Karam, Jyotin and Sunaina Sethi, the siblings behind Gymkhana and Trishna, are set to launch Hoppers in October this year, at 49 Frith Street, London W1D 4SG.
Hoppers will be the third London-based Indian restaurant for the Sethis, who also back Bubbledogs, Kitchen Table, Lyle’s and Bao through their group, JKS Restaurants.
Inspired by the roadside shacks (boutiques) of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, with the hopper and dosa at the heart of the menu, Hoppers’ Group Executive Chef, Rohit Ghai, will lead the kitchen operations.
The hopper, more widely known as the ‘Aappam/à®à®ªà¯à®ªà®®à¯,’ is a thin, bowl shaped pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. The name ‘Hopper’ is taken from the British mispronunciation of the word Aappam. Dosas are made from a fermented batter of ground rice and lentils and are a staple dish of the regions.
At Hoppers, the dosas and hoppers will be served with a choice of meat, seafood or vegetable kari and a selection of sambols and chutneys made with freshly ground coconut.
The design, by Katy Manolescue of Article Design Studio, will reference the hopper and dosa shacks of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. Artist/director of film and animation, Mustashrik, has created an original character design and logo that draws its inspiration from the vivid iconography and popular culture of Tamil folklore, in collaboration with Karam.
“Hoppers is an exciting opportunity to introduce Tamilian food culture to London,” says Karam. “The restaurant will be fast paced and bold on flavour.”
