A collective sigh of despair was let out by champagne lovers and stiletto-wearers in LKF when Privé shut its doors in March. The Wyndham Street club had become a staple nightlife spot after five years on the scene. But fret not – the institution has opened up just a hop, skip and a jump away on D’Aguilar Street in a basement space just across from the 7-Eleven store.

The new space has a much different look and feel to the former Privé. Officially, the interior is decorated in a modern ‘European Moroccan’ design. The underground space has much lower ceilings, giving it a cosier feel – although it could quickly become a claustrophobic’s nightmare should the club be packed to the rafters (which it inevitably will be on weekends). After descending a velvet-lined winding staircase, you have the choice of a large circular bar and dancefloor lined with booths to your left or a smaller lounge area to your right. There’s also a private room available for VIPs, equipped with a karaoke system.

We expect the music and clientele of Privé to hold true to the original – a mix of pop, hip-hop and remixes satiating the models-and-bottles crowd. Another concept carried over from the Wyndham Street location is the utterly annoying layout of having a huge bar smack-dab in the middle of the club, meaning that patrons squeeze past each other in about two metres of space – although it does have the added bonus of making the club feel busy. Adding to the pain is the DJ booth which is tucked away into this tight circle. Looks like we’ll have to take our pop ‘n’ lock dance routine elsewhere.

However, despite these limitations and considering Privé’s prior success, we expect its new reincarnation to be a hit. In fact, the basement space will probably appeal even more to its elite clientele.

Andrea Yu

Basement, Century Square, 1 D’Aguilar St, Central, 2850 6826.