NewsBite

Advertisement

Just like Grandma's back in Macedonia

Nina Rousseau

Le Lee brings a taste of the Balkans to Northcote's High Street.
Le Lee brings a taste of the Balkans to Northcote's High Street.Eddie Jim

Eastern European$$

"Dobredojde!" proclaims the menu in Macedonian. And welcome is exactly how you'll feel at this family-run Balkan bistro dishing up home-style classics from the motherland.

Brothers Miki and Igor Dodevski have been imagining this restaurant for 20 years and are rapt at the support they've received since opening Le Lee in Northcote in March. "It's a dream come true," says Miki. "It's the food we've grown up eating, the same food I remember my grandma cooking at home."

Growing up in the capital of Scorpia, Miki and his family spent most weekends at his grandparents' farm in the nearby village of Mrsevci. "Baba and Dedo had pigs, and every autumn in early November they'd slaughter a pig," says Miki. "The whole family would get together to get ready for winter."

Advertisement
Le Lee's must-order sarma (cabbage rolls).
Le Lee's must-order sarma (cabbage rolls).Eddie Jim

The men would butcher the animal, and everyone pitched in to smoke and prepare the meats, a centuries-old family tradition.

"Dad still helps a lot with the meat smoking," says Miki, "And the rakia drinking! He still makes his own." Like grappa to the Italians, rakia is a 40 per cent proof fruit brandy traditionally drunk at the start of a meal. It's a fiery kick-off, and Le Lee has more than 25 to choose from, served in sweet little vase-like glasses.

Their mother, Vera, is a professional chef, having spent 45 years in kitchens here and in Macedonia, where she had the honour of cooking for the former Yugoslavian president, Josip Broz Tito. All the recipes on Le Lee's leather-bound menu are hers, and you'll often find Vera checking on the slow-cooked comfort food simmering away in the restaurant's beautiful clay pots.

Le Lee co-owner Miki Dodevski proudly serves the Macedonian dishes he remembers his grandmother cooking.
Le Lee co-owner Miki Dodevski proudly serves the Macedonian dishes he remembers his grandmother cooking.Eddie Jim
Advertisement

Pinning down Macedonian cuisine is a lesson in geography. Influences come from its Mediterranean neighbours, years of Ottoman rule, and Eastern European classics. It's a hospitable, lively culture, where meze (a feast of small plates) is the typical way family and friends come together to share a communal meal. And so it is at Le Lee.

A spread of vego snacks might come first, such as hand-rolled leek and cheese pastry, a fresh and zestily dressed chopped salad of tomato, cucumber and onion, and crunchy crumbed zucchini.

Mains are heartier – and meatier – although it's easy enough to put together a plant-based spread with baked vegetarian moussaka and a bunch of awesome salads and sides.

Shopska (chopped) salad.
Shopska (chopped) salad.Eddie Jim

Le Lee's signature dish honours Baba and Dedo with pork shoulder slow-cooked with leek (seasonal to November in Macedonia) and home-smoked bacon – add pickles and red-pepper relish for maximum authenticity.

Advertisement

Cabbage rolls, stuffed with a herby mix of beef, pork and vegies, maybe with a side of deliciously warm potato salad, round out the spread, and children's meals rock, with baked potatoes and skinless cevapci.

"Mum and Dad are both very, very proud of what we've done," says Miki. "My mum can't believe her cooking and our cuisine has been so well received. To be able to showcase our food to the broader Melbourne community, well, to be honest, I'm still pinching myself."

Continue this series

Melbourne world plates reviews
Up next
The prawn sando with pert, poached prawns, pickled daikon and a thousand island-ish 'pink sauce' on soft milk bread.

Mod meets trad at cross-cultural Sonny Chiba

Truffled kingfish sashimi, brisket doughnuts and prawn sandos – this modern Japanese eatery isn't afraid to mix it up.

Hip Hopper: a brunchy tasting plate featuring an egg hopper, string hopper, curry (fish, chicken or veg) and condiments.

A fresh spin on Sri Lankan street food

Meet the young Sri Lankan expats determined to make hoppers hip.

Previous
The must-try Levantine breakfast at Levanter Cafe.

Syrian cafe breezes into Balaclava

Former Syrian refugees bring big breakfasts and a breath of fresh air to Carlisle Street.

See all stories

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/le-lee-review-20190828-h1hi09.html