This is when I enjoy my work most. I surround myself with people who I enjoy working with, and that allows me to do more. These were the words of Dabiz munoz during the dialogue that he had last week in Madrid, with Andoni L. Aduriz, as part of Las Conversaciones, with which the Colpisa news agency celebrates its 50th anniversary. Madrid’s chef is at his best and has many projects. DiverXO, his third-starred restaurant in Madrid, will have a brand new location. It will be his fourth place since his first, 15 years ago. The tiny space is located in Bravo Murillo.
Everyone was surprised when the first DiverXO happened. In those days, I recall writing that Dabiz’s (then David) cuisine was “technical yet daring cuisine with original flavours and details.” These three lustrums have been his tonic. The steamed dimsum, the so-called “Spanish tortilla” and the rabbit in Chinese spices with carrot in five textures were what surprised me most.
DiverXO menus have included dimsum since then. There are a thousand and one variations. In his new ventures, Dabiz opened RavioXO last Monday. It offers a radical new vision of the world pasta. The dimsum play a significant role in his cooking, especially the dish with rabbit and carrots, which was his first great dish. There are also Italian pastas that are open to all kinds of flavors and always surprise us.
Everything is done at the restaurant. The ‘Basque farmhouse with matured chop’ is a delicate, intense dish of egg and black pudding dumplings. There are also creations like the cold pickled partridge, sea urchin ravioli, and the Chinese arrabiata made on fettuccini. The guinea fowl cannedoni made with rice starch, and the ‘wontollini soup’, which best describes RavioXO, which is a meeting between China, Italy, and ravioli filled with mortadella and served in a sour-spicy broth.
Dabiz Munoz is a perfectionist. Nothing has been improvised. Many months of hard work go into creating these dishes. It takes a lot of creativity. His new house will be a talking point, just like everything else the Madrilenian has started.
