ANNUALLY, our high school class makes it a point to get together to touch base and update each other on what?s been happening to our respective lives.

Being the geeks that we are, we usually end up having animated half-drunken debates on comics (e.g., which movie adaptation of a comic book title was better and why), gadgets (your iPhone versus my Blackberry versus his Nokia), and girls (Joan Severance versus Madeleine Stowe versus Megan Fox).

This year, our class PRO invited everyone to Handlebar, where his brothers-in-law were playing.

Now, I?d never been to Handlebar and the only thing I knew about it was that it was a bikers? hangout. I imagined a place where a nerd like me was likely to get beaten up, and the thought got me a little uneasy.

But since the place is tucked away near the end of Polaris Street, nearly bordering Bel-Air Village in Makati, I figured it couldn?t be that scary.

I arrived just as the band started playing its first set. The first thing I noticed about the bar was how huge it was inside. You wouldn?t know it from the façade, but the place housed about 12 to 15 tables, a pool table, a giant screen for the projection TV, and a stage for bands.

I ordered a beer (the first of many many beers) and nachos and sat down to focus on the stage. The Chanz (the project band?s unofficial name) rocked out with classics from the ?60s and ?70s.

These guys know their stuff well, and they should: they have pedigreed musical blood running through their veins. On lead guitar?Cowboy Santos, the son of Sampaguita; on rhythm guitar?Ige Gallardo, son of Celeste Legaspi; on bass and keyboards?Joe and Mike Chan, respectively, both sons of Jose Mari Chan; and on drums?Bennii Obana, previously of Overdrive.

While they played, I hunkered down and enjoyed my beer and nachos (a huge order overflowing with cheese and beef and other stuff). Between bites, I chatted with a group of Aussies from the next table and found out that the place was packed on most nights, especially if there was a game (football, rugby, pool, cricket, boxing) being shown or if a band was scheduled to play.

I also discovered that on weekend afternoons, the bar would fire up its grill to barbecue big-ass steaks.

I wandered around and checked out the layout and interiors. Aside from biker stuff strewn all over the place, football hooligan jerseys hang from the ceiling. I could just imagine how crazy the place got during the World Cup.

After The Chanz performed their nth encore, I bid farewell to my high school pals (note: only four out of our class of 40 showed up). There were no arguments or debates this time, except for when we should come back.

After scooping out the place, I realize it wasn?t really intimidating at all. I just probably needed a bike to blend in some more.

Bar Name: Handlebar Bar & Grill
Address: 31 Polaris St., Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City
Contact Info: 898-1976 / 898-2189
www.handlebar.com.ph
Favorites: Nachos?P290
Porterhouse?P560
Local Beer?P60
Heineken?P180
Becks?P210
Corona?P270
Scotch?P242
Vodka?P187