Resto recs- Hoppers

Most of my early posts on instagram were entirely dedicated to restaurant reviews, but this is a new one for the blog.

Eating out is a huge part of my life in London.. I love to cook, but the variety and quality of restaurants in the city makes it very hard to eat in all the time. We’re obviously still in a pandemic, and the way restaurants will work for the foreseeable future will completely change- the environment, music etc… but the food hopefully will stay the same. With a lot of restaurants now changing from walk-in to reservation only, or adding takeaway/delivery as an option, the spots that before required hours of wait are now accessible to most people. The first review is for a very famous and sought-after restaurant: Hoppers.

Hoppers is a Sri-Lankan and South Indian restaurant, famously known for their hoppers; a bowl like shaped pancake made from fermented rice or rice flour- can be found on instagram everywhere, they’re also known for the great food they make in general.

Recommendations:

Short Eats:

• Mutton rolls

  Think of a spring roll, with a craggily and crunchy exterior and piping hot impeccably spiced mutton mix in the inside. It’s served with a spicy tomato condiment. The two together make the perfect bite to start out the dining experience.

• Green peppercorn chicken

  The juicy chicken is covered in a green sauce- my suspicions are that it includes coriander and the green peppercorns are somewhere in there. I am that person that thinks coriander tastes like soap.. but in this instance, I could not get enough of the wings. It’s served with crispy chickpeas and onions which texturally complimented the dish perfectly.

Kari:

I’ve narrowed it down to 3 of my favourites, but all of the karis I’ve tasted have been delicious (crab kari, chicken kari, goat kari, black pork kari, lamb shank kari)

• Crab Kari

  I actually decided to come to Hoppers for the first time because I was craving crab curry, and that was the only restaurant I could find that made that dish- and it did not disappoint. I’ve gone to Hoppers multiple times, and each time without a fail i’ve ordered the crab kari. It comes in it’s shell, so you have to work for your food (it really adds to the experience, makes it taste 10x better.) The crab meat is sweet, and the sauce is slightly spicy and builds the more you eat it. It’s one of my favourite dishes in London, I would absolutely recommend it, unless you don’t want to touch your food with your fingers...

• Black Pork Kari

  I’m not a huge fan of pork usually.. but this kari is unlike any I’ve ever had. The mix of spices used are a lot more fragrant and floral- you can really taste the cardamom in it, and it is a lot less saucy than your average curry.

• Lamb Shank Kari

  From what I’ve gathered, this one is only available at the Marylebone location. It’s very obvious that this curry is simmered for a while. The flavours meld together perfectly, the meat on the shanks are so tender; it falls off the bone, and the sauce is luscious and coats your mouth in delicious warm spices. It’s definitely the most filling of their Kari’s, perfect to share.

Hoppers is known for their hoppers… but my favourite side dish to mop up my kari is actually their Dosa. A huge thin, crispy, and slightly spongey pancake made from fermented rice and lentil. I have trypophobia and the hoppers has too many visible holes thta I can also feel in my mouth so it completely puts me off- but for everyone else I know, they love it.

I haven’t really dabbled in their chutneys and sambol’s but if they’re anything like the rest of the food I’ve tried I’m sure they’re delicious.

Sadly, Hoppers don’t serve desserts, but in all honesty, I've always left the restaurant extra full with absolutely no space left… so maybe thats a good thing.