When a friend came down visiting, we were on the lookout for somewhere new and exciting to try out. Luck would have it that a review pop up on The Age about Curry and Chips, and never having had Hoppers before or any sort of Sri Lankan food for that matter, we decided to go for it. After all, life’s all about discovering new things right?
Here’s something new I haven’t come across before. For the life of me, I can’t remember what the flavour is anymore! But I didn’t remember it tasting all that memorable. So if you see it and want to give it a miss, well you aren’t missing much.
And here’s my first Hoppers! As it turns out, Hoppers are a type of food in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lankan cuisine. It is called Chitau Pitha in Oriya, Paddu or Gulle Eriyappa in Kodava and Appam in Telugu. It is known as Appa in Sinhala. It is eaten most frequently for breakfast or dinner. It reminds me of a pancake that’s been made in a bowl-like mould, but with crunchy sides to it and an egg in the middle. Hoppers also come without eggs in the middle but I think the eggs add a really good dimension and texture to it.
To go together with the Hoppers, there were a range of curries that were available on the side and ranged from beef to chicken to vegetable curries. Each and every one more tasty than the last, and I especially adored the vegetable curries. And the best part of the night? It was all-you-can-eat, so an endless top up in the form of curries and Hoppers were available.
To be honest, I can’t tell you whether or not this was authentic Sri Lankan food. What I can tell you however, is that it was really yummy. I was bursting at the seams and those hoppers are a lot more filling than they let on. In terms of spice level, it’s not all that spicy. It’s more spices spicy, than hot spicy, if you get my drift.
What was super fascinating as well, was how they made the hoppers. Rows and rows of moulds really reminded me of how we make Apam Balik back home in Singapore / Malaysia. The two ladies who were cooking up the hoppers were really fast, had their timing down pat and not a single hopper was burnt. At least not that I can see.
If you are in the area, I strongly recommend you trying it out at least once. The shop front does nothing to draw you in, but once you are inside you will realise that the food is what draws the crowds in. We were the only non-indians / non- sri lankans in the whole restaurant and I have a feeling they know much better than me, so I trust them!
Curry & Chips
(03) 9802 3732
Glen Waverley
250 Blackburn Rd
Mount Waverley, 3149
Web: Curry and Chips
