Sri Lankan food is having a bit of a moment in Sydney. A few months back, opened a second outpost in Glebe. Then, we caught wind that SBS Seasonal Cook columnist O Tama Carey’s sell-out Lankan Filling Station pop-up found permanent digs in East Sydney and will be opening in April.
Now, another popular Sri Lankan pop-up has set up shop; market stalwarts have brought their to a permanent site on the Darlinghurst end of Crown Street.
Those who aren’t versed in the wonders of the hopper (gasp), allow us to help: the Sri Lankan street food staple was once described by Indian food royalty Madhur Jaffrey as the love child of a crepe and a crumpet. The batter is made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk, giving it a slightly tart flavour, before it’s cooked up plain or loaded with an egg. It’s the vessel of choice for mopping up everything from okra curries to buffalo curd to feisty sambols.
“We hoped people would love it, but the pace at which we gathered a following was, to be honest, slightly unexpected,” says Hopper Kadé’s co-founder Ruvanie De Zoysa. “Everything kind of snowballed after that, and we reached a point where we were doing three markets a week to keep up with the demand.”
The pancake-like hopper is a Sri Lankan street food staple, and is the star at Hopper Kade. Source: Kai Leishman
Hopper Kadé’s original Orange Grove Markets fans followed them to Tramsheds when they relocated in 2016. Their bacon and egg hoppers, a perfectly cooked free-range egg nestled inside a fermented red rice flour hopper crowned with caramelised bacon crumbs and roasted chilli, might have had something to do with it. Sadly, the brekkie hoppers haven't made it across to the restaurant, but there are other brunch options to fill the void.
De Zoysa makes no apology for Hopper Kadé’s inauthentic take on the street food of her childhood.
“From the get-go we definitely had no intention of saying we are the most authentic version of Sri Lankan food. We have innovated our offering so that people can enjoy the food I grew up with in a way that is familiar for them.”
The Hopper Kade team: Co-owner Chris Goffin, head chef Diago Fernandez and co-owner Ruvanie-De Zoysa. Source: Kai Leishman
As such, expect to find dishes like Lankan jaffles, Roti wraps (Godamba), and Chai-spiced banana loaf on the menu.
For De Zoysa, lapping up the yolk of a hopper with spicy coconut curries is one of her fondest food memories. “I was a kid with a hearty appetite for good food thanks to my parents, in particular my dad.
“We also ate hoppers a lot at home in New Zealand, where I grew up," she says. "My mum would cook them for the Sri Lankan cricket team. They would often come to our house for dinner while on tour in New Zealand - my father was the Consulate General for Sri Lanka at the time.”
The hopper station is the cornerstone of Hopper Kadé but unlike their pop-ups, the menu extends to comforting Sri Lankan plates where slow-cooked meats take centre stage. Fall-apart Lankan lamb ribs, an eight-hour beef brisket curry and biryani are there for the sharing, as is a fresher cuttlefish salad.
Drinks stretch from the more traditional Tangalle Bay Mango Lassi to exclusive Tea Craft teas (it’s BYO for the moment), with take-away on offer via a looming bi-fold window. Inside, classical Singhalese script is graffitied onto dark walls and shelves overflow with spices and titbits from De Zoysa and her partner and Hopper Kade’s co-founder, Chris Goffin’s travels.
Let the Aussie-Lankan feast begin.
Tues - Wed 8am – 3pm; Thur – Sat 8am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm; Sun 8am – 3pm
253 Crown Street, Darlinghurst
