Egg hoppers @ JSS Food Hub
60 Bridge Road, Seaforth, Liverpool, L21 6PH
In the age of Deliveroo it’s never been easier to get almost any kind of food brought to you at a moment’s notice. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
The pictures on the app might look enticing but, by the time the doorbell rings, what arrives is so often wilted, congealed or stone-cold – a shadow of the dish that left the kitchen.
Some things are just meant to be eaten within minutes of hitting the plate. A smash burger tastes best right off the grill, a pad thai needs to be fresh from the pan.
Likewise, a hopper needs to be served to you hot, crisp and with steam still rising from the egg at its centre. The chef-owner of JSS Food Hub – a Sri Lankan café and bar in Seaforth Village – understands this. It’s why you can only order them to be eaten in the restaurant.
Available in portions of two (and for less than £3) the fermented rice flour pancakes are light, lacy-edged and sweet from coconut milk. The eggs are cooked just right – the whites tender but not runny, the yolks spilling perfectly when punctured.
The dish is served with a spicy red sambal and, on request, a small bowl of deeply aromatic gravy siphoned from one of the restaurant’s excellent curries.
Other items on the menu – the golden-fried, cumin-heavy mutton rolls; the deliciously tangy devilled black pork – can be bought to take away, but I’d still advise you eat them here. That way you can always order another round of hoppers too.
