When the worlds of restaurant founder Stasha Toncev and chef Milan Jurkovic met six years ago, it brought forth Balkan cuisine that was almost non-existent in Dubai. Together, the Serbian natives took the risk to open a humble, 25-seat restaurant in a highly competitive with no benchmark to rely on. Going against the naysayers and doubters, they carried on with the goal to bring the foods and recipes they grew up with and loved so much to the city’s multicultural landscape.
Today, 21 Grams receives its Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide Dubai 2023 edition and is considered a home-grown, Dubai brand that has made a name for the Balkan cuisine it always aimed to honour.
We caught up with them to delve a little deeper into how important bringing their taste of home to Dubai is to them and how they overcame challenges along the way.
There’s No Taste Like Home
Nestled in the heart of Umm Suqeim 2’s residential community in Meyan Mall, sits a home-grown, Balkan eatery. A light, open and warm space welcomes diners as they make their way through the mall to get a bite to eat. There, they are met with smiling faces, a view of Dubai’s skyline shining in the background and flavours that are unique to the city’s multicultural gastronomic tapestry.
The brainchild of founder, Stasha Toncev, also known as Chief Soulkitchen Officer, 21 Grams was born six years ago with the intention to relive and spread her memories of home in Dubai. “21 Grams started with this simple but genuine idea to make a place that has delicious food, friendly service and the welcoming atmosphere while celebrating our Balkan roots and embracing the place that we call home now,” she passionately explains. Together with chef Milan Jurkovic, one way they bring this simple idea to life is their menu.
From their signature phyllo pastry with feta, thyme, and honey to the grilled cevapi wagyu kebabs served with pickled red onions and jus from the meat, each dish is made with traditional family flavours, that sing warmth and comfort on an elevated plate.
At the heart of the Balkan eatery is the team’s family recipes. From conception to first bite, their dishes aim to honour their memories, heritage, and families. “How many times do we call our parents, our aunties, our siblings to cross check the details of a certain dish?” Toncev excitedly asks chef Milan as they describe 21 Grams’ culinary process. “They are our first role models,” Toncev credits the women behind their first food memories and who have inspired their soul comforting dishes.
“What really matters to us, is that [21 Grams] has become a place that feeds people's souls.”
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The Only Way is Up
Their mission to serve up comforting Balkan plates has established the eatery as a home-grown and local favourite in Dubai. Considering his move from Serbia to Dubai to help launch the 21 Grams kitchen as one of the most influential moments in his career, chef Milan has been honing his craft in the Emirate since he was 27 years old, and since then has found himself overcoming challenges of sourcing the right ingredients. This gave him the opportunity to adapt and explore making ingredients in house, from cheeses to breads, adding an additional layer intricacy to all their plates.
“He really goes the extra mile when it comes to overcoming the challenges of sourcing,” Toncev confirms, “but that is sort of the challenge that always has that kind of creative and sustainable problem solving on the other end of it and Milan really does it well.”
As they manage to work around their obstacles, 21 Grams has grown into a space that caters to more than just 25 seats. It has expanded into three different outlets, with their flagship location in Meyan Mall growing in size. And now, with the Bib Gourmand distinction under their belt, the restaurant’s loyal community and interest from international establishments has grown as well.
“From the first weekend, we've seen so many people coming in from our existing community and newcomers that wanted to share and celebrate this recognition with us,” Toncev happily exclaims, “what is really amazing is that we gained a lot of interest from every corner of the world, but not just through from foodies or potential guests and so on, we’ve seen a lot of people that want to come work in Dubai to be part of the restaurant, to get that MICHELIN-recognised experience in their CVs, which has not been the case before.”
Toncev even goes as far as crediting their new distinction for their recent agreement with the Barcelona Culinary Institute to accept interns looking to work in the field. “This happens only when something or someone puts you on the map and people look up to you and honestly, it's an honor and it's a privilege that you have people now browsing or choosing your place to go to.”
In staying humble, accessible and simple throughout their six-year journey within Dubai's highly-competitive dining scene, the 21 Grams team have accomplished their dream of honouring their Balkan roots and creating a community that love their food as much as they do in the place they now call home.
