Babylon/Kensington Roof Gardens offers a truly unforgettable dining experience in London whilst not costing the earth.

I have been several times now both as a corporate client and as a private diner and enjoyed the food and the ambience.

The gardens are truly amazing, letting you believe you have left London (save for the odd jet flying over head).

The food is elegantly displayed and cooked perfectly. For the style, flavour and choice you’d expect to pay a premium but I think the tariff is very reasonable.

This is one dining experience you should check out. Great for the foody, the romantic couple (date) or even for tourists.

The location is lovely, overlooking pretty rooftop gardens. The menu looked great, contemporary but not over-fussy. The evening seemed promising - until I got out of the lift. Reception didn’t seem terribly organised, and on arrival guests were corralled into a strange, small bar area: sunken, with benches around the edges and only one entrance, it felt more like a holding pen than a good place to enjoy a cocktail.

The meal did nothing to redeem the experience. Three small rolls (all different) seemed an odd thing to give two diners - not exactly designed for sharing; the accompanying butter was incredibly salty. Food was sometimes fine (not good, not bad) but often disappointing: one starter wasn’t properly cooked, while a main course was over-generous with a rather monotonous slab of meat yet downright stingy with the couple of tiny carrots huddled against a lump of unseasoned mashed potato (no salt, no milk, no butter). The cheeses were good but their selection unbalanced.

Service was pleasant but could not make up for the disappointing food, or the very high wine prices. A very disappointing meal.

The main thing this restaurant has going for it is location - but the food and service are clearly hit and miss affairs. Some diners seem to wax eloquently - not me! My lunch time visit just before Christmas produced a dry and overcooked slab of turkey breast for my wife and similarly overcooked beef for me. The fact that the best the Maitre D’ could offer was to convey our dissatifaction to the chef hardly smacked of the epitome of customer service. At around £80 a head for the lunch experience - which did include a total of £50 for wine and drinks - we found Babylon overpriced and disappointing. I think it’s trading on locaton with a reluctance from its customers to “say it as it is” in terms of food quality and value. If you’re looking for an elevated eating treat or a simply a fine view - the Oxo Tower or the Globe Restaurant each offer a far better dining experience. With so much good competition - we won’t be returning to Babylon. And if you’re contemplating it for a special occasion - think twice!

Peter Mounty

I visited this restaurant for my partners birthday over a month ago, we had a lovely evening.

Upon entering the building which is just off the Kensington High Street (by Debenhams) you go through double doors as if entering an office block and the security will take to to the lift and send you up to the top floor. It is all very exclusive and feels as if your entering a secret location. Once you get to the top floor the host will take your jackets and show you to the seated area which is a sunken area surrounded by fish tanks and beautiful tropical fish. The restaurant is to your right and have a terrace area further to your right again.

The terrace has amazing views over london, however we went on a cold October night and couldn't see much in the darkness !

The food was lovely, but quite pricey, a starter starting at £9 and a main starting at £16, wine also started at approx £17 per bottle.

We ate our meal and then went to the club set below the restaurant which was really good, a mix of funky house and pop but not too cheesy. There was also a garden with a bar set in the middle. Drinks were usual London prices, cocktails starting at £13.

We had a brilliant night and would definitley go back.