Chef Jason Jujnovich spent many moons in the kitchen at Divido, a hidden gem in Mt Hawthorn serving up smashing regional Italian fare. Chef's Back to Balkan feasts provided exceptional value, tables laden with peasant style fare paying homage to his Eastern European roots.
I’m pretty sure that Divido is still going strong, but those Balkan flavours have been taken to the streets with Jason hanging up his chef whites and bidding farewell to the restaurant world. I love feel-good-foodie stories of those who crave a sea change and muster up the courage to take that leap of faith. Jason and his wife are now tackling the world of food trucks, markets and street food, embarking on a new adventure with their pop up stall, Back to Balkan.
I met Jason whilst madly (hmm .. okay maybe badly) pressing empadas on the first night of the Inglewood Night Markets at the Marcelita’s Empanadas stall. It’s pretty handy living so close to Beaufort St. Now I can pop down on a Monday night and support local producers and peddlers whilst stocking up on organic groceries and grabbing something for dinner. I got a little more than I bargained for when my friends at Marcelita's Empadas were an empanada-ida down. So many familiar faces from the market scene popped by whilst I was pitching in. So it was only right that when the next Monday rolled in, I stopped by Back to Balkan to show my support.
Grilled Pork-Belly Roll - This gorgeous creature holds pork-belly which is slow cooked for 12 hours sous vide and finished on the BBQ, then served in a toasted brioche bun with slaw and spicy sauce.
Fritule - pronounced fri-too-lay! Oh so more-ish Croatian doughnuts based on Jason's Nanna's recipe.
The Perth food scene is in this crazy state of evolution, such an exciting space to be in right now. If pork-belly in brioche and Croatian doughnuts tickle your fancy, you will find the Jason behind the Back to Balkan grill on Mondays at the Inglewood Night Markets or this Saturday night at Maylands Markets. Ukusan!
