Kaffana - the new Balkan restaurant that’s the talk of the town
A NEW family venture offers uncomplicated homestyle cooking that is deeply satisfying.
Like many people, I suspect, my knowledge of Serbia is limited to an inkling of its landlocked position at the heart of the Balkans and its reputation for turning out high-achieving tennis stars.
Add to that list now its claim as the home of one of the world’s best cabbage rolls, if the little beauties turned out by CBD newcomer Kaffana are any indicator.
Two of the finger-length rolls are wedged into a small cast iron pot. The cabbage leaf has been pickled, before rolling around a mix of beef and pork mince, then left to bubble away for goodness knows how long until the wrap is sticky and translucent. The flavour is uncomplicated and deeply satisfying – the kind of comfort food that has provided solace through the ages.
It’s a mother’s dish, if ever there was one, and sure enough Kaffana owners Peter and Nick Vujic have their mum helping out behind the scenes.
The Vujic family previously ran Zorro’s in Hahndorf, where the focus was on Serbian-style grilled steaks.
For the new venture, in hip, inner-city Peel St, the meat worship is supplemented by more refined, lunch-friendly takes on traditional Serb cooking, many of them available as smaller “tapas” serves to share.
Kaffana has taken over the ground level of an old legal chambers, dividing the space between a central bar with stools and high tables, and a pair of dining rooms, one to the left and a more formal space, not yet open, to the rear.
The brothers have done a lot of the renovations themselves, exposing brickwork and nailing up a heap of timber planking, including the curved expanse that rises above our table. The nightclub soundtrack needs a re-think.
A few other things are still works-in-progress, including a bare-bones wine list that is set to expand, though the beer choices are already more than adequate and there are 15 slivovitz (plum brandy) options if you want to live on the wild side.
The house-made crusty rolls (mum, again) are fabulous (and complimentary), but deserve better than fiddly little packs of butter.
The “proja”, wedges of corn bread studded with feta and ricotta are good as well, particularly for mopping up the leftovers of those cabbage rolls.
Grilled quail can’t be faulted, the skin dark and glossy, breast and leg meat both succulent. The little bird has been given a spice rub to start and a final splash of the garlic, lemon and parsley dressing that is the calling card of the kitchen here.
That dressing is also used liberally with the mixed grill, a selection of four meat specialties not seen at their best crammed on a single, small plate. “Pletenica” is a length of pork fillet cut into three strips and plaited. It looks smart but doesn’t taste terribly interesting. The “raznjici” skewer of pork scotch (neck) pieces is tender and juicy, but both could do with a little extra spice that I guess has been toned back to appeal to a wider audience. The little cevapcici are fine and a “pleskavica” pattie of beef and pork mince shows you don’t need all the adornments to have a good-tasting burger.
The accompanying potato salad and coleslaw are both excellent, super-fresh with plenty of little additions and just the right amount of dressing.
Two desserts, a baklava and a Serbian doughnut are offered and ordered but never arrive. It’s confirmation that our young and very confident waiter is perhaps a little too clever for his own good.
No matter. I’ll be back, particularly when winter gets some teeth and the goulash and chicken soup are beckoning. This heartening, homespun style of cooking is always going to be worth exploring, no matter where in the world it comes from.
MUST EAT Sarma – pickled cabbage leaves filled with pork, beef and rice
ALSO CONSIDER Borsch Polish Café, city; Parwana, Torrensville
KAFFANA
23 Peel St; city; 8231 7682
OWNERS Peter and Nick Vujic
CHEF Nick Vujic FOOD Serbian STARTERS/TAPAS $7-$11 MAINS $24-$36 DESSERTS $7 WINE A work in progress at the time of our visit. Good selection of beer and slivovitz BYO No
Kaffana is open for
LUNCH TUE-FRI
& DINNER TUE-SAT
the score
FOOD 28/40 STAFF 6/10
DRINK 6/10 VALUE 16/20
X FACTOR 13/20
TOTAL 69