Hoppers- modernised Sri Lanka cuisine

Are you getting bored of eating the same thing over and over again? Does your tastebud need to inspiration? Why not try something new?

"Hoppers, Dosas, Rice, Roast, Kothu & Arrack inspired by Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu."

Hoppers is a new pop up that is opened for less than a month. We queued for over an hour to bring you the freshest updates as to whether it was really worth the fuss....

Overall Rating: 

A taste of Sri Lankan food brings creative and original flavours to London. I would definitely recommend trying it if you like exploring new tastes. A few things to be aware of:

1) Hoppers do not take reservations, so expect long waiting time (up to or over an hour). If possible, avoid rush hour.
2) If you can, get a seat away from the door as during winter times it gets very windy and cold (that's both yourself and the food!)
3) Main courses are reasonably filling. One for each, plus two - three starters are enough (we over ordered)



Services: 
The boss tried his best to comfort guests waiting in the long queue and constantly updated us with the waiting time. Staff made best effort to accommodate guests' needs and spent time explaining what's on the menu, despite being very occupied.

Food: 
It was a good experience, the flavours were nothing like what I had before. Heavily Lentil based. To a foreigner like myself, Sri Lankan food is a mixture of Indian, Middles Eastern and Malaysia cuisine. I particularly enjoyed their Hoppers (see below) and its crunchy skin and the warm carb base.

Comfort: 

The restaurant is very small and offers very limited seating. After waiting in the queue for over an hour in the cold we were unfortunately allocated a seat next to the door. The door was not shut properly and as a result the wind was constantly blowing through- Struggle.


Value: 
Expect to spend about £25 per head (don't forget 12.5% service charge). Portions are reasonably big and you should not expect to leave the restaurant with an empty stomach.

Sweet Dilmah Metre Tea £2.50

Infused with different Middle Eastern herbs, the traditional milk tea is packed with sweetness and spice. It is similar to Chai Tea (Indian spice milk tea) but a lot more sweeter. Perfect with spicy food. A bit too much sugar for me though.

Mutton Rolls £4.50

This is the Sri Lankan version of Springrolls! Deep fried rolls with meat stuffings (tasted like Pork) and served with a sweet and sour dip. I wasn't a big fan of the pastry as it was ROCK HARD.  The stuffing were fairly flavoursome and compliments well with the sauce.

Bone marrow Varuval, Roti £4.50

EDITOR's FAVOURITE: Different to an everyday dip, this bone marrow stew was slowly cooked with a good blend of Middle Eastern spices. This is perfect for those who likes the Indian herb scent but minus the spiciness. The Roti was perfectly baked- slightly crunchy on the edges but nice and soft inside. 

Idli, Sambhar, Podi £ 3.50
Steamed rice cake (Idli), Lentil based stew (Sambhar), and coarse spice powder mix of ground dry spices and seed.

Avoid at all cost if 1) You hate lentil 2) You hate sour food 3) You hate stews. I loved the texture of the rice cake as I have always been a big fan of sponge. The mix of spices and seed had a very unique sour taste that you will find nowhere else.

Podi Dosa £ 3.50

A Large fermented lentil and rice crepe infused with Podi spicy mixed seeds and powder, served with Coriander, Tomato and Coconut Chutney ( £1.00 supplement). The texture of the dosa is slightly harder and more crunchy compared to a normal crepe you'd have. Again, if you are not a fan of lentil or sourness, opt for the plain Dosa. Flavours of the chutneys were rather plain and didn't really add much kick to the crepe itself. 

My suggestion would be to order a Kari (curry) instead of the chutneys.

Egg Hopper £ 3.50
Black Pork Kari £ 5.50
Pol Sambol, Seeni Sambol, Corriander Chutney £ 1.00

EDITOR's FAVOURITE: Hopper is one of the most iconic and traditional dish in Sri Lankan. It is a bowl shaped fermented rice and coconut milk pancake.  You also have the option to choose plain Hoppers (without egg). The pancake is crispy on the outside (the "bowl" part) but very soft at the bottom. This goes perfectly with the black pork, where all the flavours are, and also the dips. 

Check> > The Black Pork is the most iconic Kari (curry) dish at Hoppers.

Buffalo Buriani, Duck Egg Kari, Yogurt, Brinjal Moju £ 16.00

The Buriani is very similar to the Indian version of "Biriani" (spell with an "i')- A lamb fried rice with mixed spices. Personally, I think this dish is very good value. The bowl of fried rice had more than 8 large pieces of marinated lamb, and the restaurant cleverly covers the top with a lotus leaf to prevent it from getting cold (and also adds a hints of scent). 

The Duck Egg Kari is served cold, with the Tamil Kari as a sauce on top.

Milk Hopper Kithul Treacle & Jaggery,
Durian Ice Cream £ 5.00

If you have never had a durian (click to see what it is!) before, you should seriously think before you order this. It is like marmite- you either hate it or love it. But I am massive durian fan and I love this dessert! Milk Hopper (as introduced before but a sweet version) served with a scoop of durian ice cream, and Kithul - a floweing palm plant used to produce treacle and jaggery. Hmmmmmmm. 

NB: Review above is a mere personal opinion.
For more information visit : http://www.hopperslondon.com/