When a friend first told me about a place called “Hoosegow”, I thought she had made a typing mistake. Literally translated, “hoosegow” means “prisoner”. If I recall my conversation with the staff member correctly, the food is so good here, you become a “prisoner” of the food. The restaurant was actually supposed to be called something else, but unfortunately, that name was taken while this place was being set up.

The main specialty of this place is their charcoaled meats with a combination of Asian and South American influences. The menu is simple and straight forward with a selection of entrees, steaks and mains (with each protein making a representation). As with all good places, the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced where possible.

As far as beverages go, they have a range of beers, ciders and South Australian wines. They also have a selection of $10 and $12 cocktails which shouldn’t go unnoticed.

The restaurant has two main areas, a casual dining area and a more formal dining space. The concrete tables and the iron cladding give this place an industrial feel. During the day, there is plenty of natural light flowing in from the west, and as the sun goes down, it becomes a more intimate venue.

For dinner, I ordered the Hoosegow Signature Chilli Chicken. The dish came out after a 15 minute wait and was beautifully presented.

The chicken was two large thigh fillets that were perfectly char grilled. The meat was well marinated, tender and succulent with heavenly smokey flavours. The chicken had a nice after burn, but that was revved up a few notches with the spicy jalapeno aioli. The potatoes were soft and delicate, but were present to act as a filler.

The Sticky Pork Belly Ribs were smothered in a rustic barbecue sauce. The pork was tender and succulent, and the not sauce not overly sweet.

The staff were warm and welcoming, and the service was very good. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing is higher than average, of course if you’re comparing it to an Argentinian steakhouse, it’s fairly much on par. The Chilli Chicken was $28 and the Pork Belly Ribs was $34, which were both surprisingly filling. Both meals were perfectly executed and we found little to fault on the night.

WHERE: 419 Magill Rd, St Morris