Sumosan Twiga – An Exclusive Knightsbridge Restaurant, Bar And Club That Fuses The Elegance Of Japanese Culture And The Classic Charm Of Italian Tradition

If Twiga seems an unlikely name for a restaurant, that’s because it’s Swahili for ‘giraffe.’ The name is inspired by owner Flavio Briatore’s love for Africa and, specifically, his visits to the coastal landscape of Kenya’s Malindi. As per its website, ‘Twiga is a multi-dimensional escape from ordinary where authentic cuisine, eclectic design and rhythm combine in an exciting mix to take over the world.’ With additional locations in Monte Carlo, Doha and Forte Del Marmi it’s well on its way to achieving its goal.

Sumosan Twiga is the only restaurant at the top of Sloane Street, a road that connects Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, a road that boasts a higher concentration of high-end fashion retailers than even Bond Street. Located opposite Prada and Armani, in between Chanel and Hermès, it should come as little surprise that security is sky high and if there’s one thing you better be sure of, it’s that you have a booking. The entrance is cordoned off with black rope, inside you have to provide your credentials to one of two receptionists.

Interior design is best described as ‘crisp;’ a smart contrasting of opposites, darkness, and light. White tablecloths punctuate heavy leather chair hues, wooden blinds, and draping curtains. The floor is decorated in black and white stripes and monochromatic fashion photographs hang laconically from walls. There are a few nods to Africa and giraffes and in an alcove next to our table, a carved tribal mask sticks out from a bunch of coffee table books and slyly watches over the space. Music pumps with a sultry, James Bond lounge vibe (think Amy Winehouse, Sweet Catarina).

We ask for a cocktail menu but are given a spirits list. It turns out that because there’s a cocktail lounge upstairs, the venue likes to separate the two spaces though, of course, cocktails can be served. Classics only, therefore, we opt for a Margarita which is as perfectly balanced as any in town.

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The cuisine is a mixture of Sushi and Italian and for starters we share Wasabi Prawns. The king prawns are of a decent size and firmness and the wasabi tantalises and tickles rather than punches or kicks. Hidden under the sauce, a nice touch in our opinion (maybe not to everyone’s liking), is that the prawns retain their tails, providing the dish with an extra crunch. We also share a bowl of edamame and, eschewing Japanese and Italian for Mexican, three thumb-sized taco shells which are more amuse-bouche than starter dish. Nonetheless, the devil is in the detail and the shell is impressively light and crispy, the Wagyu meat tender but juicy with a hint of soy, and the thumbnail of chipotle mayonnaise spot on.

We share two mains: Black Truffle Ravioli and Tenderloin. We’re slap, bang in the middle of truffle season so this is, not surprisingly, perfect timing and a must-order. It’s a delicate and dainty dish but simultaneously bursting with charisma and joie de vivre. The truffle originates from Tuscany and is sliced into wafer-thin layers, its black mixing with its sage leaves’ green. The ravioli is paper thin and swims in a yellow buttery sauce which is sublime.

A fluffy, semi-circular mound of fried vegetable rice is the perfect side to soak up the extravagant but strangely comforting flavours.

The tenderloin comes as two cuts of beef, one stacked on top of the other, It’s not dissimilar to a double burger in format but is certainly a distance away in quality. The medium rare steaks are tender and covered in crispy, crunchy vegetable striations, maybe sweet potato. There are small splashes of sauce on the plate, thick, cooked from the tenderloin’s blood, maybe with a hint of soy. All of this provides the dish with easy succulence and a satisfying denouement.

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With a younger, clubbier crowd who, one assumes, will decamp upstairs after dinner, it’s only around 9 or 9.30pm when the restaurant properly starts to fill out, and around the same time, a live singer replaces the playlist. She continues with the same Bondian kind of sexy, sultry blues as our trio of desserts arrives.

The Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream “A La Minute” is a fancy name for vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce but it does look like a snowy mountain range, rock faces and all, as seen from a distant (presumably private) aeroplane window so maybe is deserving of its rather fancy name. Not surprisingly, it’s so easy to eat, that it’s almost dangerous. The Mochi Selection consists of separate coconut, raspberry and mango ice cream wrapped in a layer of mochi.

Each is cut in half for easy sharing although neither of us is particularly keen to do this. The Ferrero Rocher is more or less as it sounds; it’s practically a tennis ball-sized dessert recreation of the classic chocolate but with its outer layer painted in alluring, sparkling, gold. Inside is a (possibly addictive?) hazelnut ice cream and it all sits on a bed of chocolate biscuit and split hazelnuts. The Ferrero Rocher is irresistible and perhaps the most appropriate dessert, given the luxury of the location and the overall essence of the evening. Blingcredible!