Once again we return to our favourite Balkan bistro for our second 21grams Social Club // LOCAL 21 supper club series, in which the Queen of 21grams herself, Stasha Toncev, created one of the most sumptuous 6-course menus we’ve had in a very long time. The team at 21grams really pulled off a magnificent evening of mouth-watering discovery.
The amuse-bouche was this perfect little slab of homemade Wagyu lard and crackling with somun bread and smoked paprika that just broke the mould to get you started on the list of dishes to come. The starter was a beautiful presentation of our now, new favourite dish! The Serbian Hammer of prunes, Serbian beef prosciutto and kajmak (clotted cream) with kashkaval cheese, hazelnut and cinnamon crumble was superb, and I don’t believe we were the only ones to ask for this to be made a permanent addition to the everyday menu.
The following mains were just treats after treats, for all our senses. We started with the Dry-aged Ribeye Phyllo Roll with pumpkin seed butter sauce and roasted pumpkin seeds. The hunger pangs kick in just thinking about them. Then we got to try Stasha’s Pirot Dried Peppers brought over from her family farm back in Serbia. These seasonal wind-dried red peppers filled with minced smoked beef and served with romesco sauce and sunflower seeds were so worth the journey over. They can be spicy, but you’ll never know if one has a kick until you’ve tried it. One of ours did, and the other didn’t, and they were fantastically tasty with that smokey mince.
Then we moved on to a seafood dish of Adriatic Style Prawns with busara sauce, beef chorizo, herb panko and dill oil. An exquisite marriage of flavours and textures. The last of our mains was the Veal Sweetbread with its parsnip puree, pickled mushrooms and berry reduction. I loved this one just as much, as I do like the unique texture that is sweetbreads, but it’s okay to say it can’t be everyone’s favourite section of meat if you’re not accustomed to the richness of the flavour.
The Urmashice dessert, with its homemade cardamon biscuit, lemon sauce and clove infused milk, was so pretty you hesitated to break into it, but it sure did taste every bit as beautiful as it looked.
Looking back at all these plates really does set off a craving to try these all over again. Be on the lookout if Stasha chooses to host another multi-course menu… you are going to have to fight to book a place at one of her tables!
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