TWID, Battersea, London

TWID (which stands for ‘That’s What I Do’) is a live music and cocktail bar in the heart of Battersea near Clapham Junction. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, it’s a bit tricky to find, as it sits in a slightly unattractive neighbourhood where there’s not much else going on.

The vibe
Once you venture from outside, you’re instantly transported to a quirky space, which has been designed to look like a vintage theatre complete with Romeo & Juliet style balconies and plush red velvet curtains.

​From their booths, guests have the perfect vantage point to watch the action unfold when the evening’s opera singer belts out popular opera hits several times throughout the evening.  The tables even come equipped with a service bell, so your whims can be catered to without ever having to leave your seat. I haven’t been so excited by a bell on the table since I first discovered such joy at Bob Bob Ricard with its ‘push for champagne’ button!

The cuisine focuses on sharing dishes, including vegetarian and vegan options, as well as raw vegan organic desserts made fresh daily in-house by their master patissier.
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My friend and I ordered a selection of small plates to share including the cod with Jerusalem artichoke and Serrano ham; the ox cheek with cepes, celeriac, carrots; a raw vegan sushi terrine; lamb cutlets with heritage beets and parsnip; and the scallops with kale, raspberries and hazelnuts.

Our favourite dishes were the scallops (really fresh) and the ox cheek, which was rich and tender.  The grilled cod was also lovely and perfectly flaky and the Jerusalem artichoke provided a unique twist and depth of flavour.
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For dessert, we had the raw, vegan, dairy-free strawberry cheesecake, a dense cake that was tasty, but reminded me of something you’d enjoy at breakfast, given its granola-like texture. Because one can never stop at just one dessert, we also tried a more sinful vanilla cheesecake (which was a gorgeous, tall, fluffy bit of heaven) and the salted caramel cake, which was nice, but the salted caramel flavour didn’t really come through. 

The sharing dishes were priced between £6.00-£12.00, which we felt was reasonable given the portions were generous, unlike some places where a sharing dish is so small you need to whip out a magnifying glass out to see it! Also, all of the inventive dishes were beautifully presented, making each dish feel like a treat.
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The entertainment
Unlike many live music establishments that only have music on the weekend, TWID has live entertainment Monday-Saturday, with live opera classics from 7:30pm – 10:30pm and a DJ from 10:00pm onwards.

I’ve never been to the opera but I’m always seriously impressed by someone with a good pair of lungs on them, and the performances didn’t disappoint. The singer who performed on the night of our visit was great fun and between performances she gave diners an insight into her previous years, which she spent performing The Sound of Music in London’s West End.
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The verdict
This is a great place to bring a date if you’re looking for somewhere unique other than cookie-cutter style restaurants. Plus, if your date turns out to be boring, you can simply ignore them and concentrate on watching the performances! Win win.

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TWID Battersea
228 York Road
Battersea
London
SW11 3SJ

www.twid-restaurantbar.co.uk

A.A. Miln

Our experience overall
Food and drink  ★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★
Staff attentiveness / friendliness: ★★★★


*All photos featured above (with the exception of the cake) courtesy of TWID