the gluttonous goat: divide and conquer

I am a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. I like his blunt, quirky sense of humour and how he verbalises some things on television that some people only think about. I became especially familiar with Mr Bourdain and 'No Reservations' when we returned back from holidays a few months ago to find that our satellite dish had nearly blown off our roof, rendering the TV utterly useless.

For a week or so when we were without cable TV, I started watching 'No Reservations' via YouTube, streaming it through our internet TV - the joys of technology! These episodes, were a godsend and helped me pass a substantial amount of time. It's also left me wanting to eat where Bourdain has eaten, which won't be very good for the hip pocket or the waistline - hmm.

I came to hear of DiverXO through one of Bourdain's episodes on Madrid. Curious, I looked it up and saw some glowing reviews. It had also attained its second Michelin star this year after only being opened since 2007.

I made a booking for Mr GluttonousGoat's birthday seeing we were in Madrid anyways. There are hardly any photos on the web about this place. Many reviews give a description of the dishes consumed, but the chef prefers diners not to take any pictures in the hope to maintain the element of surprise for other future diners. I kept this in mind but packed my camera nonetheless. Maybe I should be so lucky!

When we arrived at the restaurant for our seating. I hesitantly asked the maitre'd if I was allowed to take photos, half expecting a resounding 'no', I was pleasantly taken aback when she enthusiastically exclaimed that I can take as many photos as I liked. Apparently the ban on photos has been lifted - bingo!

I cannot say I remembered much of the menu. All I recalled was that we elected for Menu DiverXO - which consisted of 11 courses and a whole host of other side 'snacks'. At 120 euros per head it wasn't overly expensive to stomach.

I didn't feel this was your run-of-the-mill Michelin starred establishment. Mainly because the food is more Asian orientated with Spanish influences and the fact that all the waiters were dressed rather casually but in line with the theme of the restaurant - Asian styled long black culottes and black long sleeved tops - I felt like I was eating at the Temple of Zen.