Unlike many of Moscow's newly opened nightclubs, exclusive venues tucked away in the center's deep maze of lanes and shabby apartments, People is easy to find. It is on Ulitsa Pravdy, which is often called Moscow's Fleet Street, sharing an unattractive gloomy-gray building with the Pressa Dom Kultury across the street from the Pressa Publishing House.

Though it opened just a little more than a month ago, the club-restaurant has already won popularity with a certain group of Moscow club-goers. Success has come mostly as a result of an intelligent policy on the part of the owner, who seems to understand what 30- or 40-something Muscovites like to see in a nightclub. As for the younger generation, they'dprobably find the club too boring and too expensive.

The average dinner bill at People is $50, and the prices are likely to get even higher toward the fall as exotic dishes such as ostrich and kangaroo are added. These exotic dishes are flooding our restaurants, which might upset some animal-rights activists. Moscow's population is clearly dividing into animal lovers and others, and an upcoming bullfight is facing more than a little hostility. But that's another subject...

Getting back to the matter at hand: The club features the latest in trendy interiors – a maze of long and narrow corridors connecting five rooms. In line with another of Moscow's recent traditions, there is a Japanese room furnished with bamboo and calligraphy and, of course, sushi is available.

Thanks to the absence of a wall behind the bar, the Japanese room offers a view of a medium-sized dance floor furnished in high-tech style, but there is no direct access. The only way to go from sushi to dancing is through the corridor maze.

Dancing is not a priority here, though, and the club has yet to define its style, which is why you can find yourself dancing to anything from techno to MTV hits on weekend nights. The lighting is excellent, though.

Across from the DJ booth is an entrance to a European restaurant, a stylish hall with white linen sofas, white candles and other fashionable features. At its entrance is a glassy partition wall through which you can see whisky bottles of various shapes and sizes.

A young attendant looks after the club's cigar room, with redwood paneled walls and furnished with three small tables and six armchairs. The service there is impressive; the staff will treat you to whisky and cigars, preparing everything to perfection.

To the right, down the corridor from the cigar room, there is another subtle corner, a room styled along the lines of an Oriental alcove. This is a realm of dim light, dark-red colors, cushions and carpets. The club says they have hookahs there, though LifeStyle didn't come across anything like that.

A separate door leads to the club's main attraction – a summer veranda. But this is a veranda with a difference. Not many clubs can boast a miniature golf course. It is divided into small lots, and there is a coach on hand offering instructions on how to hold the club properly, how to hit the ball and, with luck, get it in the hole. A competition takes place almost every week, and recently there was a journalists' event. In the near future, there are plans for a show-biz tournament.

PEOPLE
21 Ul. Pravdy, Bldg. 1
Metro: Belorusskaya
Tel: 961-2050
Hours: Noon to midnight Sun. to Wed.; Noon to 6 a.m. Thurs.-Sat.
Cover: none