restaurant, has opened Oscar's Night Club, in Hamilton.

Mr. Maranzana will not discuss Portofino's planned expansion next door on the former site of Strands hairdresser's until the outcome of a planning application.

Instead, he is devoting his energy into making a success second-time around of a new venture beneath Monte Carlo restaurant, on Victoria Street.

Several months ago, Mr. Maranzana closed Oscar's Piano Bar shortly after it had opened on the same site.

His new night club is an expansion of the piano bar and is more than double its size, following the development of an adjacent warehouse. Costs have been made by having piped, instead of live, music.

The night club's manager, French/Italian Mr. Daniel Patriarca, said the club would fill a gap in the local entertainment market.

"At the moment, there is nowhere for people to go for a quiet drink after 1 a.m. when the bars shut,'' said Mr. Patriarca, who formerly worked at the piano bar and, before that, at Loquats restaurant.

"People keep telling me that they wanted somewhere to go where they could have a drink and talk without having to shout and listen to music that was too loud.

"We want people to come here for a good evening. If it gets loud it's because the mood of the people makes it loud, not because of music.

"I don't like to use the word sophisticated because it implies we are expensive and exclusive, which we are not at all. We are aiming for a good volume of people who want to enjoy themselves in a relaxed manner.'' The night club has two distinct areas, separated by swinging doors which block out the different music being played in each section.

Music predominantly from the 1960s to the `80s is being played in both areas, but the former warehouse is more down-to-earth and lively, with a small dance floor which is "suitable for slow-dancing'', according to Mr. Patriarca, and a bar containing a mock Bermuda roof.

The other section, which used to house the piano bar, has changed very little, and has a more romantic environment and atmosphere, he added.