Ingredient appreciation — what makes Hoppers special

What sets Hoppers apart is the handling of coconut scraped fresh. In lesser versions this is treated as a background note. Here it's central and the tangy from goraka and tamarind result shows it. I've started buying it to cook with at home after this experience.

Sri Lankan cuisine differs markedly between Sinhalese, Tamil, and Burgher traditions on the same island. The a hill country tea estate restaurant atmosphere was right for this kind of food. I had Ceylon tea as recommended and it matched well. If you want to understand what makes this cuisine distinctive, Hoppers is the place to start.