As Australians, we’re very lucky to live in a multicultural society, particularly when it comes to food. There are so many different cuisines right at our door step.

Kaffana is a new Serbian restaurant that has opened up on the revitalised Peel Street in the CBD. The owners of this place previously ran the well known Zorros in Hahndorf, but that establishment has since closed. This makes Kaffana the only restaurant in Adelaide where you can get Serbian cuisine.

What is Serbian cuisine you may ask? Serbian cuisine is fairly diverse with Balkan (former Yugoslavia), Mediterranean (Greek), Turkish and Central European (Austrian and Hungarian) influences.

As somebody who has never had Serbian food before, I brought a Serbian national, who is also a foodie, along with me for the purposes of this review.

The decor at this place is fairly rustic, however, it modernised by the funky new age bar. The are two main dining areas, one at the back of the restaurant and one to the left as you enter the premises. There is an informal dining area at the front bar with bar stools and long skinny communal benches.

For dinner, we shared 4 tapas dishes. The meals arrived 10 minutes after ordering and were very well presented.

Sarma is pickled cabbage leaves filled with pork, beef and rice that has been slow cooked. The serving comes with 2 cabbage rolls and is served with a side of yoghurt. The cabbage leaves were soft and delicate and the juices they were soaked in had plenty of depth. The pork and beef mince filling could have been more refined and there was a notable absence of rice. I was also informed that this dish needed more paprika.

Proja is baked corn bread filled with feta and ricotta cheese. This dish was served with a side of sour cream. The bread is soft and moist and it’s almost like eating cake but without the sweetness. You could actually taste the cheese with every bite. I was informed that this bread was sweeter than it should have been.

Riba is lightly battered marinated fish fillets that are shallowed fried and served with a lemon mayo. The fish fillets were fresh and perfectly cooked. The battered exterior was firm and fried to a nice golden brown. The lemon juice and dipping sauce added a nice depth to the dish. I was informed that this dish was perfectly executed.

Pleskavica U Krompir Salatu is a meat patty and potato salad. The meat patty (pleskavica) is a mixture of ground beef and pork with garlic and onions. The potato salad (krompir salatu) are just chunks of potato combined with vegetables and spices. The pleskavica was tender and juicy, and really well cooked. The potato salad was amazing and contained vegetables that added a nice crunchy texture. I was informed that the meat to vegetable ratio should be equal in this dish, although I didn’t mind more of the potato salad.

The staff were friendly and the service was really good. Drinks were served promptly and plates were cleared as we finished. The atmosphere was relaxed as we dined there earlier in the night. The tapas dishes, I thought, were fairly priced with dishes ranging from $7-$11. The mains on the other hand, ranged from $24-$36, which could be seen as bit pricey, but since we didn’t have any mains, I can’t comment on value for money.

As someone who has never had Serbian food before, I thought the dishes were quite nice. My Serbian friend had differing opinions and said the food was average.

WHERE: 23 Peel St, Adelaide