On Tuesday 11 February, Hoppers, the restaurant inspired by the home cooking and roadside stalls of Sri Lanka and southern India from JKS Restaurants, will open its new restaurant in Pancras Square, King’s Cross.
The inspiration for Hoppers King’s Cross follows the much-travelled coastal journey from Colombo, the island’s capital, down to the historical Dutch town of Galle.
The menu will feature exclusive dishes for King’s Cross with bar bites and short eats such as Chilli + Curry Leaf Peanuts; Jaffna Isso Vade with Curd Chilli; Mussel Hodi + String Hoppers; Ambulthial Cutlets and Sizzling Beef Poriyal. Alongside Karis and Grills, which are ideal for sharing, like Southern Fish Curry; Tempered Bean +Cashew Kari; Pettah Whole Quail Kari + Quail Egg Pahe; Blue Swimmer Crab Kari and Black Pepper Curry Leaf Prawns.
Hoppers King’s Cross will feature an extended bar, where guests can stop by for drinks, bar snacks and short eats.
The drinks menu will feature a selection of beers on tap, including two of Hoppers’ own brewed beers - the ‘Hoppers SPL’ (Sri Lankan Pale Lager) in collaboration with local brewery Camden Town Brewery, a fresh, crisp lager with the addition of green mango; and a ‘Toddy Ale’ in collaboration with SALT Beer Factory in Bradford, a rich, creamy coconut IPA inspired by toddy, a fermented coconut drink from Sri Lanka.
On the cocktail list there’s sharing punches, swizzles and coolers inspired by classic 1960s Tiki-style drinks, blended with tropical flavours from the sub-continent. Guests can also order ‘tap cocktails’ such as Nitro Frothy Kappi, a spiced creamy nitro cold brew espresso martini made using Sri Lankan coffee, and Arrack Attack No.3, a house fermented ginger beer with Ceylon Arrack and lime.
Karan Gokani said, “It’s been great to see London embrace Hoppers since we opened in Soho four years ago, and we look forward to continuing the journey with the opening of King’s Cross.
'Inspired by the coastal journey from Colombo to Galle, we’re looking forward to cooking more seafood and southern dishes at King’s Cross. The crab kari is a dish we are particularly looking forward to having on the menu – we’ve spent a long time developing it - and have even managed to source live Sri Lankan blue swimmer crabs for the first time.”
Sunaina Sethi, co-founder of JKS Restaurants, added, “With a bigger bar at King’s Cross we’ve had the scope to expand Hoppers’ beverage offering. From our collaborations with Camden Town Brewery and SALT Beer Factory to a new cocktail and wine list, there will be plenty of options for all.”