Twist at Crawford, opened in September 2014, is one of newest contributions to London’s Tapas scene with food concepts from the talented head chef Eduardo Tuccillo. Despite Tapas usually being associated with Spanish cuisine, Twist boasts a modern menu influenced from all over the world including France, Italy and even Japan. We decided to go on a Friday evening when we were looking forward to rewarding ourselves with a few end of week drinks and some nice food to start the weekend. Twist was just the ticket!
Hurrying along the quiet street in Marylebone, I spotted the restaurant in the distance. With its bold black shop front and contemporary signage, it stands out without looking too over the top. Looking in from the other side of the road, the warm lighting from within combined with people sitting in the large front window, and a glimpse into the kitchen made it appear very inviting.
Stepping into the restaurant, the modest, simple interior is a contrast to the bold exterior. You are immediately standing in the small, busy (but not too busy) dining area with intimate tables and bar areas, typical of Spanish restaurants for people to sit more informally. I’m instantly happy with this choice of restaurant, which is helped by the friendly, welcoming staff that greet us and take us to our table.
Jenny, our lovely waitress talked us through the menu, explaining everything clearly and offered us great advice on what to choose and in what order we should choose them. With a glass of red wine in hand I immediately felt relaxed and ready to settle in for the evening.
The unpretentious, rustic interior does well to assist that. The design appears to be not too over thought.
The walls are a combination of bare white and exposed brick with shelves and mirrors that appear to be randomly placed throughout.
The specials are written roughly on a large blackboard on one side of the restaurant, which adds to the informal, casual feel.
My eyes are drawn to the bare lamp bulbs hung from old ship pulleys. The use of copper and industrial features makes it feel very on trend but far from intimidating.
From my seat you can see straight into the lively open kitchen at the back of the restaurant.
There are legs of ham hung from the ceiling. These hang above a counter with Spanish style tiles, which adds a bit of colour to the understated surroundings.
The restaurant is divided onto 2 floors, with the dining area and kitchen located on the top floor and then you go down some narrow stairs to what feels like an area more designed for larger groups with sharing tables and a bar.
At the bottom of the stairs there is a collection of vintage pieces including a large clock and a set of scales. The Spanish tiles from the kitchen continue down here on the front of the bar, which sit nicely with the industrial, rusty orange and blue metal stools.
Having the menu explained to us, I was looking forward to tucking in. With help from Jenny we went through the menu picking out delicious dish after dish starting with gnocchi moving on to mussels served in a copper tin, to the chef’s special of burrata in tempura with figs and then on to the mackerel and tuna sushi served with a wasabi sauce.
After enjoying a fantastic medley of flavours I topped it all off with a delightful Granny Smith pannacotta served in a jam jar!
The delicious food and lovely ambience combined with thoughtful and friendly service made for a Friday evening well spent!
