Babur in Forest Hill marks Diwali with five-course tasting menu and candlelit party

Babur, the Indian restaurant on Brockley Rise in Forest Hill, is celebrating Diwali with a five-course tasting menu from this Friday 6^th to Sunday 8^th November. The menu, created by head chef Jiwan Lal, combines modern Indian cooking with traditional dishes for the Festival of Lights. It costs £64.95 per person, and on the final evening the restaurant will host a candlelit Diwali Party with live performances.

Babur, which has now operated for 41 years, builds its menus around regional influences and seasonal ingredients. The Diwali selection follows that approach, moving from street-food-style chaat through coastal seafood and curries to a traditional sweet.

The meal opens with Delhi-style Ram Laddu Chaat: crispy moong dal fritters served with grated radish, mint chutney and sweet tamarind. The suggested wine is a Riesling from German producer Alex Pauly. Next comes Malvani Fish Tikka, char-grilled wild salmon cooked with coastal Malwani spices and served with smoked coconut chutney, alongside a Pinot Blanc from Alsace.

There are two main courses. Chicken Anarkali is cooked in a saffron, almond and cashew gravy, and Palak Paneer Kofta consists of paneer dumplings in a creamy spinach sauce.

The meal ends with Khoya Gujiya, the restaurant’s take on a sweet commonly eaten during Diwali. It is a flaky pastry filled with reduced milk, nuts and spices, served with saffron yoghurt ice cream. Each course has a matched wine, which diners can add for £30 per person.

The three days of celebrations end on Sunday with the Diwali Party. The evening includes the full five-course tasting menu along with live performances, and costs £74.95 per person. 

Diwali, the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of lights, is traditionally marked with lamps, gatherings and the sharing of food, particularly sweets. Babur’s menu draws on that tradition, with dishes from different regions of India.

Food Desk

The Diwali tasting menu is available from 6^th until 8^th November 2026 at Babur, Brockley Rise, 119 Brockley Rise, London SE23 1JP. For further information or to book a table, visit the restaurant’s website here.