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“In fact,” the Burger Shack employee murmurs from his drive-through window in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. “Just thinking about those tender little White Castle burgers with those little, itty-bitty grilled onions that just explode in your mouth like flavor crystals every time you bite into one... just makes me want to burn this motherfucker down.”
Ever since watching (and laughing a lot) at that scene in the 2004 stoner comedy, I’ve looked high and low for an experience that would make me think so lovingly about onions that I refer to them in my mind as “flavour crystals”. Well, my search is complete: the Cevapi Project is that experience.
Scooped up with the wood-fired artisan bread pockets and authentic Bosnian-style cevapi (to the uninitiated, that’s a traditional grilled beef mince sausage), those “itty-bitty” raw white onions are so tasty you’ll want to kiss someone – even if they run away from your breath. Though this item on the menu, origigi (street slang for ‘original’), is the trademark attraction at the Cevapi Project, there are plenty of add-ons and other dishes you can order to jazz up your meal.
Try the ajvar (a type of capsicum and eggplant relish), which owner Goran Kapetanovic makes himself. It’s a chunkier, more home-style preparation than the smooth pastes you’d find at a supermarket, and if I could slather this stuff on buttered pasta and call it my lunch, I would. Yep, it’s that awesome.
Another must-eat is the kajmak, a rich dairy spread loved in countries like Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia. It has a slightly tangy flavour and texture not unlike clotted cream. To wash it all down, the yoghurt drink is the ideal accompaniment – a tart, creamy liquid that’s more sour than sweet. Bear in mind that it’s quite filling, however, so be sure not to over-order.
Down a laneway from the Queen Victoria Market, the space itself is small and neat – just a simple countertop with a few tables and chairs outside. There’s Balkan pop music blasting inside and you can see the staff in the kitchen busily working away. But you come here for the food, and that’s the way it tends to be at the city’s best cheap eat joints.
“How did you like everything?” we’re asked once we’ve finished our meal. We only have praise, since everything at the Cevapi Project is all so incredibly delicious. It's the type of place you’ll want to return to again and again to go through the whole menu.
Is it strange form to give the Time Out equivalent of a Michelin star to what’s essentially an Eastern European sausage sizzle? Nah, no way. This is where you can find some of the most authentic Balkan bites in town and it’s safe to say we’re obsessed.