Babylon at The Roof Gardens in Kensington, London

Fluid Eating's Review of Babylon at The Roof Gardens

Three girls. Objective for the evening - to have bucket loads of fun in a glamorous location. Venue - the Roof Gardens, Kensington. Objective met. I could have written just that but I had such a good time that I'm desperate to say more. It was simply flawless. Greeted by Pippa, the friendly hostess, we were led up to our home for the next few hours via a lift to the top floor. It's an urban myth that the drinks are extortionate at Roof gardens. We sat at a table drinking £28 bottles of wine between us, and that wasn't even the cheapest. It's another urban myth that people in the Roof Gardens are unfriendly and fake. We literally danced with every person, man or woman on the dance floor. It was like an extremely classy school disco and everyone joined in. A bunch of Americans twirled us round the dance floor as we threw our heads backs laughing. When they were spent we bopped away with a gaggle of Italians, who worked down the road at the V&A. The extra vigilant bouncer took care of our hand bags that we'd dumped at his feet – which is quite different from the usual club that doesn’t allow anything other than feet to touch the floor.

There was plenty of room for everyone to co-exist with one-another. As we wiggled our hips and threw up our arms and drifted through the dance space, people moved aside, people moved towards us, shaking their hips and lip synching, with a smile each time. The bouncers were fabulous, more like friends and guardians as opposed to brutish dance floor enforcers. Ever vigilant and professional yet aware that people were there to enjoy themselves, let go after a working week and slide across the dance floor, like something from a music video....and they let it happen. The music was exhilarating yet exhausting - a fantastic mix of chart cheese, dance and R&B. Our bodies were permanently glued to the dance floor - we couldn't leave - every time we waited for the average song to be played to facilitate a rest, it wouldn't appear and instead like an oil slick went on and on and more and more people joined the throng. There was plenty of room for drinking, dancing and relaxation. The staff were the friendliest I've come across in a long time. A flawless night out...the only thing I regretted was my decision to slip into 4 inch heels to dance the night away….but boy was it worth it.

Reviewed by Melissa Davis


Babylon at The Roof Gardens Description:
Babylon is more than just a restaurant and promises exquisite cuisine, fantastic service and spectacular views of London’s city skyline. When the weather is right, guests can dine al fresco on the terrace and make the most of those magnificent views but you need to be quick as the terrace tables are on a first come first serve basis.

Recently refurbished to give it a fresh, new look Babylon’s design echoes the elements of the earth to respond directly to the unique surroundings of The Roof Gardens below.

A hundred feet above Kensington High Street, is an unexpected location for a lush, Mediterranean world of ponds, palms and flamingos, but the 1.5 acre landscaped Roof Gardens has been around now for 70 years and is one of the best known roofs in the world.

Visit Babylon and enjoy dining with a difference!

Please note that Babylon is open for lunch Monday to Sunday from 12pm until 2.30pm and dinner Monday to Saturday from 7pm until 10.30pm (Updated 05/07/2010)

Babylon at The Roof Gardens Food & Drink Menus

Listed below are few sample food and drinks items available at Babylon at The Roof Gardens. These lists are not enhaustive, but are instead designed to give you an overview of the venue's offerings and assciated prices.

Babylon at The Roof Gardens Food menu

Not only will your eyes be delighted but your taste buds will be thrilled with Babylon's extensive menu using the freshest of seasonal ingredients. Several vegetarian options are available.

Item	Price
Seared Scottish Scallops	£14.00
Seared Scottish Diver Caught Scallops with fennel puree, wild cress, winter truffle
Pumpkin and Wild Mushroom Risotto	£10.00
Pumpkin and Wild Mushroom Risotto with olive oil, parmesan, parsley
Smoked Duck Breast	£12.00
Smoked Duck Breast with potato salad and truffle mayonnaise
Gressingham Duck Leg	£21.00
Confit of Gressingham Duck Leg with braised savoy cabbage, lentils, roast finger carrots, jus
Braised Lamb Shank	£24.00
Braised Lamb Shank with pommery mash, honey roast parnsips, jus
Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli	£20.00
Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with red pepper and basil sauce, rocket salad
Plum and Armagnac Souffle	£9.00
Clementine Cheesecake	£8.00
Clementine Cheesecake with orange sorbet and almond tuille
Apple and Walnut Crumble	£9.00
Apple and Walnut Crumble with ginger ice cream

Babylon at The Roof Gardens Drink menu

Babylon at the Roof Gardens offers a variety of drink selections from bottled beers to champagne cocktails and wines by the glass and bottle.

Item	Description	Price
Champagne (glass)	Beaumet 'Cuvee Blanc de Blancs'.	£8.00
Beer	Bottled beers, such as Peroni, Sol and Grolsch.	£4.50
White Wine (glass)	Con Class Rueda, Vendimia Exceptional, Spain.	£5.50
Red Wine (glass)	Josep Tempranillo Cabernet, Spain.	£5.50
Russian Punch Cocktail	Raspberry Stolichnaya, fresh raspberries, Crème de Framboise & Champagne.	£9.50

Babylon at The Roof Gardens Special Offers

Babylon Restaurant offers lunch time specials everyday of the week plus the opportunity to gain entrance to The Roof Gardens Private Members Club when dining on a Friday or Saturday nights at a reduced rate of £10 per person

Title: 2 course fixed price menu (Saturday lunch) for £19.50
Classification: Lunch, Eat out from £10 to £20
Date: 25 May, 2010 - 30 Oct, 2010
Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Time: n/a
This is an online special offer only - Click here to book

Title: Fixed Price Saturday lunch menu 2/3 courses £19.50/£22.50
Classification: Lunch, From £20 to £30
Date: 25 May, 2010 - 30 Oct, 2010
Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Time: n/a
This is an online special offer only - Click here to book

Title: Fixed Price Lunch Menu 2/3 courses £19.00/£22.00
Classification: Eat out from £10 to £20
Date: 25 May, 2010 - 29 Oct, 2010
Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Time: n/a
This is an online special offer only - Click here to book

Title: 3 course fixed price lunch menu for £22.00
Classification: From £20 to £30
Date: 25 May, 2010 - 29 Oct, 2010
Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Time: n/a
This is an online special offer only - Click here to book

Babylon at The Roof Gardens Opening Hours

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
12:00pm - 2:30pm	12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 10:30pm	12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 10:30pm	12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 10:30pm	12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 10:30pm	12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 10:30pm	12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 10:30pm

Babylon at The Roof Gardens Map

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“I love this place! A real treat and fun too. Without being pretentious. The staff were sweet and obliging. We had the set menu. The portions look small but there's plenty of food. The cooking a cut above your average good restaurant. Also great that there are tables on the balcony for when the weather is nice.” Rating: — Janey, London (18 Jun 2010)

“Lunch is special here! Great food, service and view - highly recommend.” Rating: — steff, London (24 May 2010)

“Was taken here by my boyfriend as a special treat and loved it! Just wish the weather had been better...” Rating: — Julia Turnpike, London (09 Sep 2008)

“the best!” Rating: — rosie, London (22 Nov 2003)

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