A new ride

On a Sunday night, when Manila nightlife is usually at a standstill, a bar packs in a crowd — people exempt from, or just plainly indifferent to, the start of the workweek or the dictates of the Catholic day of rest. It is a pretty good assembly of yuppies, professional athletes and even a top-billing young actress, all chilling over beer and pizza in a familiar place.

Welcome to the new Cable Car, now under new management, all revamped and decked out. While once it was a place for getting wasted in peace, to indulge in good, greasy comfort food, or have an illicit rendezvous, Cable Car is now back; if not to former glory, then at least to the crowd-packing reputation it once had in the ‘90s.

Back in the day, Cable Car was a fixture on the party circuit, included in that list of stops where you grabbed a drink before heading to a club to grind the night away, or where you crashed from way too many tequila shots. Located on Pasay Road, it was walking distance from Mars, the nightclub that had its heyday in the ‘90s, and was among a row of bars that all enjoyed prime party status.

Famous for its comfort chow of burgers, huge cheesy pizzas and a serving of fried rice that was already a meal in itself, and also its unusual architectural layout, Cable Car had a steady clientele and was contentedly moving along on its rails.

And then Mars shut down, the mall across the street went into renovation — effectively closing another crowd-packing wateringhole — questionable businesses masquerading as business hotels moved in next door and the party moved elsewhere.

Cable Car still had its regulars coming back for the well-stocked Cable Car fried rice. But the now-lackluster address, exacerbated by horror stories about its foreign owner, and a lingering musty smell that evoked cockroach infestation and water seepage, fast thinned the crowd. Then Cable Car became washed up and nearly forgotten. Only those who sought to avoid the crowds came. Or maybe those wanting to play a round of pool without having to jostle for space. As a last-minute save, karaoke was instilled, further establishing its fall from grace.

Until December of last year, that is. If you passed along Pasay Road, you would have noticed a change in the façade of the Cable Car. The fading signs had been replaced, a curious indication that it has probably changed management. And it has. Instead of a cranky old owner, who was reported to have been rude and racist, the bar is now owned by young local entrepreneurs, who recognized the appeal of revamping the ‘90s haunt.

“We believe that (owning) Cable Car is like owning a piece of history,” says Jandrew Pastoril, one of the seven owners of the newly-restored Cable Car. “It has been in the industry for 18 years and it is already an institution.”

Along with new signage and a revamped logo is a slogan that supposedly says it all: “Relive the old days.” It seemed a barefaced invitation to its former patrons — now yuppies either well into or approaching their 30s — to hop onboard again.

But new billiard tables, sleek LCD screens atop the bar, new equipment, repainted walls, and Beer Pong tables (a drinking game where players throw a ping-pong ball across a table into a cup of beer) were also meant to attract a new clientele; one that is young, eager, party-hearty and —importantly — attractive. DJs also now play on weekends and on certain days, the establishment turns into a sports bar, broadcasting live Pacquiao fights and, this June, the World Cup. But the long, stretched-out bar and Americana memorabilia remain posted on the walls. “We want our customers to have the same feel of the old Cable Car,” says Pastoril. But, thankfully, without the rank, moldy-basement smell.

* * *

Cable Car is still located on 924 Arnaiz St (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City.