kaffana …

Tucked away in Adelaide’s Peel Street ( a laneway dining area) is a place called Kaffana. Temping Palates were in the mood to try something different. Kaffana is a family run Serbian eatery/bar and their specialty, as we soon discovered, is meat – lots of it! Not knowing much about Serbian food, and with the place not yet officially opened,  I had no idea what to expect.

Our table was towards the back in a room that could only be described as retro. We were seated near the kitchen so we could some of the family members cooking away.

The owner was gracious enough to spend a bit of time with us giving us a background to the business.

The range of glassware and dinnerware got me excited – I grew up with those glasses and dishes. It was like being at home :) Good start.

Back to the food. We started with some tapas –

Sarma (cabbage roll) – pickled cabbage leaves filled with pork, beef and rice, slow cooked and served with a side of organic yoghurt:

Proja (corn bread) – baked corn bread filled with fetta and ricotta cheese, served with a side of sour cream:

Garlic prawns:

I could not fault any of the tapas dishes. The corn bread was soft and moist, the cabbage rolls were surprisingly tasty (I’m not a huge fan of cabbage rolls) and the garlic prawns were a hit with me – loved them!

Onto the mains. All the traditional meals were served with cabbage and potato salad:

I ordered the Pleskavica (char-grilled beef and pork burger seasoned with traditional spices and served on a bed of diced onions):

This burger was a big burger and packed with lots of flavour. Alas, I couldn’t finish it.

Other mains ordered were –
Mixed grill (a selection of char-grilled meats):

Raznjici (char-grilled, dry rubbed and skewered pork scotch pieces):

Karadjordjeva (char-grilled veal schnitzel filled with ricotta, fetta and cooked bacon):

The portion sizes of the main meals were very generous. This was good authentic home cooked food. I’d gladly go back, try their burger and sample their desserts.

Before we left, we were given a glass of slivovitz (plum brandy) which apparently is the national drink. Not bad.

How cute is the glass! I’ll drink to that!

I’ll leave the last word to what is written on Kaffana’s menu ~ “Kaffana – a little piece of Eastern Europe tucked into Adelaide’s thriving West End, Kaffana is a bar unlike any other. Our unique lounge bar and dining area offers guests an extensive drinks list, a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere and an exciting menu inspired by Serbia and its surrounds. Whether you visit for an after work drink, Tapas style lunch, a prime aged steak or our infamous Balkan Burger, Kaffana is the perfect destination to Eat. Drink. Lounge.”