Fine dining at its best
There’s a shining star on the block and that star is shining in the kitchen of Babur, a restaurant of long-standing that delivers the finest from modern India, writes Michael Holland.
From across the road we noticed the wonderful aroma of good cooking wafting along Brockley Rise, and the moment you walk through the door you know Babur is something special.
The menu offers dishes with reductions and purees, not 8 different vindaloos, this is a 21st century restaurant that refuses to be stuck in the past.
Popadoms came with eye-watering pickles and fruity chutneys that kicked the taste buds out of their slumber and made us sit up straight.
Our starters were a joy to look at. My companion had three griddled scallops floating on a wave of pea puree, while I had Crab Bonda: three blue crab dumplings, which might have been a bit dry without the mint coriander puree, but still delicious.
The restaurant was buzzing with conversation and busy waiters. We couldn’t help but look at all the beautiful food going past and wondering what each dish was.
Eventually, several of those passing plates came to our table. Nina had the Monkfish Tail with samba rice in a creamy coconut sauce. I’d gone for the steamed shoulder of lamb that had been marinated for 100 hours! And I believe it because Jiwan Lal, the Executive Chef, visited the table and talked us through the process needed to create such a succulent dish. It also gave us the chance to heap praise upon him and his staff.
Accompanying our main courses we had sides dishes of dal and a garlic spinach, but they were very much surplus to requirements. Although we did polish off a cheese and chilli nan that Nina remarked was almost like a pizza!
We had shared a rather exquisite Argentinean Malbec, a full and fruity affair that Babur call their ‘House’ wine! It went well with our food but it was now time to enjoy it properly while we had a little time before dessert.
It is no surprise that Babur is so good; Jiwan is inspired by Atul Kochhar, the brilliant chef who now has two Michelin Stars, and Vineet Bhatia, another Michelin Star winner. I would not be surprised if Jiwan attains such heights of greatness himself.
Nina has a problem with choosing from menus and is often overwhelmed when there are too many options, but she was very certain with her dessert. Within seconds she had opted for the Black Cardamom Fig Kheer, a classic Indian rice pudding with caramelised figs. The scent of the cardamom was a delight.
The Cumin Chocolate Fondant is cooked to order and was a work of art. I wanted to video the chocolate oozing out when I cut into it just to watch that special moment over and over.
Sated, we left the restaurant while discussing our return to savour some of the other great dishes on the menu in the very near future.
At Babur you get exactly what you pay for – fine dining and service at its best.
There is a fixed price lunch menu (Mon – Sat £23.95) and a new Sunset Offer when dining between 5.30 and 6.30pm, where you can get 38% off your main courses when two people order two courses.
The offer lasts until the end of June and must be claimed with this code – SUNSET1404 – when making a booking.
Babur, 119 Brockley Rise, Forest Hill, SE23 1JP
Two people with drinks: £144.
