Apothecary 1878 Wine Bar & Restaurant: Lisa samples some of the fare at this Adelaide City region establishment
The City of Adelaide has grown and developed over the years. And while some heritage buildings have given way to more modern styles there are still many examples of the architecture that help make Adelaide such a gracious city.
That's the case with a landmark building in the heart of the West End precinct of Hindley Street. The Austral Stores were built in 1903 and housed a dozen shops and dwellings. But with the growth of the temperance movement at that time, coffee palaces became popular alternatives to hotels. So in 1908 it became Grant's Coffee Palace offering cheap accommodation before being taken over by John West in 1919 - and being known as West's Coffee Palace ever since.
Now, part of the building at least has turned the full circle and has been reincarnated as the very elegant Apothecary 1878 Wine Bar. Paolo Coro named the bar and restaurant after the magnificent solid mahogany pharmacy cabinets, which grace the front bar. 130 years ago they were used to dispense all kinds of medicines and potions in a London Chemist shop or Apothecary, as they were known. Paolo found the cabinets beneath layers of dust at the rear of an Adelaide antique shop - complete with their original crystal draw handles and 18 carat golf leaf inscriptions.
Paolo: "When we found the fit out in an Adelaide antique shop and we fell in love with it. We already had the idea of doing a wine bar and we just thought how beautiful to preserve something so old. It took about 4 months of restoration to get it back to its former glory but as you can see it's quite a beautiful piece."
Since then she's also spent bucket loads of time and money scanning antique and bricabrack stores all over South Australia for the amazing collection of pharmaceutical jars, bottles and medications - some of which are sure to be a little familiar to some. The room has a very European feel - with tumbled marble floor tiles arranged in traditional patterns reminiscent of the streets of Italy. Solid marble and brass tables add a French influence and the chairs are Austrian. It's the ideal place for a relaxing glass of wine after work, enjoy a selection of tapas - or perhaps Apothecary's version of something a little lighter like high tea.
No doubt the temperance movement of the early 1900s would approve of tea and scones… but I'm not sure of what they'd make of what's downstairs in the cellar. Where once the meat hung, there is now a stylish restaurant and wine cellar.
With another function room upstairs where the guests once lived, complete with views over Hindley Street, the Apothecary certainly makes great use of this slice of West End history. The 'Apothecary 1878' Wine Bar and Restaurant is at 118 Hindley Street. It's open Tuesday to Saturday from 4 till late. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Apothecary 1878 Wine Bar - Restaurant
118 Hindley Street
Adelaide
Ph 8212 9099Published 21st June 2009
