by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
and JACK OATMON
photos by RACHEL GRANOFSKY
HOUSE NIGHTCLUB
4521 St-Laurent,
(514) 815-4687
Formerly Living, this space has
not lost its penchant for domestic
monikers nor its appeal to new
homemakers. Suburbanite weekenders
flock to the glossy, well laid
out spot, which boasts a booming
sound system, a great dancefloor
and several fun little back hallways,
nooks and crannies. Its interior
has a regal feel to match its signature
bank-front roman columns,
perfect for looking blingin’ in front
of for all the Main and Mont-Royal
passersby. Not surprisingly, the
music tends to centre around, well,
house.
BRING IT ON HOME: House
KARMA CLUB
4467 St-Laurent,
(514) 815-3145
The name choice is appropriate
for the space, which is so freshly
converted from Nuances, a swinger
sleaze den, that you can almost
smell the secret sauce. But Karma’s
got a great, open layout, a twostorey
ceiling and a villainous castle
ballroom vibe complete with
mannequin chandelier and giant
cartoon mirrors. It has all the
material potential to be the medium-
sized, snazzy, well-located
nightclub the Plateau has been
yearning for. And it’s right below
Lambi too…
DO THE RIGHT THING: Karma
LOVE HATE BAR
160 Notre-Dame E.,
(514) 622-9000
Tucked away in an ancient stone
dwelling in Old Montreal, this
impressive joint is the latest in the
franchise started by Ami James
and Chris Nunez of the reality-TV
show Miami Ink. No surprise then
that the tunes run to hip hop and
rough rock, an oddity in its environs,
and that the underground-ish
Friday nights belong to the inky
scene. The classy yet inviting layout
and design, including décor by
local designers More Than a
Friend, prompt less ambivalence
than the bar’s name suggests, particularly
the awesome second
floor—an antler motif extending to
the massive chandelier, and the
high, peaked ceiling it’s suspended
from, create a fun chalet vibe. The
decent terrasse, walled in on three
sides, will host barbecues as weather
improves, and permits permitting,
plans are afoot for a musclecar
showcase this summer.
ALLEZ CHALET: Love Hate
PANTHÈRE NOIRE
3519 St-Laurent
The space formerly occupied by
Upperclub and, even further back
by fabled hotspot DiSalvio’s, has
been equipped with the old Parking
sound system and reopened, with
no official name other than the
address until this past weekend. It
has the sound and vibe to become
an island of audiophilia in the sea
of lower St-Laurent douche-baggery,
though you wouldn’t really
know it from the tacky, dimly lit
main room. But it’s not all white
leather and swooshing drop-ceiling—
there’s a great little Arabiannights
style back parlour and a
roofless room to puff in.
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TEENBEAT TAKEOVER 
