Foodie Reviews: Hoppipola

Located at Todi Mills, the third outpost of Hoppipola – a bright and hoppi (happy) resto-bar is the city’s recently opened hotspot. Situated on the first floor – a neighbour to blueFROG. this vibrant place is home to all kinds of guests all through the day. Walk in and you see pastel colored, wooden tables and chairs in shades of yellow, blue and white, carefully placed throughout the restaurant. Each table functions as a blackboard with a box of different coloured chalks and a duster placed on it. As you enter, you will see a wall full of wooden creatures to the right that have wonderful surprises in store – only for the ladies. There is never a dull moment at Hoppipola as it provides unlimited entertainment to all its guests – drunk or sober. With stacks of comic books and games, there is something for everyone. Pick from various options like Jenga, Taboo, Pictionary, Scrabble or Monopoly or simply drop in on a special night to enjoy drinking games like Beer Pong, Chuggathon and more.

The restaurant has an indoor as well as an alfresco and private section. The private section accommodates about 15-20 people and is available on a first-cum-first-served basis. The alfresco section is an adorably done up space with colourful mosaic glasses on the sides, yellow lamps hanging from the ceiling, vintage television sets placed on the top and an unmissable board that reads – ‘In wine there is wisdom, in beer freedom and in water bacteria.’

I tried:
– Hot Guava Punch
– Aila Aioli
– Paneerini
– OMG
– Fishful Thinking
– El Classico
– The Harissian
– Smokin Carlos
– Pepperoni, Lambretta, Jerkin’ Around, Cheesie Pizznezz and Margarita Pizza
– Rum Pum Pum
– Molten Mouth

What impressed me:
– The Hot Guava Punch mocktail was extremely refreshing and a delightful treat after traveling in the sun. Mixed with Tropicana juice, the combination of salt and spice undoubtedly made everything nice
– Aila Aioli is one of their speciality starters that includes tender pieces of skewered chicken. Each piece melted in the mouth and was well marinated. One could taste the flavour of aioli with every bite
– OMG is cheese stuffed fried button mushrooms, highly recommended for the herbivores. If eaten with a spicy sauce, they’ll surely be irresistible
– El Classico – Classic spinach potato served with aioli and brava sauce was simple yet flavourful
– ‘A waltz the Tunisians dance while waiting for the fish to marinate,’ is how The Harissian is described on the menu. It surely was well marinated with Tunisian spices
– Chef Dinesh was kind enough to serve us a slice or two of all the pizzas on the menu so we could try most of them. The Lambretta and Jerkin’ Around were thin-crust, crisp and topped with delicious bits of lamb and chicken while the pepperoni was juicy and cheesy. The four-cheese pizza, Cheesie Pizznezz, is best described on the menu – ‘Imagine you were in a serious meeting and you were starving – A bite into this is exactly that feeling.’
– Rum Pum Pum is age-old banoffee pie soaked in rum while the Molten Mouth is molten chocolate served with vanilla ice-cream. The former was good but the latter was mind-blowing.

What disappointed me:
– The Paneerini was bland. It would surely taste better had it been spicier
– OMG and Smokin Carlos needed more cheese

With endless entertainment, a wide menu of food and drinks, a feel-good vibe and great music – this place is surely worth visiting for a Hoppi time!