About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Three-Star Badge for Quirky Madrid Restaurant

by Kathy Jones on November 25, 2013 at 7:16 PM
Font : A-A+

 Three-Star Badge for Quirky Madrid Restaurant

The latest Spanish restaurant to win three Michelin stars - DiverXo - has fifteen cooks, who toil in the steam of huge stewpots, yelling and squeezing past each other as they prepare the evening sitting.

The self-proclaimed "brutal" approach of this tiny eatery, where the cooks rush to add ingredients to diners' plates mid-bite, has made it one of the most unusual restaurants ever to join the world's gastronomic elite.

Advertisement

When on Wednesday it became just the eighth Spanish restaurant to win an unbeatable third Michelin star, DiverXo's 33-year-old head chef David Munoz himself called it a "miracle".

He became the youngest Spaniard to win the top Michelin ranking and DiverXo, whose kitchen measures just 30 square metres (320 square feet) is the only establishment in the Spanish capital to hold the honour.
Advertisement

Arriving at DiverXo, in a nondescript street off Madrid's central Castellana avenue, you wouldn't guess it is now one of the top-ranked restaurants in the world.

There is no porcelain nor silver on the tables.

On entering, the diners see chefs putting the final touches to the dishes in the hallway because the kitchen is not big enough.

"We were looking to make it a brutal experience," Munoz told AFP, with a mischievous grin, as his team worked busily on a Friday morning preparing dinner -- the first service since their three-star upgrade.

"What is happening in DiverXo is an absolute miracle," Munoz said. "DiverXo aims to change totally the concept of the three-star Michelin restaurant."

Bearded with a black Mohican in the middle of a shaven head and horn-shaped ear-piercings, Munoz comes from a middle-class Madrid family with no history of professional cooking. He started buying his first creative cook books when he was 14.

Visibly brimming with energy, he works 15 hours a day and has not had a day off in six years.

For the cooks in their black clothes and caps, working in DiverXo is a "rollercoaster", says Munoz's number two in the kitchen, Manuel Villalba, 26.

As for diners, "you have to come here with an open mind," he adds. "Anything is possible here and you have to be prepared to be surprised."

A line of giant silver ants leads the way to the dining room, which seats 30, decorated with black butterflies and sculpted pink pigs with black wings.

Once seated, the diner is offered a choice between a "short" menu -- seven dishes for 95 euros ($130) -- and a longer one of 11 dishes for 140 euros.

The short menu last two and a half hours, the long one four hours -- and each moment is choreographed by the bustling chefs, Villalba explains.

Scarcely has the diner sunk a fork into a raw cod fillet drizzled with boiling olive oil and accompanied by potato skins and pickled chiles, when a cook bursts in and lays on hot mayonnaise.

Later, as the diner chews, another chef arrives with a cream of cod, sea urchin and bacon.

The menu lists not ingredients but rather sensations: sweet, sour and, in the case of one star dish, the "Hannibal Lecter", sharp.

A fiendish ketchup of chile and tabasco makes the dish of duck dumplings and fried ducks' tongues resemble a blood-splattered murder scene.

"Some people end up in a state of shock," said Munoz's wife Angela Montero, 28, a red-haired former dancer who now works as the restaurant's hostess.

While the cooks work, she spends most of the morning answering the telephone. Since the Michelin announcement on Wednesday, DiverXo has received 2,000 bookings from around the world. The waiting list for a table has lengthened to six months.

The staff -- 28 in total -- earn 1,000 euros a month, the owners included, and they are still losing money.

They hope to survive through a "low cost" version of the restaurant, StreetXo. The Madrid branch of that, separate from DiverXo, has already been a success and the team plans to launch a branch in London in May.

"Getting to this point has had a big personal cost," Munoz said.

The couple opened their first DiverXo in 2007 in another venue, "small, badly located, as ugly as could be," Montero recalls.

They invested all their savings in it and "an infinite number of loans" and both slept there for the first six months.

Reservations there fast filled up, but they had to leave that restaurant's facade unfinished for lack of money.

"People were a bit miffed when they saw that," said Montero. "All we could do was make them fall in love with some great cooking."

Source: AFP
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest Lifestyle and Wellness News

Defying Time: Unlocking the Secrets to Wrinkle-Free Skin
Decoding the secrets of wrinkles by knowing the causes, prevention, and expert advice.
Summer's Gaze: Prioritizing Eye Care!
With the arrival of summer and the lure of outdoor activities, it is essential to give equal importance to the well-being of your eyes and skin.
Summer Makeup Battle: Conquering Humidity and Heat
Combination of high humidity and scorching heat in summer poses a daunting task for makeup wearers; balancing it is thus crucial.
Protecting Yourself from Summer Sun: Tips and Tricks
Selecting the right SPF for your skin is quite tricky, but the thumb rule is to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 for effective results.
 World Family Doctor Day: Let's Celebrate the Family Doctors at the Heart of Healthcare
World Family Doctor Day held on 19th May highlights the vital role and contribution of family doctors in healthcare systems worldwide.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

Three-Star Badge for Quirky Madrid Restaurant Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests