aving heard overtly gushing praise - even in its infancy - on the cool-factor and gorgeousness of the almighty Wunderbar, I was expecting my life, upon approach on a recent Saturday night, to change within seconds of entry.

Well, it did not.

In German, “wunderbar” means wonderful and, in many ways, Wunderbar - located in the freshly opened W Hotel - truly is wonderful. First, when you finally get in the club (there are throngs of local hipsters, as you can imagine, who want to be seen at the new sensation), you are welcomed by smiling, very polite and gorgeous staff. To me, that is enough, but there is more to Wunderbar than beautiful waiters and hostesses. The design is what I would call a work of art. Audacious, on a thin line between classic and edgy, the place impresses by its many stylish details, such as the great lighted ceiling in the V.I.P. cave-like area. If you want my opinion, the design itself is worth waiting in the cold.

You are most certainly wondering Who actually has the privilege to get into Wunderbar. I don’t know either. Walking into this club is sort of walking in a New York it spot; there are teams of gorgeous people you have never seen before, which is quite a feat, since Montreal’s club scene is sort of a big village. The lounge’s heavily coveted sunken VIP area marks a sexy temple of cool. Elsewhere in Wunderbar there are communal silver banquettes, a few logo-ed chairs and a large projection screen displays images of seductive scenery behind the DJ station.

In all this hipmosphere, Wunderbar has a few shortcomings. I might just be picky or very critical, you so choose, but despite of the undeniable advantages of Montreal’s new It place, I found a few things mildly annoying. Like what? Like the lack of places to sit; See-and-be-seen types have this need to rest at any given time, and a few more velvet chairs could help wonders, if perhaps putting a dent in the design scheme. W Hotel knows better, being the social lure worldwide. Currently, the only way to anchor seating is to book a VIP room or arrive at 9 pm.