Walls washed in blue LED lighting, Caesar stone tables and ceiling features with gold tin panels are a hint of the fab decor. The uber-cool cocktail menu ain't bad either.
The Adelaide hotel scene has enjoyed a makeover in recent times. Neighbourhood favourites have been glammed up, with some now barely recognisable. Such transformations are frowned upon by sentimentalists, or approved with a glass raised to modernisation. The Maylands had been the corner watering hole to locals for decades, and still is - just in a far more stylish way now.
Interior designer Francesca B. Cerone has revamped it with a very chic touch. High-end materials have been used tastefully; anything more would be become gaudy. The latest Swarovski crystal chandeliers from New York are hung among historical photographs of the 19th-century building.
There are three bars, with one in the split-level restaurant. The other two bars have feminine and masculine personas: the Ivory Lounge is retro-girly but not sickly sweet: think Audrey Hepburn-style gals who are just as happy to knock back vodka martinis as they are to sip on Dom Perignon. Both are at your French manicured fingertips, as are Grey Goose vodkas perched alongside other top-shelf spirits. The adjoining Onyx Bar is great for savouring classic cocktails such as brandy sours and sidecars. For those who come here at beer o'clock, brews range from Coopers and Mountain Goat to Asahi, Hoegaarden and Kwak.
Roz Taylor
