X.O.

Medellín

Chef trio celebrating Colombian flavours

On the Pass

Rob Pevitts, Mateo Ríos (left and middle)

Pastry Chef

Sebastián Marín (right)

What’s the story? With 13 years’ experience cooking and travelling together around Colombia for the Grupo Carmen restaurant group, the trio behind X.O. joined creative forces for a conceptual project in 2020. The result soon became a fine dining establishment that works with small farmers and purveyors to celebrate ingredients from Colombia’s highly diverse pantry.

About the chefs: US-born musician-turned-chef Rob Pevitts moved to Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city, in 2008. When he co-founded Grupo Carmen, his first kitchen appointments were Mateo Ríos and Sebastián Marín. Today, the three are partners and executive chefs, united in the mission of putting Medellín on the culinary map – indeed, X.O. is the first ever restaurant from the city to be voted into Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

On the menu: Book a spot at the kitchen counter to enjoy the 13-course tasting menu that puts sustainably caught seafood to the fore. Star dishes include shrimp with macadamia nut purée and lobster with koji beurre blanc and yacon (Andean ground apple). “Our inspiration is food coming from the source, which can become a powerful ingredient” is how the chefs themselves put it.

If you like this, you’ll love: Carmen, the chefs’ casual dining spot that also showcases Colombian ingredients.