You can’t say FLO London isn’t thorough when doing our research to find the hidden gems of London. We especially like finding a good neighbourhood restaurant so I didn’t let the distance or time it took to get to Babur from West London put me off. (I took just over an hour which in the grand scheme of things isn’t too bad.)

Exiting at Honour Oak station I noticed to the left there was a very pristine, sloping high street which felt a little deserted and quiet on the Tuesday we went. Then to the right a hill looking very green and lush.

Trusted google maps is always a great way to start researching. If I was going to get to Honour Oak, I wanted to make it worth my while and see what else I could explore while here. My multiple pins on google maps cover all sorts of London neighbourhoods but at first glance I could see there was, as yet, nothing of interest pinned in these parts. It was a blank slate. I eventually decided a place called One Tree Hill was worth exploring, (same name as the famous 2003-2012 TV series, but a different place entirely, which coincidentally my daughter is working her way through the entire TV series this summer. All nine series!!! It’s a full-time job. I’m happy to report she will complete the entire series by the time she starts university in September) It appeared we would be rewarded with magnificent views if we headed to this historical landmark for a post lunch walk.

As I neared the restaurant there was a little bit of street art and a few shops open, a pub on the corner and in the distance a rather large tiger, (not real obviously), leaping off the façade of a building. I correctly concluded this must be the place I’m looking for. Part of me thought “Good God why?” but was rather rapidly followed by “Why not!”, It’s no doubt a bold marketing move and quite the landmark. You can’t miss it.

You enter a long dining room characterised by exposed brick and duct work, stone floors, sandstone walls and subtle lighting. The interiors are warm and pleasing with a Baburnama Scroll painting by Durga Devi Talukdar, shows scenes from the eventful life of Babur’s namesake – the first Moghul Emperor of India.

Babur is a respected family run restaurant in an unassuming neighbourhood which opened back in 1985 and has clearly stood the test of time. The kitchen is led by two talented chefs (formerly of the renowned luxury Oberoi Hotel Group) head chef Jiwan Lal and sous chef Praveen Kumar Gupta, who both helped Babur receive London’s Best Asian Restaurant at the Asian Restaurant Awards in 2022.

We started off by selecting a couple of cocktails from their Summer Cocktail Menu which uses several homemade elements. I am an absolute hound for unusual and interesting ingredients and this cocktail list is full of them and reminded me of a wonderful cocktail bar in Singapore called The Elephant Room which does this similarly well.  I chose the Summer Spiced Pear Sling of absolute pear vodka, Gifford grapefruit liqueur, homemade cinnamon and vanilla syrup, cinnamon bitters and fresh lime. It was a beautifully balanced and refreshing tall cocktail. My dining partner had the Retro Gin Cup of audemus pink pepper gin, Peychaud’s bitters, Hibiscus and star anise extract, fresh lime and a touch of prosecco. It is truly a remarkable cocktail menu for a neighbourhood restaurant and if I ordered another, the Mumbai Negroni sounded pretty special: Homemade Indian spiced sweet vermouth – Audemus Pink Pepper Gin – Campari, Pink clove bitters. My hospitality background is wishing they would open a cocktail bar in central London with this cocktail menu and serving small Indian appetiser plates. Are you with me?

We tried the set lunch menu which offers a generous choice of 5 starters and 5 mains with vegetarian options and the desserts are selected from 7 desserts on the a la carte menu. We received a refined Sweet Potato Chat as an amuse bouche followed by our starters of Swordfish tikka, onion, radish pickle, yellow chilli, mustard, carom seed. Delicious as this was, the star dish was my partners Beetroot cutlet, spiced mango chutney, Warm spice, fennel, crispy tapioca coating. This was a genius dish and beetroot has never tasted so good. Vegetarians will be hitting gold ordering this.

My vegetarian dining partner’s main of Peas kadai paneer (Cottage cheese, organic green peas, kadai spices). It was a nice change from the Sag Paneer which usually features on so many Indian restaurants in the UK. I had the Champaran gosht (Slow cooked mutton in clay pot, rustic garam masala, whole garlic) as I thought this might be a pretty looking dish served in an unglazed clay pot with a lid but it came in a shallow ramekin dish. While there was nothing wrong with the flavours and the mutton was perfectly tender it was not a standout dish for me. Whereas… the side of Dal Makini is a dish I would come back for in an instant. It has the wonderful taste of Dishoom’s House Black Daal which many are familiar with but dare I say it is even better. It is less thick than Dishoom’s and is perhaps not as nice to look at but who cares when the flavours are so beautifully rich and buttery. I have attempted making Dishoom’s Black Daal and it is a time-consuming labour of love but they a manage to get the flavours in less time. If your listening Chef Jiwan Lal, I would love the recipe!

The dessert selection features a few different flavoured Kulfi (Indian Ice cream) as well as some more traditional desserts injected with tropical flavours such a Mango Brulée and a Spiced Apricot and Fig Crumble with saffron custard.

Tea service at the end of the meal was delightful in presentation. The fresh mint tea arrived with a tray of every sort of sugar you can think of: brown sugar cubes, white sugar cubes, brown crystal rock sugar, granulated brown sugar…..and a clear pot of honey. Perhaps it was overkill but I kind of liked it even though I don’t take sugar. Go figure.

Babur has a keenly priced wine list which offers an impressive 16 wines by the glass and 34 bottles for under £25. The Set Lunch Menu is £23.95 and with a glass of house wine £27.95. Until the 15th September they are featuring their 39th Anniversary Tasting menus of Four course £49.95 with matching wine £74.95 or pair your lunch by taking a short bus ride to the Horniman Museum and Gardens which is well worth a visit with many free things to see and do. The World Gallery has a vast collection of quirky and interesting anthropological items from around the world and the Music Gallery has an internationally renowned collection of musical instruments and an interactive gallery. Having lived in Australia I particularly enjoyed visiting the photography exhibition by artist Naomi Hobson an indigenous Australian. And finally, the gardens which contain many enjoyable and educational opportunities for families with young children. There are also great views from the bandstand in the gardens and the Arts and Craft style Sunken and Display Gardens built in a 1936 include a medicinal garden, a dye garden with a huge array of natural plant and a Materials Garden. A fantastic spot to spend an afternoon.

Location: 119 Brockley Rise SE23 1JP. Nearest station: Honour Oak or Crofton Park. babur.info. 

Review by Natascha Milsom