Swagman at Softfoot Alpaca and Wildlife Park, Hindmarsh Valley | SA Weekend restaurant review

This little-known restaurant on the Fleurieu is housed within a wildlife park offering safaris. But there’s something even more unique helping to put it on the map.

Swagman restuarant at Softfoot Alpaca and Wildlife Park

The corner window looks out over an Aussie panorama of majestic eucalypts, parched paddocks and, at the bottom of the valley, even a “billabong”.

Around us, in a converted shearing shed, the exposed galvanised iron, rugged timber and pieces of bush bric-a-brac sticks to the theme.

As do the plates of chargrilled beef, lamb and other proteins that would satisfy the most ravenous of stockmen.

Swagman Country Dining lives up to all the preconceptions attached to its name. That is until we meet the robot …

@kazcrawf

Bella Matilda robot waiter

♬ original sound - kazcrawf

Yes, the robot. “Bella Matilda”, as “she” has been christened, first glides by bearing bowls of soup for a large gathering.

A short time later she/it returns on the opposite path stacked with the dirty dishes.

How this whiz-bang piece of tech that looks like an extra from a Star Wars movie ended up out here in the sticks is quite some story.

But then again the same could be said for the rest of the Softfoot Alpaca and Wildlife Park property.

The view from the outdoor deck at Swagman Country Dining.

The interior at Swagman Country Dining is very in-keeping with the locale.

Owners Gary and Sandy Retallick first bought this block in the Hindmarsh Valley, not far from Victor Harbor, in the 1990s.

They have planted 65,000 trees on what was cleared farming land, as well as reviving wetlands and creating four large sanctuaries to help protect endangered species.

The only “farm animals” are a herd of alpacas that have soft, hoof-less feet less likely to trample delicate grasses and plants.

This environmental project generated so much interest that the Retallicks then began developing a range of tourism experiences, including safaris, accommodation and a large visitor centre.

The dining room, which also features the robot ‘Bella Matlida’.

Swagman, which opened in 2020, is very much Sandy’s baby.

Having learnt to cook while working on a resort near Alice Springs, she has continued her love affair with food during her travels, particularly to Japan, where her son is living (he was the one who sent over the robot as a gift, we discover).

These influences, the rural setting and an all-encompassing interest in sustainability come together in an ambitious menu that she developed in cahoots with the chefs who run the day-to-day kitchen.

Scallops and saltbush butter.

The grilled ribeye and sauces.

A chargrill that burns fallen red gum coals from the property features prominently, as do native leaves and succulents that are grown over two kitchen gardens.

While an all-SA wine list emphasises local content, the culinary pantry is wider ranging.

On one hand, pipis from down the road at Goolwa Beach are tossed about in a dark tidal pool of soy and chilli. Fingers of house-grown karkalla take the place of seaweed.

On the other, crocodile from the Northern Territory is the unlikely minced filling for a trio of spring rolls, its neutral flavour helped by dipping in a punchy lime and chilli nahm jim.

Native ingredients at Swagman Country Dining.

Scallops might be small in stature but these less-than-bite-sized morsels are still remarkably luscious, and slurping the remains of a saltbush/chive butter straight from the shell makes the perfect chaser.

Both meaty mains can be summed up with the same sentiment: expertly grilled beef/lamb, not sure about the sauces.

A 400g ribeye is particularly good, with a well-developed crust on both flanks and the interior flesh, while slightly beyond the desired medium-rare at the extremities, ravishing close to the bone.

While the steak is served with three sauces – mountain pepper mustard, oishii, and sweet and salty – they all could qualify for those last two descriptors, and lack much in the way of complexity or nuance.

Picking which one contains mustard and pepper, for instance, is impossible.

And while the lamb cutlets come with a piquant native mint salsa that gives everything it touches a lift, the red wine and native thyme sauce has been reduced to an intense, Vegemite-y substance.

A dessert of creme brulee gets the balance right with just a few shreds of lemon myrtle in the custard giving it a pleasing fragrance, while the sheet of toffee on top shatters beautifully.

No one could question the worthy intentions of Softfoot and all its projects.

Looking at the restaurant in isolation, however, it requires a little more finesse, particularly in tweaking those sauces, to take it to the next level.