A big hit for my first time in Robe!
The Black Swan is like a gold pot at the bottom of a rainbow, when you want a great pub an awesome food.
After many hours travelling from Adelaide through beautiful scenery and past that giant crustacean thing called a lobster, we made it to Robe...quite late mind you.
I'm not one to always research, I go with the flow, and this night was no exception, as I sort of did a high street carpet crawl looking for life. And there, like an apparition of faux English pub-dom, was the Black Swan in full nocturnal quietness. Call it karma or otherwise, I was tempted and lured into the venue like the adventurous Odysseus would have been.
It was a somewhat clear and cold night, much like I was use to back in my old Oxford days, and per chance, the owner was manning the bar. I did not know that at the time.
So when I asked the supposed barman what to order and drink, I got the most incredible professional reply that only a passionate owner could impart. I felt a huge weight off my tired driving shoulders and nodded to everything.
The Black Swan is what a local pub should be, people and atmosphere and charm and food and drink. But all of these in a clutch of class too. A local watering hole with good food, or simply a meeting place for friends and family.
My meal of lamb shank was awesome, even though lacking the veggies I would have liked and forgot. The pub was actually very quiet that night and I felt for the chef who was "flicking" burgers and making great food. But he should have been kept in the fire pit, as he was totally Mr No-personality too. I felt for him. But loved that fact that he was in the trenches too.
Amazing and great pub and restaurant. Unequivocally I'll be going back there soon, if not, in a future life to chill and hang out there again :) read more
