Together In Bloom: Dinner at Babur

Forest Hill isn't where most people look when they think about destination dining in London. Babur has spent 41 years making that case quietly, and this summer it's giving people a genuinely good reason to make the journey south.

The occasion is Together In Bloom, a limited-edition menu created in partnership with the Horniman Museum and Gardens, which sits just up the road and is celebrating its own 125th anniversary this year. The collaboration was brought to my attention and it's the kind of story that deserves more than a passing mention. Two South London institutions, both deeply rooted in the same community, finding a way to mark their anniversaries together. Executive Chef Jiwan Lal and Head Mixologist Rupam Talukdar have drawn directly from what grows in the Horniman's gardens, wild lavender, catmint, thyme, rosemary, working them into Babur's existing language of spice and careful technique. It could easily be read as a novelty. It doesn't eat like one.

The restaurant sets the tone before the food arrives. Exposed brick runs along one wall, hung with bold abstract artwork, while the other is clad in dark geometric wood panelling, backlit in deep reds and pinks that shift the atmosphere as the evening progresses. Pendant lights drop low along the length of the room, casting everything in a warm amber glow. The terracotta banquette seating and closely arranged tables mean the room fills quickly with the energy of other people’s evenings. It feels considered without being precious, somewhere that has been looked after for a long time and knows exactly what it is. 

We started with the Devon crab tartlet and the crispy filo coated spiced hung yoghurt kebab. The crab tartlet was the first surprise of the night. I'd expected something closer to a quiche but what arrived was a delicate, precisely made pastry with tender crab that had been treated with real care. Brown butter, pickled onion, roasted garlic, each element present without overwhelming the others. The yoghurt kebab alongside it offered something entirely different, the filo giving a clean crunch against the softness inside, the roasted green mango jelly cutting through with a sharpness that kept every bite interesting.

For mains we both chose the sea bream with lemon, garlic and cumin, and it earned its place as the centrepiece of the meal. The skin was crisped perfectly, the contrast of texture against the fish underneath was exactly right, and the green mango coconut sauce was rich enough that reaching for garlic naan to mop it up felt less like indulgence and more like necessity. We shared a bottle of the Côtes de Gascogne, Domaine de Saint Lannes, which proved a considered choice alongside the food. Refreshing against the warmth of the spicing, with a soft sweetness that balanced the heat rather than competed with it. If you appreciate sweet and savoury working in conversation, this pairing rewards the attention.

Together In Bloom runs until 20 September, available as both a tasting menu and à la carte. Babur is a reminder that some of London's most considered cooking has been happening far from the neighbourhoods that tend to get written about. It has been there for four decades. It is well worth the trip.