2KW still flying high after 10 years
Adelaide’s best-known rooftop bar turns 10 this year, so CityMag sat down with the team to reflect on the last decade on the King William rooftop.
A rooftop space wasn’t in the plan 10 years ago, according to Martin Palmer, managing director of the Palmer Hospitality Group, and Simon Adami, general manager of the city venues. But when Martin’s wife found the North Terrace corner site through a mutual friend, they couldn’t resist.
“We came and had a look at [the now 2KW site] and went, what do we think? Can we make this happen? And it was like, ‘of course we can, this is amazing’,” Simon says.
And they were right, when 2KW Bar & Restaurant opened up 10 years ago, there was nothing like it in Adelaide.
“I’m sure there was probably one on a five-star hotel that we might have not been aware of… but definitely we were the first to market,” he says.
Simon (left) and Martin (right) celebrating 10 years of 2KW Bar & Restaurant. This picture: supplied.
Simon says around 10 years ago – roughly in line with the introduction of the Small Venue Liquor Licence and 2KW’s arrival – that “Adelaide grew up really quickly overnight”.
“Clever Little Taylor [opened] in this laneway that no one was game enough to walk down, and that worked,” Simon says.
“And then we were here [and people were saying] ‘well, why would you put something on the roof?’ And then everything evolved.”
But opening up didn’t come without further commentary as Simon and Martin recall media outlets having opinions on 2KW’s dress code policy.
“I think what it did do is it probably set the tone for us – you’ve got to look at things as a positive. If you listen to the negativity all the time, you’re going to fall over really quickly – your mind starts playing games with you,” Simon says.
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“I was the most hated person because I was running the door in conjunction with someone else.
“I think there was a level of where you get nervous, but you’re also sending a message going ‘right, if you want to come into this venue, this is what it’s going to be like’… we softened off probably a year down the track.”
“It was also a bit ‘at the time’. Really two, three, four-hundred dollar sand shoes were only just becoming something,” Martin says.
“That’s where we started getting into trouble because sand shoes became dress shoes.
“So we were a bit of a victim of the times changing, the casualisation of smart dressing.”
The 2KW view. This picture: supplied.
But despite this, Simon says those first six weeks of opening the business were “chaos”.
“We delayed the opening – we did some soft openings – just thinking we wouldn’t be able to cope with that Christmas period. Everyone will be away in January and away we go type scenario,” Simon says.
“Just the hype behind it was just insane because it was new. No one had seen anything like it before.
“The expectation was just through the roof and it went solidly for years and years and years in the end.
“I was very cool – challenging, of course. But when you’ve got something with that much hype and we’re doing things that are unknown, it just comes up with challenges but we’re here 10 years later, so obviously, we did something right.”
A challenge the team came across was distinguishing themselves as both a bar and a restaurant – having a strong offering in both areas. This affected the title of the venue.
“If you say you’re a restaurant, it’s very, very difficult to have any kind of bar trade outside of service to the restaurant,” Martin says.
“So we were very careful. It was very thought about, putting the word bar first [in the title 2KW Bar & Restaurant] because it’s definitely an art. It is so to this day, to be able to have a busy bar coexisting in basically the same space as a restaurant.
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“But it adds a dimension and an additional level of texture to the whole venue.”
The way the team makes the two spaces co-exist Martin says “goes back to the design” of the venue.
“I think it was designed to be that. And I think overall, we got it pretty right, bearing in mind that we only had these parameters to deal with, etc,” Martin says.
Martin says “consistency” has kept them thriving.
“Ten years is a long time – and we have had an ebb and flow of it, and chefs change – but generally, I think this is not an underestimation, I think people trust 2KW,” Martin says.
“I think that if people have guests coming from interstate or overseas, it was true 10 years ago, I still think it’s true today, that they will come here as a part of saying ‘Adelaide’s got some very sophisticated, cosmopolitan type places’.”
Part of the 2KW food offering. This picture: supplied.
Martin and Simon say the design of 2KW means it hasn’t changed much over the years.
“Its general interior design is pretty classic and timeless,” Martin says.
“It was just smart design at the beginning as well. But again, that’s allowed us to have that consistency too.”
The menu too has remained relatively consistent throughout 2KW’s 10 years.
“I think we’ve always promoted ourselves as, in some ways, showcasing South Australian produce…[which means] prime protein whether that be crayfish or seafood generally or meats because it’s such a great place to source that kind of produce,” Martin says.
“But then, really, the lamb is something that we’ve made our own, haven’t we? Over time, we’re almost famous for it now: the lamb and the salt and vinegar chips.”
One thing that has changed, though, is the view. The past decade has seen many towers built around the area, including the Festival Tower across the main intersection.
The pair, while acknowledging that uninterrupted views are nice, say the new buildings add to the cosmopolitan feel of the place.
“Back then, we didn’t think that all these things would be built out… but even with the buildings, it’s still pleasing. I think what it does is it adds a bit of character,” Martin says.
“Would you rather have the 180-degree view? Of course. But I think a little bit of cityscape gives it those international vibes. So I think that works.”
2KW Bar & Restaurant is located at 2 King William Street, Adelaide and is open everyday from 2pm until late.
Connect with the business on Instagram for more.