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)

Red Sea - Traditional Eritrean cuisine

So after hearing many good things about this not-so-common type of cuisine, I decided to be adventurous and give it a try- and to my surprise, it was actually very original and delicious. Eritrea is in the edge of Africa, and is sandwiched between Yemen and Ethiopia. Its location gave its food a hint of middle eastern flavour, but it managed to retain its originality. 

Traditional Eritrean Platter

Overall Rating: 
As this is probably not your everyday kind of food, I strongly recommend you to give this a try. It is different, fun, delicious, yet very affordable. If feeling adventurous, try eating with your hands like the locals do! (although you would probably fail)

My Old Dutch, Holborn

Went to this cosy restaurant located in Holborn, Central London. This place specialises in Pancakes- Very Big Pancakes. They come in a large variety, from sweet to savour. You surely will be able to find one that matches your taste.

Exterior: The Old Dutch

Interior and Atmosphere
This very popular restaurant has a colourful garden theme to it. Large and spacious, there are plenty of tables available even at busy times. The tables are in a baby blue checkers pattern which makes you feel like you are having a picnic under the sun! (Which is something we sadly never get in London)
Staff were quite friendly and helpful when asked for advise.
Overall, a very cosy and nicely decorated restaurant where you can sit back and enjoy your meal.

The Food

Warning: Very big portions!

My Old Dutch has a very wide menu, ranging from sweet to savoury, meatloaf to seafood, and is guarantee to satisfy whatever your taste bud may be. Drinks menu was also good. As well as ordinary soft drinks, there were a few healthy freshly made fruit smoothies to choose from.

We ordered the following:

"Hot Dutch"- with pepperoni, chorizo, cheese, red chillies and tomato sauce.

"Smoked Salmon" with mushroom and creamy dill sauce, I also added extra two eggs for £1.50

And for drinks we ordered the "berry delight" smoothie.

The "hot dutch" tasted like pizza. However, it was the pancake base that made it special. The cheese and the pepperoni all melted into one piece of art work, making it taste like a pizzeria omelet rather than bread. 

The "smoke salmon" was something that I have not tried before. The mushrooms and the sauce blended really well with the salmon. I almost grabbed the whole thing with my hands and stuffed it in my mouth!

Overall very impressed with the food. Portions were massive so definitely worth the money! Although I personally think the drinks were a bit expensive.

Our bill came to this:

For the full menu and details of the restaurant click the link below:

A la Carte menu**

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NB: Review above is a mere personal opinion.