TWID Bar and Restaurant - Battersea

The quirky French restaurant and bar that will blow your mind with not only fantastic food but a wonderful romantic, moody setting and some excellent operatic entertainment.

Last Tuesday I visited TWID, a new restaurant with a difference on York Road, Battersea. When you arrive outside the restaurant, you would not imagine what could be inside – It felt like stepping back in time, to a time of elegance and romance. The whole restaurant is themed in the style of an old theatre and opera house and I was welcomed in and guided to a quaint opera style booth, overlooking the whole restaurant and bar area.

After my walk from Clapham Junction Station, I was indeed ready for a drink. I was told to take a look at the cocktail menu, which was nicely balanced with fizz and flat cocktails. I chose the Elderflower Fizz, which was served in a beautiful goblet style glass with a zesty slice of pink grapefruit on the side. When my sister finally arrived (who traveled from Stratford and had had a bit of a journey) she was also ready for a cocktail and ordered a Peach Bellini, which was fizzy and fruity, just as a Bellini should be.

The food menu looked incredible, with lots of choice. We were told that all the dishes were small and 2-3 per person was recommended. We were given French bread to nibble on until our food arrived, which is now very rarely seen in restaurants, but a tradition that I really like and miss.

We decided to go with two dishes each, the options - fish, meat, vegetarian and vegan. I chose the cod, and (don’t shout at me) Venison. My sister decided upon The Lamb Cutlets and Aubergine stuffed with goat’s cheese, the dishes ranged from £6 - £12.50 depending on ingredients used. We couldn’t wait, it all sounded so delicious!

Soon after our order was taken, we were then treated to an operatic performance from John, who performed songs from Pavarotti and classic hits from musicals such as Les Miserables. 

Our food started to arrive a little after the first performance and to say we were very pleased with our choices would be an understatement. The presentation of each dish could not be faulted and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

All the dishes were delicious and we especially loved the Lamb Cutlets, both the presentation and flavour of all the ingredients on the plate was a taste sensation.

We only had two dishes each, but I felt that was plenty; as all the dishes were bigger than the average tapas size dish. During our meal we were treated to another performance from John with even more operatic classics.

After our mains, Luca, our amazing waiter for the evening, suggested we try the desserts. The dessert menu had a good selection of classic puds, but also a selection of vegan friendly ones too. They really have thought of everything and everyone on the menu.

We couldn’t decide on a dessert, so Luca said he would bring us an assiette plate - a selection of desserts. Unfortunately I have a peanut allergy and am slightly lactose intolerant, but Luca checked what I could have with the kitchen and it was no a problem at all.

Our evening at TWID was definitely a new experience for me; I have never been to the opera and very rarely had the chance to see a musical so to combine eating and drinking with wonderful entertainment is a winner for me!

TWID is now open for lunch and offering local businesses to come and enjoy 50% off the lunch menu, they are open every day, with entertainment most nights and a DJ on the weekends from 10pm –so you can dance late into the night!

The wine list looked great and they have a full bar with all the classic spirits. Service was top notch and the experience over all was excellent, we left feeling uplifted and were already making plans on a return visit.

I would recommend a taxi to and from the venue for ease, but if you’re travelling by train it’s only a 15-minute walk from Clapham Junction Station, or a 5 min bus ride on the 295 bus.

If you’re looking for a dining experience with a difference, then give TWID a try. Be prepared for operatic performances whilst you feast on delicious French tapas and wash it down with an elegant cocktail or a fine French wine.

Find out more about TWID on their website; follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

TWID

228 York Road,

Battersea,

London,

SW11 3SJ

Monday – Saturday: 12PM-3PM and 6PM-12PM

Sunday: 12PM-3PM and 6PM-10PM

For their service and style I give 5 out of 5 pints.

Have a great weekend end guys!

Lot's of love LPD xxx

Craft Tooting

The First Craft Beer Shop and Bar in Tooting!

It seems that craft beer shops come along like buses in Tooting. You wait for one and two come at once. 

Well this was the case for Tooting Broadway in 2016!

Craft Tooting – the first to open in May 2016, just inside Broadway Market was soon followed, a few weeks later by We Brought Beer in Tooting Market. 

Both markets in Tooting have fast become a cool place to hang out for foodie’s and craft beer lovers in South London. They’re constantly being featured in Time Out and I always see good things written in other blogs. 

It seems people are obsessed by the market culture and finding new and interesting ways to dine?

Craft Tooting is owned by a local Tooting couple called Mark and Ela, who not only own it but work hard in the shop to keep the magic and positive craft beer chat alive. 

Mark has been a massive fan of craft beer for many years and realised that there wasn’t anywhere in Tooting to buy takeaway bottles from. 

So with the help of family and friends they jumped at the chance to get a unit inside Broadway Market, Tooting and i'm happy to say it's been a huge success!

Craft Tooting was also nominated in the best bar in Tooting category at the Time Out Love London Awards (unfortunately they didn’t win) but they were named number 4 best bar in London - again by Time Out, which I believe is a fantastic achievement for such a little bar.

Yes that’s right, not only is Craft Tooting a bottle shop it’s also a bar, with two beer taps pouring beaut weekly changing beers. Mark has a great eye for finding the best current craft beers, he’s made great connections with local and worldwide breweries to make sure he's at the top of the craft beer game.

The collection of beers keeps increasing and every time I visit, there’s always something new to try. The shelves are stacked to the ceiling with the collection, which can only be described as a wall of beer.

Craft Tooting now hold their own events, with meet the brewer nights, Stout tasting, the next event is an IPA tasting. Of course I’ll be there, so come and join me. Tickets are £16 - which you can purchase here.

I just love Craft Tooting, it’s a small, fab, friendly addition to Tooting that will only become more popular over the next few years.

Who knows maybe they'll open another branch or maybe relocate to a bigger 

site?

If you love Craft Beer and like to chat about beer to friendly locals then you must visit.

Find out what’s going on at Craft Tooting on their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Craft Tooting

Unit 1

Broadway Market

Tooting

SW17 0RJ

Always 5 out of 5 pints from me.

Lot's of Love LPD

Yard Bird – Clapham South

There's a new restaurant in Clapham South - find out about my visit to Yardbird.

Clapham South is forever changing, with new venues opening monthly. The Long-standing bar Gigulum, seems to get it right along the Pizzeria On The Green which have been there for more than 20 years and still seem to be consistently busy, especially when the sun’s out!

However, there’s a new contender in town. Located next to Pizzeria On The Green and offering the current trend for foodie-meat lovers: American grilled food with the main focus being chicken - of course!

As the name suggests, Yardbird specialises in rotisserie chicken, that comes either Naked (with a fig leaf for modesty), Jerked (A mildly spiced jerk seasoning) or Dirty (crispy and deep-fried).

I was very excited to be invited along last Tuesday to discover the delights of what Yardbird has to offer. They also have a pretty decent beer list which obviously, for those of you that know me, made me happy. Good Beer, good chicken: What more can one ask for?

We ordered a whole jerk chicken, with sides of slaw, sweet potato fries and the most amazing creamed corn I’ve ever tasted. I was happy to see Hepcat on tap, from Gipsy Hill Brewery, so we washed all that chicken down with a couple of pints.

The chicken was cooked to perfection; chopped up and easy to eat, juicy and I was happy it wasn’t too spicy - I’m a massive wimp. The sides were more than enough for two people to share and we felt absolutely stuffed by the end, we were feeling fat, full and fulfilled!

I was also excited to see brunch menus hanging on the wall and blimey – the brunch sounds awesome! It’s definitely on my agenda to come back for a Yardbird brunch. 

Who’s game?

I really like Yardbird, I love the style, the ambience and most importantly the food. It’s fantastic! They have a great front deck for eating alfresco, which I’m sure will be packed in the upcoming months.

The Yardbird is a fab new addition to the Cavendish Parade in Clapham South and I have no doubt it’ll be packed through the summer. Book a table now for brunch, lunch or dinner and discover the delicious chicken dishes for yourself: you’ll not be disappointed!

Why not find out more about what's happening at Yardbird on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Yardbird

3 Cavendish Parade

Clapham South Side

SW4 9DW

5 out 5 pints from me!

Lot's of Love  LPD xxx