The menu consists of items that are featured in native Australia but are highly unusual for the American palate. If you have taste buds that are geared to accepting only burgers or fried chicken, you are in the wrong place! Depending on when you are visiting, you can order exotic game like kangaroo, emu, crocodile, wallaby, possum, stingray, all lovingly prepared with indigenous vegetables and herbs. There is a popular joke that Australia is the only country where the locals freely consume the symbols depicted on the national flag’s coat of arms – the kangaroo and the emu! My entrée was the emu in a light glaze, a slightly tough but tasty bit of bird that tasted like chicken. My friend let me sample a bite of his kangaroo, which was good but also a little on the chewy side. There is a good selection of Australian beers and wines to choose from. The dessert was the culinary highlight of my meal. I had a pudding with a delicious selection of local berries tart and sweet, beautifully presented with dashes of scrumptious fruit sauces. Another popular choice, judging from what other diners were ordering, was a creation that looked like a pyramid of ice cream.

The entertainment portion of our evening starred a good-natured aborigine gentleman dressed in native dress and bodypaint who performed in the small stage area. He regaled us with stories about local animals, and he also performed some tunes on the mysterious wind instrument called the didgeridoo. On a side note: the first time I saw the gentleman was during his break. He was sitting outside in front of the restaurant, talking on his cell phone, and dressed in his “native” outfit. It was a strange sight indeed!

I must mention that the service is very casual. This is not to say that the service is slow; it just emphasizes that the food is carefully prepared here and one is here for a relaxing and educational evening anyway. If you are in a hurry and want a quickly prepared meal, you are going in with the wrong mindset and you will be disappointed. Also, some of the seating is a little awkward when it is time for the entertainment; you may have to turn your chair and crane your neck if your back is facing the stage. So adopt the “no worries, mate” attitude of most Australians and enjoy a pleasingly palatable but slightly sanitized serving of life in the Australian outback.