Babur, the Forest Hill institution that has served modern Indian cuisine in south London since 1985, has partnered with the Horniman Museum and Gardens to mark two anniversaries falling in the same season. The restaurant turns 41 this year, coinciding with the Horniman’s 125th anniversary, and the pair have marked the occasion with a sponsorship of the museum’s anniversary programme and a limited-edition menu drawing on the gardens themselves.
The menu, called Together in Bloom, takes its cues from the herbs and botanicals grown across the Horniman’s 16 acres. Executive Chef Jiwan Lal and Head Mixologist Rupam Talukdar have designed dishes and cocktails around wild lavender, cat mint, thyme and rosemary, worked in alongside Babur’s own spicing.
For Babur founder, Emdad Rahman, the partnership represents a natural evolution of the restaurant’s story “With every year Babur celebrates another milestone, we reflect on what it truly means to be part of this community. Forest Hill has given so much to us over the years, and our 41st year is all about giving thanks. Jiwan, Rupam and I toured the Horniman Gardens with Errol [Fernandes, the Horniman’s Head of Horticulture] last spring and that visit sparked the idea for this collaboration. What we’ve created is a menu inspired by what grows in our community. It’s a celebration of Babur, the Horniman, and everything that makes South London such a remarkable place to call home.”
Established in 1985, Babur has built a following that includes chef Vivek Singh and critic Jimi Famurewa among its regulars, and was named Best Restaurant at the 2025 Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards. The Horniman, founded by tea trader Frederick John Horniman and opened to the public in 1901, holds a collection of 350,000 objects across its galleries and gardens.
Together In Bloom runs from 17 July to 20 September as both a tasting menu and à la carte offering.
