Lynsey H.
Yelp
What a brilliant restaurant to have in the local area! Honestly, the menu and the food is like a restaurant in Central London. It is not your typical Indian restaurant, it is more authentic than dishes typically made for the western palette. A nice touch is that the menu has a suggestion for a wine pairing, which I thought was brilliant. Although the prices of some of the bottles of wine are quite pricey.
My friend and I decided to share our dishes so that we could try more. They do offer a set tasting menu but we ordered from the a la carte menu. We were given a complimentary dish to start which was a nice touch, and we had poppadoms with home made chutneys. Normally I don't go for poppadoms but when they arrived I was really impressed. We got all different types and the dips were tasty, some were very spicy!
For our starters we ordered the Afghani chicken tikka and Hiran Ki boti (red deer), both dishes were delicious and the deer had a really kick to it, it was a bit spicy for me. The portion sizes were good, so we were both able to have a decent amount each with us sharing. For the main event, we went for Chicken Biryani and the coastal Mutton Masala. Both dishes came with rice, so you don't have to order anything on the side. We just went for a cheese naan and a roti. The biryani was definitely my favourite, it was so full of flavour and it was delivered steamed in a clay pot. The mutton was cooked perfectly, very tender and you got plenty of big chunks of meat. Again that dish was a bit spicy for me, but all dishes are marked with their hotness rating, so it was to be expected. The portion sizes were again, a really good size. We were definitely full when we left!
The restaurant has a vast wine list and cocktails available to really make a night of it. I would definitely visit the restaurant again, but it isn't the sort of restaurant I would go to every week. I will probably return when I have visitors to impress with my local area! I would like to try their takeaway, Babur to go, further down the road. The restaurant is quite expensive, I think our bill came to £85 for two people, with a bottle of the cheapest wine they sell.
If you are looking for something different than your Korma and Tikka Marsala then try here! I think we are lucky to have something so good nearby. Don't be put off by the giant tiger statue on the roof of the restaurant!! Also, I would suggest booking as the restaurant was full on my visit. We made a booking at 6:30pm on a Friday evening and by the time we we left it was full and there were people waiting.