapeños and kaffir lime curry – this visit goes brilliantly) swagger onto the table with confidence and panache; a bit like a festival closing the bill with Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Beyonce.
Can’t make dinner? The express lunch menu is a mere £25pp and offers some seriously strong dishes, several of which appear on the chef’s tasting menu. Ramen of Foie Gras & BBQ’d Guinea Fowl is positively restrained in its presentation but you’ll be draining the last dregs from the bowl.
Galician Octopus who spoke Indian… is served with giant squid ink crackers that make it look as much an installation than a plate of food; but food it is, and very fine at that – the roasted tomatoes butter masala complimenting the octopus rather than crowding it out.
The menu is available from Tuesday-Friday. If you’re bored of the standard business lunch then take your clients to the Street.
Street XO, 15 Old Burlington Street, W1S; 020 3096 7555; streetxo.com
