It’s not often a venue stirs the kind of passion and anticipation that Korked does. But as soon as you speak with owner Sandy Ormsby, it makes perfect sense. She’s not necessarily reopening a bar, but reuniting a community.
Now the wait is finally over! Korked is swinging its doors open on Saturday 24 May from 2pm. After years of silence, and plenty of speculation, the beloved character-filled lounge-bar is back in its new seaside spot in Semaphore.
“I’ve been really, really lucky. You have no idea,” Sandy said, reflecting on the wave of support that’s followed Korked’s comeback announcement.
“It’s blown me away. I mean people have just been popping in to see if I need anything and if I’m okay. Yeah, I’m just speechless.”
It’s taken a real impassioned team effort to pull it off, and you can tell the reopening means the world to those involved.
“I haven’t been here by myself once,” Sandy said. “Just people helping me all the time. My staff, who haven’t even officially started yet, have been here, working their asses off. It’s so cool. It just puts a lump in your throat, you know?”
The grand opening is kicking off with a pop, too. Korked is back with a weekend packed with music, food, and, naturally, plenty of wine.
Saturday night will feature DJ Vonni Brit Watkins, and a roaming Romanian crepe maker, while a mystery band is billed to perform on Sunday from 2:30pm.
The question on everyone’s lips: has Korked recaptured its original charm? Sandy thinks it definitely has.
“It’s crazy cool. Really trippy, but still warm. It’s got the same vibe as the old place, you know? That same energy.”
“I’ve just let the left side of my brain loose, I guess,” Sandy laughed. “The decor, the drinks, the whole take on it, it’s going to blow your balls off when you see it.”
Sandy has kept the fit-out minimal (mostly, I suspect, so that there’s room for dancing) with just enough furniture to maintain a cruisy, relaxed vibe. It’s the colour palette that ties it all together, and she says the interior has come together perfectly.
Heading into winter, it’s the perfect local haunt to grab yourself a drink and keep warm by moving your body to one of the many musical talents billed to make their way through the venue.
“It’s the kind of place you can come to get warm, listen to some music, chill out, sit back, and watch the water—or the rain. It’s awesome,” Sandy said.
On the drinks list? A few new favourites from Kersbrook Hill Wines and Cider, which were recently sampled by friends and family in a quiet pre-launch tasting. You can also expect all of Sandy’s cult-classic cocktails, a predominantly local wine list, and, as Sandy promised, “There will definitely be Redskin shots.”
The team’s promising plenty of surprises, including a new menu of home-style tapas bites by Chef Wendy Carter.
And of course, you can expect the return of that laid-back, couch-laden vibe that made the original venue such a hit.
In its return, this time with panoramic ocean views, the music’s ready to roll, drinks ready to pour, and it’s time to get Korked!
Korked
Where: 6 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore
When: Thurday – Sunday nights
For more information, click here.
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