Hopper Joint in Melbourne is Brahman Perera and Jason Jones’ Love Letter to Sri Lanka.

Hopper Joint has been a long time coming. The Sri Lankan diner in Prahran is a personal project eight years in the making for Melbourne designer Brahman Perera who has weaved his heritage and familial customs into a space that breathes Melbourne’s contemporary dining culture. The project, a joint venture between Brahman and his restaurateur partner Jason Jones, is just across the road from their other eatery, the very popular French Bistro Entrecote.

A former piano bar, the site required a major refurbishment and restoration throughout. Brahman reimagined the space in the tropical modernist style synonymous with Geoffrey Bawa, combined with his own distinctive style. There are custom-made rattan chairs, hand-blown amber glassware and embroidered marigold linen serviettes all produced and imported from Sri Lanka. Unique and whimsical plaster hand ‘lights’ act as a homage to the classical Bharatanayam dancing that Brahman grew up around, made by Sydney-based artist Max Rixon.

“Low and slow-rotating rattan fans, deep blood-red cork floors, antique Indian crystal amber chandeliers, and teak timber shutters evoke the essence of Colombo, or the classic colonial bungalows found high up in the Tea Country of southern Sri Lanka,” Brahman elaborates, painting a picture that summons up hazy hot days in South East Asia.

Ursula's Paddington Opens With Interior Designed by Brahman Perera.

Following Brem’s romantic and personalised approach to interiors, rich caramel tones, crisp silks and a distinct flavour of whimsy...

The concept was simple, Brem wanted to challenge pervasive Western-centric dining norms with the simple doctrine: eat with your hands. To do this he went on the offensive, “the ritual of hand-washing is not banished to the backend bathrooms, rather, it is positioned front and centre with a graphic monolithic sink greeting patrons as they arrive,” he continues. The sinks are paired with commissioned artwork by Sri Lankan artist Edwina Thomson illustrating the ‘how-to’ of this enjoyable practice. An open kitchen puts the art of hopper-making front and centre, celebrating traditional Sri Lankan street food.

With the high-intensity nature of the restaurant, Brahman selected hard-wearing finishes and materials that were environmentally certified and long-lasting—all informed by the designer’s previous experience working with Greenstar consultants.

Local makers and craftsmen were also engaged to create bespoke detailing with local materials from timber battens and shutters to lighting and artworks. Vintage and resourced pieces were also a key detail to the project. Drum pendants that adorn the bar were repurposed from a previous restaurant and vintage furniture; seating, tables and benches are positioned throughout the space.

It all accumulates in a uniquely crafted interior that breaks from the trend machine, layering cultural references from Brahman’s upbringing with a contemporary worldview cultivated in Melbourne, come for the interior—stay for the hoppers.

Studio Amaro: A Day-to-Night Italo-Dining Oasis by Bergman & Co.

Located on Melbourne’s Chapel Street, this restaurant and basement bar is a veritable feast for the eyes with timber panelling...

[Images courtesy of Brahman Perera. Photography by Annika Kafcaloudis.]