I've probably heard about this place countless times and have probably even eaten takeout from here at countless family gatherings, but since I've had occasion to actually make the trek out to Scarborough myself recently, I thought it only proper to write a review for what has now become a Scarborough institution and arguably one of the most important ethnic eateries in the GTA.
One of the first things you will note about the sign of this establishment is that Babu serves the food of Tamil Eelam (not Sri Lanka) and this is because the restaurant has long been a support of the Tamil separatist struggle and is rumoured to have even been funded by the LTTE. One glance behind the counter and it is evident that the Tigers' organizational acumen is at work in a well-oiled machine that cranks out high volumes of tasty food at ridiculous low prices (why would one even bother to cook when such delicious fare can be obtained at such absurdly low prices?).
I took my friend who was visiting from out of the town, and she'd seen her share of Indian takeout in Chicago, but even she was impressed by the diversity and spicyness (key!) of the food at Babu's. On weekends, they offer this delicious seafood soup called "kool" that is known to work wonders on colds. My favorite is the spicy mutton curry (you have to ask for this, since most of their non-spicy stuff is on display on the front, and their good stuff is at the back). You gotta make it a point to get the kotthu roti, but I personally prefer the idiyappam kothu w/ mutton. This basically involves taking the string hopper and chopping it up as you would a kothu, except mixing it with the standard kothu ingredients. Soft and oh-so-good! I'm also a big fan of the lamprais (a Dutch-influenced creation) that involves a massive portion of rice and varies curries wrapped in a banana leaf. This one meal (which you can obtain for $7 or so) will easily grant you THREE full meals.
I've been quite impressed with both the last two takeout orders from Babu's. They weren't overly greasy and the meat didn't have too much fat. I would seriously consider making future weekend trips to stock up on food for the week. Great to have some kothu in the freezer for those drunken nights out.