Elite Traveler May-June 2018

elite traveler MAY/JUNE 2018 73

DiverXO Madrid Head chef: David Muñoz

80–94

10 MINUTES WITH… David Muñoz

Mirazur Menton, France Head chef: Mauro Colagreco Contact reservation@mirazur.fr, +33 492 418 686 mirazur.fr 2017/83 ▲ Benu San Francisco Head chef: Corey Lee Contact Sinéad Quach, general manager, contact@benusf.com, +1 415 685 4860 ABaC Restaurant Barcelona, Spain Head chef: Jordi Cruz Contact info@abacbarcelona.com, +34 933 196 600 abacbarcelona.com 2017/90 ▲ Le Cinq Paris Head chef: Christian Le Squer Contact lecinq.par@ fourseasons.com, +33 149 527 154 restaurant-lecinq.com 2017/86 ▲ La Palme d’Or Cannes, France Head chef: Christian Sinicropi Contact +33 492 987 414 hotel-martinez.hyatt.com 2017/87 ▲ Adaa Hyderabad, India Head chef: Sajesh Nair Contact falaknuma.hyderabad@ tajhotels.com, +91 406 629 8585 taj.tajhotels.com 2017/85 Single Thread Farms San Francisco Head chef: Kyle Connaughton Contact David Sisler, general manager, info@singlethreadfarms.com, +1 707 723 4646 singlethreadfarms.com New Entry benusf.com 2017/84 ▲

Marea New York

Head chef: Michael White Contact Sean Smith, general manager, info@marea-nyc.com,

The creative force behind Madrid’s three- Michelin-starred restaurant DiverXO, ambassador for Nike and husband to the Spanish TV presenter Cristina Pedroche, David Muñoz is a chef with irrefutable celebrity status in his home country and beyond. We catch up with the chef at his sister restaurant in London, StreetXO, to find out about his famed cuisine. How does it feel to have DiverXO named one of the world’s Top 100 Restaurants? It’s an honor. I spend most of my time in the kitchen at DiverXO. From Tuesday to Saturday, I’m cooking there, then every Sunday and Monday I’m here at StreetXO in London. I don’t have a day off. That’s my passion. What makes your food different? I like to be modern, I like to be creative and I like to come up with avant-garde concepts. But in the end, the happiest moments at the table are when you put something in your mouth that’s delicious. Everything we cook is powerful and intense. Each mouthful is like a shot. I want people to feel like they’re on a roller-coaster. When they have a meal at DiverXO, they travel the whole time, feeling different textures and sensations in one bite. I don’t know what makes me different from other chefs, but I do know what my food is like; it’s truly intense.

+1 212 582 5100 marea-nyc.com 2017/91 ▲ Cosme New York

Head chef: Enrique Olvera Contact Hernan Martinez, general manager, info@cosmenyc.com,

+1 212 913 9659 cosmenyc.com

2017/88 Mélisse Los Angeles

Where do you find inspiration? We create menus that take you around the world, but I don’t like the word ‘fusion.’ Fusion is when you take something from Thailand and something from Spain, mix it together and serve it. I think we’re making something unique. I like to eat even more than I like cooking; I started to cook when I was 12 out of my love for food, so I now cook what I like to eat. Whenever I’m traveling, whichever city I’m in, I go to different restaurants and street vendors, and while I’m influenced by what I see and taste, ultimately I’m obsessed with making something that’s not like anything else. I like to see people laughing, smiling and having fun because of the food on their plate and the concept behind it. I believe in that kind of creativity. Are there any current food trends that you’ve incorporated into your own cooking? I’m now really interested in vegetarian food. When I came to London to open StreetXO we saw that people here wanted more vegetable- based dishes on the menu, so I started going to different vegetarian restaurants and reading books on the cuisine. Now we have developed a series of vegetarian dishes that are creative, tasty and powerful. What experience can people expect to have at DiverXO? The first thing you do when you arrive at the restaurant is cross the kitchen, where I’m busy cooking, on your way to the table. At DiverXO a meal has around 35 courses and we create a new menu every month. We want to surprise everyone who comes to the restaurant, wherever they’re from in the world. Each time you come it must be different. We always try to be the best. By Lauren Jade Hill

Head chef: Josiah Citrin Contact general manager, jf@melisse.com, +1 310 395 0881 melisse.com 2017/89 The Modern New York Head chef: Abram Bissell

Contact Tony Carson, general manager, info@ themodernnyc.com, +1 212 333 1220 themodernnyc.com New Entry Quince San Francisco Head chef: Michael Tusk Contact Matt Cirne, general manager, info@ quincerestaurant.com, +1 415 775 8500 quincerestaurant.com 2017/95 ▲ Sat Bains Nottingham, UK Head chef: Sat Bains Contact info@rsb.uk.com, +44 115 986 6566 restaurantsatbains.com

DiverXO’s Love and Duck dish: tree-tomato and tabasco ketchup, pink grapefruit

2017/94 ▲ Le Coucou New York

Head chef: Daniel Rose Contact +1 212 271 4252 lecoucou.com New Entry Masa New York Head chef: Masayoshi Takayama Contact reservation@ masanyc.com, +1 212 823 9807 masanyc.com New Entry