KARAN GOKANI

CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, HOPPERS LONDON

He was born and raised in Mumbai, India. An alumnus of the Cathedral and John Connon School, he later graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Cambridge in 2008. He completed his Legal Practitioners Course (LPC) in London prior to commencing his career as an Associate at Linklaters LLP; a multinational law firm, headquartered in London, founded in 1838, and a member of the ‘Magic Circle’ of elite London-headquartered law firms. He is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Hoppers; UK’s most popular Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant group, and he considers it one of his goals in life to promote Sri Lanka and her cuisine; a country he feels he owes so much to, a large part of his professional identity, his closest friends and some of his happiest memories. 

He spends so much of his time visiting, learning, and studying an island that captivated him almost fourteen years ago and to date remains one of his favourite places on the planet. His team at Hoppers has created a sought-after milkshake out of the popular Malay dessert, Wattalappan, and has Londoners queuing up to dine on mussels soaked in kiri hodi dipped in crispy Hoppers, black pork curry, banana leaf wrapped bream and milk toffee ice cream. He is creative, passionate, and inspirational; Karan Gokani.

How often do you visit Sri Lanka? When did you first visit the island? 

In 2008, whilst pursuing my Legal Practitioners Course, I lived at the Goodenough College at Russell Square, London. It was here that I met two of my first friends from Sri Lanka. The duo were childhood school friends and hence had opted to live in the same halls of residencies in London whilst pursuing their post graduate studies. The three of us practically spent almost every day of that year together. During that time, I met several of their other Sri Lankan friends who were either living, studying, or working in London. I had never had any friends from this island before, but felt I knew all about it and everyone on it by the end of that year! At the end of our studies, in the Summer of 2009, I traveled with them to Colombo and stayed at my friend’s house in the city for a month. 

This was my first visit to this magical island, and while I had planned to travel across the length and breadth of it, I ended up spending that entire month in Colombo visiting local markets and homes, and learning how to cook from my friend’s mum, Aunty Sharika. I still remember the first time I went out shopping for lagoon crabs with her and returning to make the most exquisite crab curry I have eaten. Ironically, each time I returned since that first visit, I never stop traveling across the island. Spending an average of three hours in the car per day and sleeping in a different bed each night, I have visited towns and villages from the Southern coast to the far east and up north. There is still so much more I want to see. Ever since my first visit I was captivated by the simplicity, and the beauty of the country. Never have I met a friendlier and more welcoming people; for me it was truly love at first sight. I even proposed to my wife on a holiday together in Sri Lanka. It amazes me how I stumbled upon Sri Lanka, and my journey and connection with the island through the last fourteen years. Today, I have more close friends in Colombo than anywhere else in the world. From luscious green mountains with the scent of fresh tea in the air, to the white sandy beaches amidst a warm azure sea, a melting pot of all the world’s major religions and rich cultural diversity dating over two thousand years; this indeed is an island of thousand treasures, and I consider it a privilege to be able to celebrate this island every day in London through my work at Hoppers. 

From Law to Hospitality, what made you switch and when did you first realize your passion for cooking? 

I come from a family of doctors in Mumbai. Education and a professional career were a priority in our household. However, from a very young age I was curious to learn more about the art of cooking, whether that was sneaking into the kitchen to roll rotis with our cook or bake an unsupervised chocolate cake the family was then obliged to eat! Cooking became a useful skill after I moved to the UK and helped me make new friends. My dorm mates often found their way to my kitchen during mealtime as they knew I was bound to be whipping up a meal. Even whilst working as a lawyer, my heart remained firmly in food and hospitality, and I’d find any excuse to talk to chefs or spend time in kitchens over weekends and holidays. I eventually followed my passion and moved to India to pursue my first role at a hospitality company. After a year of dating long distance, when I proposed to my wife, Sunaina Sethi, at the historic Mount Lavinia Hotel in Sri Lanka, we had to decide where we would live. I moved back to London in 2014 and joined her brothers and her at their restaurant group JKS Restaurants. After spending time across the business, Sunaina’s brother Karam and I got chatting about creating a Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant, this would later come to be known as Hoppers! 

It was quite a pleasant surprise to find Rockland alcohol at Hoppers; share with us a bit about that Partnership.

I was introduced to Amal de Silva Wijeyeratne, Managing Director, Rockland Distilleries via a mutual friend and he didn’t need much convincing to come on board Hoppers. We hit it off instantly and to date he remains not just one of my closest friends, but one of the biggest supporters of our brand. Our bars all have curated cocktails featuring Rockland’s Colombo 07 Gin and Ceylon Arrack. Amal is creative and has an innovative mind, he is always prepared to try something new. Hoppers and Rockland are a perfect fit; both brands are driven by their passion for design, innovation and above all promoting Sri Lanka. 

What inspired you to launch a Sri Lankan restaurant in London? You have helped popularize Sri Lankan cuisine and have put it on the culinary map in the UK. 

Hoppers Soho was born out of an almost selfish desire to bring Sri Lankan and South Indian food to central London so we could eat more of it, in a room that was fun, contemporary and yet accessible to all. We did extensive research traveling to all nooks and corners of the island and spent hours at end cooking in homes, eating and talking to locals. We never thought Hoppers Soho would blow up the way it did. And before we knew it, we had three homes in London - Soho, Marylebone, and Kings Cross. When I sit back and look at our journey, I still can’t believe what we have achieved. How many restaurateurs can truly say they fly the flag for a nation. I couldn’t be more grateful and am truly humbled. 

Who designed the spaces at Hoppers Soho, Hoppers Marylebone, and Hoppers Kings Cross? 

Design is something very close to my heart. We were keen to design each restaurant in a unique manner, incorporating popular elements from Sri Lanka. We worked with Katie Monolesque of Article Design Studio to design each of our restaurants. When we decided to grow our brand, we were keen to make sure it was seen as a ‘group of restaurants’ and not a ‘chain.’ Hence, each space was designed with the idea of presenting it as a different dining experience to our guests. I have hand carried accessories such as masks and other items you see at our restaurants during my travels to the island. To me decorating each restaurant was like decorating my own house; items I have collected during my travels, items that tell a story. 

Hoppers Soho is inspired by Sri Lanka’s village toddy shops, Hoppers Marylebone takes its inspiration from the Tropical Modernist movement associated with the late Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, and the inspiration for Hoppers King’s Cross follows the much-travelled coastal journey from Colombo, the island’s capital, to the historical Dutch town of Galle.

Share with us details of your new Cookbook. What inspired you to write it? 

While a lot of restaurant cookbooks are backward looking and encapsulate their classics and all that they have achieved, I wanted the Hoppers Cookbook to be forward looking and focus on both our journey so far, but more vitally create a book that was unique and appealing to an audience that has never heard of us previously. Like the restaurants, the book is a story of Sri Lanka, our favorite places, people, food, and drink through our Hoppers lens. From Aunty Sharika Weeraratne’s crab curry - one of the first dishes I fell in love with - to recipes shared by my dear friends Dharshi Cooray, Rashmi Ukwatte, Leena Hirdramani and Anishka Fernando to so many others. I also spent countless hours tweaking and recreating our popular dishes at Hoppers, making then easy for any home cook to recreate it in the comfort of their own homes. This book is not just another book full of recipes, it is our story and journey and above all an ode to Sri Lanka and its beautiful people. 

What is Salt Toddy Ale?

Toddy Ale is an incredible refreshingly light pale ale we created with our friends at Salt Brewery. Before we opened Kings Cross, we had a desire to create a beer that lived up to our food, we were inspired by Toddy, the naturally fermented beverage made from the sap of the coconut flower. Full-bodied and juicy with the addition of coconut for a smooth and creamy finish, this pairs perfectly with our food. This Pale Ale is brewed exclusively for Hoppers by SALT Brewery in Saltaire, UK. We spent a lot of time working with the team at SALT to create this unique blend. We were initially keen to collaborate and promote a Sri Lankan beer at Hoppers but after trying to work with local brands in Sri Lanka for years, we realized we were just one amongst their multitude of customers and would never get the bespoke product or service we hoped for; a forty-seater restaurant in Soho wasn’t really their ideal target market. Today, we serve over 1000 guests on a weekend and feel giving them a tailormade brew that is made for our food, by a brewer who is equally passionate about their product as we are, is very special. 

Share with us a summary of your collaboration with Shake Shack. As a Sri Lankan it was a proud moment for us to see a Sri Lankan inspired Burger featured across Billboards in New York. 

I’ve known Danny Meyer, Founder, Shake Shack and Mark Rosati, Culinary Director, for a few years now. I first met Mark, when both of us participated at the Taste of London, Food Festival in Regents Park. During lockdown we discussed several ideas and finally decided on collaborating for a Sri Lankan inspired burger. Once lockdown ended, Mark flew to London, and we created the Sri Lankan inspired burger. We did a two day pop up at Covent Garden and it was a resounding success. People queued up to try it, and they loved it. The Infatuation, a restaurant recommendation website in the US and London, hosts the annual food festival EEEEEATSCON in New York. As fans of Hoppers in London, they were keen for us to collaborate with Shake Shack and bring the burger to EEEEEATSCON in New York. When we made and photographed the burger for them, they loved it so much that it became a part of their billboard campaign. It was a matter of great pride to see a Sri Lankan inspired dish getting featured all over the subway and walls of downtown Manhattan! We made over two thousand burgers over the weekend and even fed the likes of Ramy Youssef, Martha Stewart and Hasan Minaj. 

Share with us details of Awards Hoppers have won over the last seven years.

National Restaurant Awards 2017: Britain's Top 30 Restaurants
Michelin Bib Gourmand 2017
GQ Food and Drinks Awards 2017: Best New Restaurant 
London Restaurant Festival Awards 2016
Tatler Restaurant Awards 2016
Evening Standard London Restaurant Awards 2016: Best New Restaurant
Square Meal Best New Restaurant 2016

What is your ‘why?’

The Covid19 period and writing the Cookbook was a very introspective period for me. I always thought my mission was to serve people delicious food and bring a smile on their face by creating an unforgettable experience. However, I’ve come to realize that what gets me out of bed and keeps me excited isn’t simply running restaurants, but the bigger picture of promoting and shedding light on this incredible country through food, experiences, and collaborations.  Whether it’s a collaboration with Shake Shack or teaching Sri Lankan recipes to students enrolled at the Jamie Oliver Culinary School as a Guest Chef, my goal in a sense is to keep spreading awareness about Sri Lanka and her cuisine. The island has given me so much and feel this is the only way to return something back. How many restaurateurs can say they have come to represent a nation, we are hugely grateful that in a small way we are flagbearers for Sri Lanka. 

What is Cash & Kari?

Cash & Kari is our retail platform inspired by your one-stop corner stores of Sri Lanka and South India, featuring Ready-To-Cook Meal Kits, Cocktails, Restaurant-Blend Spices, our Own-Brew Beers, and some of our favorite Merchandise. Having stoked the love of so many for Sri Lankan food and drink at the restaurants, it only made sense to spread the food and experience across the UK. So, you can now order a kalu pol chicken or kothu to cook at home with friends and family anywhere in the UK. 

What is ‘Feeding the Future?’

Feeding the Future is a joint initiative with HEMAS Outreach Foundation, Sri Lanka. The short-term aim of the initiative is to provide basic food necessities to school children and their families, thus ensuring they remain motivated to attend school. In the long term, we would like to focus on providing regular school meals and thereby improving a child’s daily nutrition intake. HEMAS currently runs sixty Piyawara Pre Schools across the island. These schools have been set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s and Child Affairs. I was introduced to Kasturi Chellaraja-Wilson (Group CEO, HEMAS) in early 2022 via a mutual friend, and she in turn introduced me to Abbas Esufally (Deputy Chairman, HEMAS) whilst he was visiting London. Over a meal at Hoppers, Abbas and I discussed my desire to help children in Sri Lanka who were impacted by the ongoing political and economic crisis. 

He was equally keen to make an impact and with the help of Shiromi Masakorala (Executive Director, HEMAS Outreach Foundation), the Feeding the Future project was born. Since May this year, a total of three hundred and sixty-seven families attached to six preschools across the country have received a pack of groceries and dry goods each month. Cargills supermarkets create these hampers consisting of a five-kilo pack of rice, two kilo pack of dhal, one kilo pack of chickpeas, one kilo pack of sprats, six hundred grams of yaha posha, four hundred grams of milk powder, two cans of tinned fish, four hundred and fifty grams of soya, one kilo pack of sugar, five-hundred-gram packet of cream crackers and a one kilo pack of wheat flour. These are sold to us at wholesale rates and transported to local Food City Outlets using the Cargills logistics. The preschool teachers pick up the packs from the closest Food City and distribute them to the families in the respective villages. The entire project is volunteer based and has a minimum administrative cost to us. HEMAS have shared with us heartwarming statistics showing that children from our six preschools have higher attendance and weight gain than any of the other schools. We have already raised over £75,000 via donations from our guests, special dishes and events at the restaurants and are on track to raise over £100,000 by the end of the year. 

How do you want to be remembered one day?

I don’t think I am close to done with doing what I do, so I’ve not really thought about this! However, for now its great to have this platform and voice to promote and spread the love for Sri Lanka all over the UK and world with what we do. Selfishly, it also gives me an excuse to keep visiting the island and make new friends.