Review: TWID
Tucked away on a busy road in Battersea, only 10 minutes walk from Clapham Junction train station, is the new restaurant: That's What I Do or TWID for short.
It's not your normal restaurant. No.
However, on arrival across the red carpet, through long curtains you are transported from the busy, bright streets of London into a Grecian-style ornate dining area comprised of booths and balconies, hung with thick, red curtains embellished with gold, surrounding wide, dark wooden tables, cast in dim lighting with stone statues and classical paintings. Yes, lots going on!
We went in during broad daylight on the hottest day of the year, yet we were still surprised to be the only ones in there. Though I guess you can't blame people for being outside on that day. Perhaps it's the location as it's a little off the main drag.
Yet sitting atop in one of the theatrical booths at a large oak table surveying the unique interior, we were very excited by both the food and drinks menu.
For drinks we tried the Elderflower Spritz cocktail (Prosecco, elderflower, vodka, soda water and St. Germain liqueur) which came in nothing less than a proper goblet and was absolutely lush. So fit that we had two! Also on the drinks menu was Kombucha fermented raw tea - this pleases me a lot as it's also still rare to find soft drinks which aren't sugar-laden or super artificial.
From the menu, we went for the crab, the venison, the duck, the aubergine and the salmon tartare...
The crab was my favourite. delicate, well paired with the apple and light and fresh.
The aubergine with goats cheese was my second fave as it's such a classic winning flavour combination, and it was served with some crunchy twirls of some kind of root vegetable, which gave it that contemporary edge.
I struggled a lot with the tartare and it was the one I was looking forward to the most. It was very salty and we wondered if smoked salmon had been used, however I know salt goes into tartare and I'm very aware of my salt sensitivity at the moment having really cut back on it. Looks wise, I felt the anchovy was unnecessary and the cucumbers were a bit suspect - we couldn't tell if they were pickled or old and the overall presentation was poor. Still, Alison absolutely loved it.
The duck came with some vibrant cauliflower which was innovative and interesting. The duck breast was perfectly char-grilled to perfection and there was a lot of it.
The venison was great because it was a very earthy, well put together plate. The root vegetables were minimal yet pretty, perfectly cooked and well seasoned, the cabbage came in a kind of nutmeg flavoured creamy sauce and the venison was pink and tender. If their roasts are anything like this (and from other photos I've seen on Twitter, they are) then they are sure winners, too.
After this we were truly stuffed and when the Waiter offered us dessert we initially flatly refused to even see the menu. I then remembered that on the website, when researching the restaurant before coming, I had seen that they do raw, sugar-free, vegan, gluten free, dairy free desserts! Paleo heaven! And NEVER to be refused! So the waiter brought us a sharing platter of the carrot cake, strawberry cheesecake, mango cake and chocolate cake and they were just SO fit that we finished the lot and stuffed ourselves to the point of no return.
So all in all, TWID battersea is definitely an experience and I can imagine on a busy night with a full restaurant and an opera singer in mid flow, it would allow you a very unique atmosphere with hustle and bustle. The kitchen I saw was tiny no more than 8" x 12"! And for a restaurant that seats over 80 people, to produce that amount of covers from such a small space is no less than amazing. I'd say overall the food at the moment is good and the drinks selection, service and desserts were fantastic. I personally love the slightly inconsistent theme in all it's eccentricity because it provides that unforgettable experience (life is all about unpredictability!) and with a high emphasis on raw/paleo food, it definitely gets the nod of approval from me.
I hope that's given you a little insight on what's good about TWID. Please share with your friends or anyone you know who's going there soon, whether they're into raw food or not, all these places are worth a try!
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