We hit the capital of Spain and it is a different vibe than Barcelona.  Whereas Barcelona seems cool and laid back, Madrid is a town of hustle and bustle with a frenzy of activity. This leads to some great places to eat, and some great chefs.  One of those recognized chefs is David Muñoz, who has a three Michelin star restaurant called Diver XO.

Now Diver XO is fully packed and reservations are a 2 month wait.  But wait, there’s a sister restaurant!  Like Loidi for Martin Berasetegui, Street XO is the sister restaurant of Diver XO.  It doesn’t have any Michelin stars, but the food is still of great quality. Focused on an Asian-Spanish fusion style, it’s a take on Asian food using Spanish ingredients.

Street XO is located in the food hall of the El Corte Ingles Callao department store.  It’s a pretty strange place, as it’s like a stall in a food court.  With a limited amount of stools to sit at, it’s a long wait sometimes.  You just stand and wait until someone gets up.

It took us 30 minutes, but we finally got one seat at the end, so Lena sat and I stood while we experienced a great meal.

With an open kitchen concept, the menu looks real good.

The open kitchen concept makes it a fun show to watch while you eat.  The only problem with it?  Once you order, you start to see what else they are cooking and wish you ordered that!

Our first selection was the Ramen.  The Ramen is wrapped with Iberico Ham, and sits on pickled Lotus Root.

From there a beautiful Iberico Ham broth is poured on.

And an egg is added.  You’re supposed to mix it all together and eat! So rich and great tastes.

Next up was a version of Pad Thai. Underneath an omelet blanket is the rich Pad Thai noodles.

Mix it all together and it is just a lovely blend of noodles and meat and spices.  It is absolutely incredible.

We needed one more dish and we couldn’t resist.  We ordered the Chili Crab.

When you order it, they make it fresh.  The sous chef cuts the crab right then and there.

Then cooks it up.

The finished product!

And it comes with Mantou.

Served up, it looks awesome.  And a complimentary tequila shot to go with it.

The chili crab was a little more sweet than chili, but the flavor was still nice.  The crab was a smaller Flower Crab type, but still very flavorful. The Mantou was awesome.  Nicely fried and done.

This is an experience.  A nice quiet sit down meal, this is not.  Enjoy the experience and the food, it is an experience for sure.