Some restaurants feel new. Some feel strangely familiar before the first bite…read more
That's what happened at Hoppers.
The moment I started reading the menu, I realized how close Sri Lankan food sits to the food from Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- familiar ingredients, slightly different names, small shifts in flavor. String hoppers = idiyappam. Kari instead of curry. It instantly brought me back to the years I lived in Nagercoil (Kanyakumari) where these flavors were just everyday life.
So this meal didn't feel like discovery. It felt like recognition.
The food is definitely on the pricey side, so I went in expecting a lot -- and some dishes really delivered.
The Lamb Kothu Roti was the clear standout for me. Deeply savory, comforting, full of texture -- the kind of dish that makes you slow down because you don't want it to end. The mutton rolls with chili ketchup were another highlight: crisp, flavorful, and exactly what you want to start a meal.
I tried the dosa with chicken kurma, which was fine but didn't leave a strong impression, and the appam (hopper) with stew, which I wanted to love more than I actually did.
I also had a unique tipple made with arrack and basil seeds -- refreshing, slightly playful, and memorable enough that I wish I remembered the name.
A colleague ordered the whole roast chicken and liked it so much he came back the next day just for that -- which probably tells you more than any review can.
Service was warm, the space lively, and the overall vibe relaxed without feeling rushed.
Overall: yes, it's expensive. But for me, the best parts of the meal were deeply satisfying because they tasted familiar -- not in a generic way, but in the way food does when it quietly reminds you of another time and place.