Sri Lankan street-food stall, Hopper Kadé is bringing the village to the streets with its permanent move to Darlinghurst’s Crown Street this week.

After introducing Sydneysiders to the hopper (a Sri Lankan bowl-shaped crepe) on a two-year run of highly successful pop-ups, founders Ruvanie De Zoysa and Chris Goffin have worked alongside Head Chef, Diago Fernandez to expand their signature menu and create a premium food offering for casual dining.

“We’ve been blown away with the success of our pop-ups and are thrilled to be opening the doors to our first permanent home. I hope we can continue to feed our loyal followers, while introducing a new legion of fans to this fresh and flavourful cuisine” says De Zoysa.

Serving up a fusion of traditional Sri Lankan flavours with modern Australian influences, you can grab yourself a famed hopper or opt for their new range of modern street food dishes designed to share.‘‘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,” says De Zoysa, “the menu will celebrate the best of both worlds, offering exciting new options and of course, the Sri Lankan staple, the humble hopper!” she adds.

Made in-house, hoppers are naturally dairy and gluten free, filled with a free-range egg and never before seen additions such as Lankan-spiced 12-hour beef brisket and pulled pork. Sharing dishes include Cuttlefish salad, with papaya, cashew chilli curry leaf crumb, fresh herbs and lime dressing and Lankan lamb ribs, slow cooked and served with Kadé pickle and coconut sambol.

Hopper Kade Darlinghurst. Image: Kai Leishman

Tea and coffee lovers unite! Hopper Kadé will be spotlighting some of Australia’s best local producers, including coffee by Byron Bay’s The Black Lab and teas from Tea Craft, who have partnered specially with the restaurant to create a bespoke chai-turmeric blend. Complementing the informal menu, the restaurant is currently BYO, with plans to become fully licensed in the months to come. But for now we’ll be ordering the house-made Mango Lassie for a refreshing accompaniment to the Sri Lankan flavours.

The permanent fixture will echo the informal street feel of its former incarnations. Taking residence in a former café, interiors consultant, Kathy McKinnon has collaborated with De Zoysa and Goffin to refresh the space. An enormous bi-fold window will serve as a take-away bar onto the street, framed by whitewashed wood and tropical greenery. Inside, classical Singhalese script is graffitied on the walls; while dark wood tables are punctuated by low hanging lights and shelving decorated with spices and curiosities from the duos travels. In time, De Zoysa will make these Sri Lankan wares available to the public along with Hopper Kadé’s own retail range of oils, curry pastes, spice rubs and sauces.

Whether you are more of a brunch addict, on the lookout for a new lunch spot, or just can’t be bothered cooking dinner, Hopper Kadé has options for all.

Hopper Kadé 
Tuesday – Wednesday & Sunday 8am–3pm
Thursday – Saturday 8am–3pm & 5pm–10pm
253 Crown Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney
For more information