We took a seat on the high stools around the chefs cooking and the sommelier offered us “something special” – an alternative sparkling bubbly called Koshu. It was delicious, elegant, light, and very drinkable, perfect for whilst we waited for the food.
We toasted to a great night as the first dishes arrived!
To start we had braised rabbit dumplings with Chinese 5 spice; smooth pan fried dumplings with delicious crunchy “kikos” – crunchy corn nuts which added a great crunch to contrast with the soft carrot textures.
Another favourite were the steamed bao buns “club sandwich” – these were just so delicious, filled with creamy ricotta, chilli cream and an oozy fried quails egg – so good that we could have ordered a plate of these! The bao buns were the perfect amount of squidgy but still put together enough to eat by hand as they recommend.
Next was another winner – the Pekinese dumplings. I had been reluctant to order these at first but the chef urged me on and I’m so thankful he did. They were delectable! Crispy pigs ear, strawberry hoi sin, soft pickles and a little alioli to top it off. These are probably the best dumplings I’ve ever had – not at all greasy but packed with flavour – the crispy exterior works so well and the slight sweetness of the sauce was amazing.
Another must-try dish at StreetXO is the hot smoked scallop – the creamy citrus ponzu was perfectly zing and as I love the flavour of Kaffir lime leaves this was one of my favourites. The scallop was perfectly cooked (I can’t stand overcooked scallops!) and fragrant with coconut – a must have dish for any shellfish fan!
Sitting by the chef’s truly made our experience so wonderful, I love to see the food come together and in between courses we spoke to so many of the chefs. They were kind, bubbly and love to talk about food; naturally, I was in my element! The passion comes across so strongly and the warmth they shared made all the difference. We discussed flavour combinations and got their recommendations on the dishes throughout. Service is so important to shaping your experience and truly the kitchen guys made it for me!
The next innovative dish was called “Almost a Carbonara XO Style” so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The dish was light and so tasty – consisting of wild boar, udon noodles, extra smokey bacon, fried egg and olive. Another dish which wasn’t at all what we expected but just so divine!
The La Pedroche croquettes were hot tuna croquettes, smoked on our table with hot coal, then topped with tuna, XO sauce and lapsang souchong smokey tea. The kind you’d happily have a pile of on the beach. Delicious but heavier than they look!
We requested dessert but given that this was just three days into opening they didn’t have a dessert menu yet. Chef Mike (who served us all evening) came to our rescue (sitting with the chefs has it’s perks!). He offered us a taster dessert that StreetXO have been working on called the Pink Panther. Served in a Willy Wonka style pink cup was smooth goats cheese mousse, rhubarb, cookies and popping candy. Whilst not one of the best desserts I’ve had it had the lightness and sweetness I love in a pudding and it was a great theatrical ending to a wonderful meal
I just loved our dinner and it truly was made by the food and the chefs who served us. Despite being brand new, StreetXO is pretty much nearly there – given how new it is there were a few hiccups (red wine served so cold that even the sommelier felt bad, one squid dish we didn’t like and no real desserts menu) but it was one of the most memorable dining experiences I’ve had recently – there were so many excellent dishes that this was all forgiven. There were so many innovative dishes and delicious flavours that I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to go back! The vibe is buzzy, the decor unusual and the chefs (despite wearing straitjackets) were incredibly warm, knowledgeable and generous.
