Babu Ji

In a class of its own, Babu Ji is a stunning Indian restaurant in St Kilda. The ambience is modern and relaxed and features Hindu Disco music and quirky images of 1970s porno-moustached “Babus”.

The extensive menu features the restaurant's expertise in Indian cuisine with favourites such as butter chicken and other exotic dishes you will not get anywhere else.

To start, the Tandoori Chicken was beautiful. A Babu Ji specialty of marinated and charred spiced free range chicken. The boneless pieces of chicken were wonderfully tender having been roasted to perfection in the Tandoor.

The Okra Fries were another hit -  The batter encasing the okra was ethereally light and crisp while the spices adorning the fries were rich and flavoursome. The dish was a delight to eat alongside refreshing mint coriander chutney.

For mains, we adored each of the curries we had. The Fish Curry in particular was sensational.  It was a beautiful yellow curry comprising tender morsels of Blue Grenadier and made with turmeric, mustard seed, coconut milk and whole spices. It was a crowd favourite which had us fighting for the last morsel.

The butter chicken was some of the best we have tasted in Melbourne. The chicken was cooked to perfection. The juicy morsels of chicken were coated with moreish, rich and silky aromatic curry.

Our visit to Babu Ji concluded on a wonderfully sweet note with a traditional classic - pistachio kulfi - rich, creamy, and amply sweet.  

Inspired by restaurants, street stalls and homes of every region of India, Babu Ji is a neighbourhood gem. The dishes showcase high quality ingredients and expert techniques.

Location: 4-6 Grey St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Phone: (03) 9534 2447

Link: www.babuji.com.au/

Cuisine: Indian