19 April 2017 

OK, so I know I’m ridiculously late to be jumping on this bandwagon and I know there are probably 100 blog posts on this restaurant already but, oh my goodness; when I’m excited about a restaurant I have to blog about it.

Hoppers is the kind of restaurant that stays present in your mind, days and days after your visit. It’s a Sri Lankan no-reservations restaurant and like most restaurants in Soho, it’s small, it’s fast and it’s loud. And most importantly, it’s yum! Though this isn’t really a surprise as it’s created with the same team behind London hotspots like Trishna, Gymkhana and Bao.

Unfortunately I didn’t get many photos, and no, it wasn’t because of bad lighting. The reason I did not get many photos was because my friends (who had visited Hoppers before and loved it) were not prepared to wait for me to snap each dish. When I asked them to be patient, I experienced such utter evils that I decided to quieten down and let them tuck in. I suppose I could stop the blog post right here couldn’t I?  If the impatience and evils over the food doesn’t say it all, I don’t know how else to explain the utter awesomeness of the flavours at Hoppers.

The first starter was the Idli Sambar. Idli is a soft steamed rice cake and Sambar is the surrounding light but super spicy lentil curry. Considering this is a dish that I ordinarily love, it was actually my least favourite dish at Hoppers. For wonderful Idli Sambar, check out the golden oldie Sakonis in Wembley or alternatively, Mama Esjay’s kitchen. My mum’s sambar is fantastic.

We also had the Goat Roti with Rasa and the Calamari Fry but no photographs unfortunately. For reasons stated above. The Goat Roti was my favourite starter and I would recommend it to everyone who visits Hoppers.

This lovely fresh looking dish is the Lamb Kothu Roti. I’ve never had Kothu Roti before and I’m glad I tried it as I fell in love. Essentially it is roti, lamb, vegetables and spices all mixed together and stir-fried, providing the perfect balance of flavours and textures. I’d be very happy eating a bowl of this as a meal in itself.

We then moved onto to what Hoppers is really known for… Hoppers!

Hoppers and Dosa (which is the cone shaped below) are made from a fermented batter of rice flour. They are incredibly light and crispy and the idea is to break bits off and dip them into Kari (curry). We went for the Black Pork Kari and the Pumpkin Kari and they were equally delicious. You can also order an array of chutneys which add even more flavour.

Life is about experiences. Which is why I’m always keen to try new restaurants rather than returning to the same ones. However, life is also about sharing experiences. Which is why I’m keen to return to Hoppers. I want to take my mum, my other half, my sister and anyone else who is prepared to wait 2 hours for a table at this amazing buzzing Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho. I should also add that my bill, with a glass of wine, was £22. Need I say more…?

Rating: 

https://www.hopperslondon.com/