Instantly recognisable by the life-size tiger that protrudes above the door, Indian restaurant Babur has been serving up top-notch food to South East Londoners for almost 40 years now
Located in Forest Hill, the restaurant has become a bit of an institution – we recently visited on a Saturday night and it was packed. It comes as no surprise however, as Babur has plenty of accolades under its belt, most recently winning ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ at this year’s Asian Restaurant Awards.
Their cocktail list is full of spiced tipples, made by the restaurant’s in-house mixologist. We tried the Christmas Cup No 5, one of their festive specials including a homemade spiced apple cordial, cinnamon and cardamom. It came pre-made and was the ideal winter warmer after a cold commute. If vino is more of your thing, they have a pretty big wine list too – with dish pairing recommendations included throughout the menu (helpful if you don’t see yourself as a sommelier).
Babur’s food menu includes classic dishes from all over India, elevated with the chef’s take on traditional recipes. Once we sat down, we were welcomed with warm poppadoms and Babur’s signature chutneys – their mango chutney was deemed London’s best by podcast Off Menu. To start we tried the colourful beetroot cutlet, which was coated in spiced fennel and crispy tapioca, and the crab bonda dumplings stuffed with crab meat served with a fresh mint sauce.
For mains, the must-order for us had to be the tikka butter masala, which was super rich and packed with large pieces of tender chicken. We also tried the baby monkfish tail caldeen with samba rice and the dal makhni, another standout and one to definitely add to your order. All these creamy curries were mopped up with a Babur bread basket.
After carb-loading on naans, we somehow managed to squeeze in a dessert to share and went for the black cardamom fig kheer, a well-spiced Indian version of rice pudding with caramelised figs and a silver leaf top.
If you live close to Babur you can count yourself lucky but if you don’t, it’s well worth adding it to your list of top curry spots in London.
119 Brockley Rise, London SE23 1JP
babur.info