Batman would be at home here

SAY GOTHAM and one thinks of

Batman.

But do you know that ''Gotham'' used to

be the name of New York City or that

there is actually a city in Sweden called

Gotham?

Back here in Manila, there is now a

Gotham in J. Nakpil Street which could

very well be a merry mix of all the more

popular Gothams mentioned--as

exciting as its name in the comic strip, a

place that virtually never sleeps, and a

restaurant-bar that has world-class taste.

''We have good food, good entertainment and a very nice

ambience which is quite different from the other establishments

here in Malate,'' said Renee Tuason.

Take the wine list, for instance.

The bar boasts of over 200 wine varieties imported from

vineyards in France, Australia, Italy, South Africa, California

and Chile. ''People want different tastes all the time and we try to

cope with this,'' Renee said.

Only last Aug. 25, Gotham hosted an international wine festival

where customers were able to have a taste of the world's best

spirits. Complementing the fine wine for the night was a lavish

French buffet laid out by Gotham's resident chefs, with a

guitarist and flutist providing soothing background music.

Renee and her husband, hotelier Jack Tuason, put up Gotham

early this year. ''We had to scrape everything and make

something new out of this place,'' Jack said.

So from what used to be a seedy and dingy transient's residence

for tourists and expatriates became the gothic-inspired Gotham

in Nakpil.

The look

Wrought-iron chairs complement the establishment's huge

pillars that guard the bar.

Candles nestled on brass cups light each table, offering ready

light for smokers who may have forgotten their lighters.

A billiards table, dressed in pink felt, adorns the middle of the

bar, not much like a centerpiece but like an old arena.

Jazz music filters from the state-of-the-art sound system

although Renee said there are bands that regularly perform in

Gotham.

Classic paintings hang from the somberly painted walls. One

shows St. George slaying a dragon. ''It's a mix of the old and the

new. We preserve the old and create new ideas out of these,''

Jack said.

And this is the same reason why a different set of customers,

ranging from embassy people, foreign correspondents to Makati

yuppies and even students, have been coming back to the cozy

joint.

Like the donut

''I like the ambience of Gotham, it's where you can really relax

while having a good time,'' said 26-year-old businessman Ronnel

Macaraeg, who manages Maranaw restaurant at the Manila

Domestic Airport.

Macaraeg says he doesn't mind traveling all the way from

Paraqaque to spend Friday and Saturday nights at Gotham.

''It's like the donut, Gotham is worth the trip,'' Macaraeg said.

Aside from tending Gotham, the young Tuason couple attends

to other businesses, including another restaurant outlet in

Paraqaque.

Renee is also an active member of the Nakpil-Orosa Bar and

Restaurant Owners Association or the NOBRA. ''We meet

regularly to discuss rules on how to keep the sound confined in

the streets and off the residences.''

Not that Gotham is a ''loud'' joint but Renee did say the

establishment is a regular participant in the ''street parties'' that

are already a common fixture in the Nakpil area. ''It's part of the

promotion not only of our bar but all the bars in this booming

entertainment district. That's why we would like to assure the

residents (in the area) that we're doing everything to keep the

noise at a tolerable level,'' she said.

That's why Gotham of Malate is proving to be more than the

city with the Bat Cave, or the Big Apple, or even the European

city. Gotham is a mix of them all.