Hopper Kade Has A Permanent BYO Restaurant in Darlinghurst
And it's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
UPDATE: APRIL 10, 2018 — If you've been missing the Hopper Kadé originals from their pop-up days, head on in from April 21 when the new brunch menu is launched. The fan-favourite, Aussie-inspired hoppers will make a return, including The Ozzie (poached egg with crispy bacon, sautéed spinach, mushrooms, caramelised onion relish and grilled tomato) and the Avo Smash (grilled haloumi, balsamic tomatoes and poached egg). For drinks, think iced lemongrass spritzers, coffees from The Black Lab and teas from Tea Craft. Brunch will be available every weekend from 8am–3pm.
Sri Lankan hopper stall Hopper Kadé has found a permanent home along Darlinghurst's Crown Street. You've seen them slinging these curry-and-egg-filled, bowl-shaped crepes during popular residences at Tramsheds and Orange Grove Markets for two years. Now, lucky locals can nab their Lankan street food six days a week.
The shop is brought to you by founders Ruvanie De Zoysa and Chris Goffin, who combine traditional Sri Lankan flavours with Australian influences. Take the fried chicken with spicy date and tamarind sauce, for example, or the bowl-shaped hopper filled with pulled pork and a free-range egg. Made in-house from fermented rice flour and coconut milk, hoppers are naturally dairy and gluten free, with their version available in white, red and rice noodle options.
"We've decided to mix things up a bit — combining sub-continental dishes with Australian ingredients and flavour combinations to create a new style of cooking," says De Zoysa. "Lankan is the slang term for Sri Lanka used by the younger generation, which we feel is a nod to the modern take on the food at Hopper Kadé."
To this end, head chef Diago Fernandez has expanded the menu to include brunch, lunch and dinner. Think spiced 12-hour beef brisket, fish and beetroot curry hoppers, along with coconut sambal-filled roti wraps and biriyani plate. The latter two are available from 8am, as are Lankan-style jaffles. For dinner, larger share plates include slow-cooked lamb ribs served with homemade pickle and coconut sambal, as well as cuttlefish salad with papaya, cashew curry leaf crumb and lime dressing.
While the restaurant is currently BYO only, it offers non-alcoholic drinks like the house-made mango lassie, coffee by Byron Bay's The Black Lab and teas from Tea Craft, who have created a chai-turmeric blend specifically for Hopper Kadé.
The space boasts a street-side takeaway bar trimmed with whitewashed wood and tropical greenery. An interior Singhalese script graffiti wall is paired with dark timber tables and low hanging lights, with shelves decorated with spices and mementos from the team's travels. Sri Lankan homewares will eventually be on sale as well, along with Hopper Kadé's house-made range of oils, curry pastes, spice rubs and sauces.
These Lankan street snacks are really having their time in the Sydney spotlight and Darlinghurst is specifically getting a seemingly random influx of Sri Lankan hopper eateries — with Lankan Filling Station opening along Riley Street in late April.
Hopper Kadé is now open at 253 Crown Street, Darlinghurst. Opening hours are Tue–Wed & Sun from 8am–3pm; and Thur–Sat from 8am–3pm & 5pm–10pm.
Images: Kai Leishman
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