JKS Restaurants has announced that it will open Hoppers St. Christopher’s Place on Tuesday 12 September on 77 Wigmore Street, Marylebone.
Hoppers St. Christopher’s Place will boast a larger space than its Soho sibling. Seating 85 across two floors, a further 16 al fresco, and an extra 24 in the four private dining vaults, it will welcome more room for group dining and family feasting, Sri Lankan style.
As at the Soho restaurant, the St. Christopher’s Place menu will centre around Hoppers’ namesake dish, a bowl-shaped pancake made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk, and the dosa, made from a fermented batter of ground rice and lentils. These will be served alongside a selection of new karis to include Lamb Shank, Aubergine, Crab, Cauliflower and Prawn.
New to St. Christopher’s Place and going hand in hand with the larger space will be the introduction of ‘Rice and Roast’ dishes designed to be shared, family feasting style. Feasting dishes will include ‘Banana Leaf Roasted Plaice, Green Mango & Madras Onion Sambol’; ‘Jaffna Lamb Cutlets, Cucumber Mooli Sambol’; and ‘Chicken Buriani, Chicken Heart Acharu, Yoghurt’.
While those new to Sri Lankan cuisine will be able to order a ‘Taste of Hoppers’ menu, offering a selection of favourites off the menu. At lunch, a ‘Rice Plate’ will offer guests a set dish featuring Rice, Dal, Kari, Seeni Sambol, Gotukola Sambol, Aubergine Moju, Duck Egg, Cutlet, a filling and traditional Sri Lankan lunch option.
Alongside the hoppers, dosas and feasting dishes, there will also be a selection of Short Eats, the Sri Lankan term for snacks which are typically eaten with drinks. These will include ‘Bone Marrow Varuval, Roti’; ‘Jaffna Beef Rib Fry’; ‘Hot Butter Devilled Chipirones’; and ‘Idli, Sambhar, Podi, Coconut Chutney’.
Arrack, a Sri Lankan spirit made from fermented coconut sap, and the Dutch spirit Genever, will form the focus of the Hoppers St. Christopher’s Place cocktail menu, and will be paired with ingredients inspired by the flora and vegetation of Sri Lanka’s spice gardens.
Curated by JKS Restaurants’ Group Bar Manager James Stevenson, the list will include the signature ‘One Pot Sour’ made with Spice Tree Whisky, Amontilado sherry, lemon, mace, fermented rice syrup and truffle.
Also available for the first time will be a selection of frozen slushie drinks such as the ‘Frozen Pina-Pol-ada’ and ‘Fro-yo Mango Lassi’, as well as alcoholic milkshakes including a ‘Kappi Frappi Cino’.
Feast cocktails for four to share will be perfect for group bookings, and will include the ‘Jungle Negroni’ and ‘Burgher Milk Wine’.
Hoppers St. Christopher’s Place opens following the success of its award-winning Soho sibling which was opened by JKS Restaurants in October 2015. The second restaurant, which will offer reservations as well as seats held back for walk-ins, will aim to expose more Londoners to the bold and authentic flavours of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.