Tread Lightly

When William and Trina Kay-McPhail decided to open a sustainability-focused restaurant in regional South Australia, they felt it was important to do so in a community that “gets” their ethos. They found it in Willunga, a quaint, leafy town 45 minutes from Adelaide’s CBD. Tread Lightly emerged quietly, without fanfare, marked by the appearance of a simple A-frame sign on the main street in early February. The entrance, tucked behind a former art gallery, leads the way down slate stairs, past an underground bar to a charming, clandestine grotto. The building’s raw stone walls and exposed wooden beams tell a story of 19^th century authenticity.

A seat in the dimly lit dining space is available for walk-ins only. There’s no pressure to order food but it’s foolish not to. Snacks, small and large plates are designed to share and range from radish hash browns with green bean kimchi and cured egg yolk (a one- per-person crowd favourite), to plump hibachi-kissed mussel skewers, Lion’s mane mushroom in steak form, and a lovingly layered beetroot tarte Tatin with a tumble of beetroot leaf and zucchini salad, and an earthy walnut dressing.
Trina holds a Bachelor of Marine and Wildlife Conservation and is currently studying her Honours project in the same area, and the focus on minimal waste is unwavering. The local butcher is thrilled to supply offal and traditionally less desirable protein sources. Case in point, the rich house black pudding and chunks of focaccia, a nod to Will’s UK roots. Wild shot rabbit appears in confit leg, grilled rabbit sheftalia wrapped in caul fat and rich jus form; served alongside toasted barley, currant and rainbow chard salsa with satisfying crunch.

Will and Trina work the dining space with a relaxed, familiar approach. Will has more than a decade of hospitality, event and mixology experience behind him. His small but classic cocktail list includes a velvety Clarified Paper Plane and the life-affirming Pink Pepper Paloma; a twist on the original thanks to a spicy hit of reduced capsicum. A line-up of all-South Australian wines by the glass leans into thoughtful Fleurieu Peninsula producers like Coriole, Aphelion, Willunga 100, and Dune. By-the-bottle options span small-batch Australian heroes and the occasional chablis and Champagne.  

Some diners pop in purely for a late-night dessert, eager to experience the coconut and kaffir lime sorbet with caramel shortbread and local fig jam, or simply to kick back with a St Agnes Bartender’s Cut Brandy nightcap. Additional dining spaces on the renovated ground floor are imminent. For now, this still feels like the kind of well-kept secret that’s almost too good to share.