Bravo Bacchus Epicerie!!! What a spectacular little shop! Thank you brothers Clifford and Alex for striking such a high note for quality. A beautifully designed shop that showcases a wonderful array of ingredients, wines, cooking utensils in such a convenient location. The store officially opens tomorrow, Wednesday, November 26, 2008, at the entrance of Rockwell Mall in Makati, in the old space of Seattle’s Best Coffee on the ground floor. I asked for a sneak peak when the scaffolding was up (I went to school with Clifford, and have loved their shop Bacchus from the time it opened) when we chanced across Alex on the sidewalk directing case after case of gourmet goodies being unloaded and they told me to come today when the goods were all set up… All I can say is WOW!
A beautiful streetside window…
…a wall of stainless utensils…
A champagne chiller (so you can buy champagne ready to drink! And another chiller just for Valrhona chocolates!
A coffee/espresso counter, gorgeously packaged teas and a place to do wine tastings for a small gathering of enthusiasts…
…Japanese knives that would go on my Santa list if it wasn’t bad luck to give knives…
…Le Creuset in an array of colors but my favorite, the “absolutest” classic orange…
De Cecco pasta which I love and use a LOT of…
…premium olive oils and balsamic vinegars! Here’s a foodie tip… if at a loss for a present for someone who has everything, but loves food, get them a bottle of good olive oil or superb balsamic vinegar, it will work every single time!
Here’s a closer look at the champagne chiller…
…and Clifford serving me a bit of sweet wine (the leftovers from an ABS-CBN shoot minutes before)… :)
Bottles of limoncello, that heady powerful Italian liquer that would also make a wonderful gift!
Prime steaks in glass chillers, including whole sides of roast beef (USDA PRIME) with BONES IN (so much more flavorful than the boneless ones, I think)!
Chillers with several kinds of pate.
Dried mushrooms that made me gasp, literally. Morels, porcinis, mixed packets, forest selections, etc. If they had a stove here I would have been cooking… a pasta, a risotto, a steak or two… YUM! Can you tell I love food stores???
A few kinds of cheese in another chiller.
Gorgeous, reasonably priced Italian cookies that would also make excellent Christmas presents because of the packaging alone! Gosh, there were pots and pans, cutlery, canned goods, spices, doodads, and lots more. Of course they are just starting up, and it isn’t a fully stocked food store, more a selection of the fine things… but this is a huge and welcome addition to a fairly dismal food store scene in Manila.
Before I left, Alex walked over with Myrna Segismundo in tow (I think they had just filmed a segment for her television show) so I was introduced to her and we chatted for a few minutes, and I felt like my secret identity had been stripped away…hahaha. Myrna, if you are reading this, please keep my details to yourself! :) Meanwhile, if you have holes in your Christmas list for foodies, this is one store you MUST visit soon. I will be there on its first day of operations as I spied several items I just HAVE to purchase before they possibly run out of them! Again, BRAVO BACCHUS EPICERIE!!!
64 Responses
Wow, that looks very impressive! I used to work at Bacchus, MM. Learned a lot. Looks like Alex’s & Clifford’s dream just came true. I know they were already planning this years ago when I was still working for them. Luxe is surely something they’re good at…
That shop looks fantastic! A little bit Williams-Sonoma, a little bit A.G. Ferrari, a little bit Dean & Deluca. :)
WOW!!
looks like an awesome place to spend an hour (or two.) i think i’d linger for a long time, being like, “i just want this all in my kitchen!”
MM, are their valrhonna chocolates reasonably priced? like compared to Sweet Craft?
OMG! And a huge hole this place will create on our pockets.
B is for Bacchus. B is also for the Best things in life!
it seems a tad better than sur la table when it comes to ingridients lol! but sur la table is still no. 1 in my book!
great store!
MM, can i ask, if you know the reason behind why giving knives as present is a bad luck? i didn’t know that…
Very promising!
I was just chatting with Ces of Spicees (https://www.cesanciano.net/spices) few days ago and I was telling her its easy for me to shop Christmas presents for foodies… I just always know ;-)
Those Ardoino olive oil is amazing… the price too ;-)
Don’t let me go close to that shop!!!!
shalimar, the three kings once left me a bottle of Ardoino in my shoes… I guess they ran out of gifts… :) Vanessa, I suppose it is a superstition that giving something that can harm or kill isn’t a particularly good idea, so they ask you to pay a penny or a peso for it… :) ria, Bacchus has a nice selection, but give me Sur La Table any day just for the SHEER VOLUME of good stuff! elbert, B is also for Bond. As in B, J B. Hahaha. maddie, yup, bring cash… corrine, these are mostly the EATING valrhonas, not the baking ones. And if I am not mistaken, these are the only display items still stuck in customs… but I have had their Valrhona before and it is sublime as well as pricey. ChrisB, the shop is worth a visit!
WOW…VALRHONA + LIMONCELLO = CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES…HMMMMMMM
I am running over as soon as the mall opens. I loved the original shop. Can’t wait to see (and buy) from this one!
Wow, indeed! love those knives!!
Hey, I recognize the little red xmas tree from Muji. :) Bonus points for the owners!
Will pass by here soon. :)
thanks for the head’s up, MM! now I know where I can get those Japanese knives locally! =)
Hey Natie…I love Japanese knives, too! I am hoping Santa would put one those PHOENIX or FUSIONWOOD knives under the tree!…Thanks, MM for the heads up on the penny for the knives. I will not forget to leave a PENNY beside Santa’s HOT CHOCOLATE and shortbread cookies…
…check out those knives, Natie!!! ..PHOENIX or FUSIONWOOD!!!
Wow MM!
I now have to re-shuffle buget wise now that I have seen these. Would love to have a Christmas-New Year-to myself gift of cookies and champagne…
Thanks for the heads up!
How does one pronounce the store name?
wow, my kind of shopping venue! i will surely visit this store
when i go there next month…
I have a couple of Shun Japanese knives. Is there anyone offering a sharpening service for these? I understand that due to a more acute angle, these are sharpened differently from German knives.
Jenny, it’s eh-PIS-ree. Stress on the middle syllable. =)
thanks, bettyq!! expeeeensive!!! but that’s my indulgence, too. must-haves of a good cook, or wanna-be cooks (i belong to the last category… :-)
Finally! This is truly exciting. Bacchus has probably one of the best wine selections, but its always been more convenient for me to go to the Wine Depot in Reposo or Santis Rockwell. Nice to know that there’s a Bacchus now closer to home, and with all kinds of other goodies, too!:-)
wow! cant wait to visit their shop!!!
Gotta have some of that olive oil! Ardoino, you say? ;p Thanks for the heads up, MM!
this is life. i visit this store after salcedo on dec 6.
Thanks for the heads up MM! Oof, I see these burning a hole in my wallet, but what the heck! such superb selections.
Bettyq,
I’ll take a hattori damascus thank you…
https://www.japanwoodworker.com/dept.asp?dept_id=13159
you might find this website useful since you like japanese knives.
I read somewhere that Japanese still is a tad softer than German steel, so their knives dull faster than German ones do. Is this true? I’m a creature of habit, totally devoted to my Wüsthof knives, so I’ve never tried Japanese knives. So needless to say I am curious. Damascus steel looks stunningly beautiful, though I associate it more with broadswords from the Middle Ages than with modern kitchen knives. :)
*Japanese still = steel :)
Oh boy! Just in time for Christmas! This store looks fantastic…will be checking it out very soon!!! Thanks for the heads up :)
Fabian, the plastic xmas trees i saw at Muji were much smaller… or maybe the big ones were already sold out?
Yup! It is very nice. Saw it this afternoon and will be back tomorrow for some serious shopping.
That limoncello is very good (and not as heady as it may seem), goes down smooth. Also look for the black truffle sauce they sell. It’s so nice to finally see a better selection of kitchen wares for the local food community.
Another great store to visit and to indulge…..great ideas for gifts…for those who have everything.
uh oh, japanese knives and other expensive stuff, we better warn the fishpan lady…or have we all forgotten about her? that’s good…when i read the last few sentences of MM’s blog, i also thought he meant to ask us if we wanted holes in our pockets…if we had holes in our christmas list pala…nice to know there is such a store in the near vicinity na.
Thanks MM for the advance info. I’ll persuade Millet that we go to Rockwell after Salcedo Market on Saturday. Bettyq, don’t you agree that the more socially responsible sequence of activities would be: Salcedo Market, BDO and Rockwell. You have already given your biscotti jar content. We shall do ours as well direct to BDO.
i heard alex talk about this shop/dream of his last year. i’m glad that it has finally all come together. :)
and i’m excited to pay a visit. thanks for the heads up on this great store, mm.
myra_p: yeah, maybe the big Muji trees have sold-out. my friend said they had been selling the big ones (Muji HK). i have a few of the small ones as xmas gifts
i was out walking the night before the store opened and even without the lights, i could see that EVERYTHING is just gorgeous.
why do i have the feeling that you live very near where i am? there is a public market just behind my house but it’s the only one i know of that has stuff like fresh basil.
What a nice store! I’m with MM: I’ll take Sur La Table any day.
I love Japanese knives, too, though I would love to have the custom made knives by Bob Kramer. He is based in Olympia, WA and he makes the best knives EVER. I inquired about purchasing a chef’s knife and remember being told that they start at $500 (gasp!!)
There was a write up about him in The New Yorker. Also, Sur La Table has commissioned him to make commercial grade knives under the Shun brand. Here is a link:
https://www.surlatable.com/product/gift+types/by+price/ultimate+gifts/shun+bob+kramer+7-piece+knife+block+set+w-bonus.do?search=basic&keyword=shun&sortby=ourPicks&page=all#
OMG! MAC knives! What a drool-worthy store! Wonder how much the Le Creuset cookware is…
oooh can’t wait to go back home and visit this shop. . .i’ll definitely buy some limoncello. . . :D
Yup….Angela and MM…I can just spend an entire day at Sur La Table (which I did a few years back!)…
If you get the chance, Angela….visit the new BOSA store (3 to 4 x bigger than the old one)…on Boundary Road!!! …set up is very similar to Bacchus…
Hey Moni…really SAYANG!!! How I wish, I listened to my hubby and went back home…I can just imagine the yapping, eating, trying soooo many different things! …and of course…Salcedo , then BDO, then Rockwell…Whenever I feel the itch to go a store like Bacchus, I leave the debit and Visa at home and carry no more than $100 in my wallet!
Thanks for the notes on gourmet tuyo, etc. I had my fill of those a few years back…
Its worth a visit, really! Am glad Bacchus is here..Yehey!
I designed the logo!!!!! :-)
Hey MM, I’ve been following your blog for the longest time, enjoying your input on restaurants and recipes, mostly because I come from a family that absolutely enjoys food and thinks it one of the greatest pleasures in the world.
Apparently, the world isn’t so big after all! :D Alex and Clifford are my uncles! Imagine my surprise when I read this entry!
More power to yoU!
congrats to alex and clifford (we supply them with mac)
congrats to alex and clifford (we supply them hte mac knives0
if u dont mind me asking what was the sweet wine that clifford was holding? it looks a lot like a bottle of v.sattui muscat…just curious
Interiors, use of proper lighting gives the store warmth that everything showcased may be properly inspected.The store has that modern day feel with the use of stainless steel and black granite. The merchandise is immediately seen from outside the store that draws one to enter, what a feast!Bacchus is known for wine but the wine section was strategically placed in the back so one has to comb thru the entire store before one finds the glorious wine section. Brillant planning and merchandising…I commend Maja Olivares of SSOA. Well done!
Just curious.. what was the bottle of sweet wine thst Clifford was hold. it looks very familiar.. V.Sattui Muscat?
oops.. sorry i didnt realize the other comment posted.. =O
Since there is not much time to think about presents, thanks to your suggestion re:the “gorgeous Italian cookies.” May you please give me an idea of the prize range of these cookies – smallest to the biggest canister?
bambi, if I am not mistaken, the biscotti range from roughly PHP300 for a small package to PHP990 for the largest tins. But I would hurry as stocks seem to be running low, unless I was just at the store the other day after someone else went seriously shopping for cookies… jaimee, sorry, I didn’t catch the name, but it was quite nice… And I am sure staff at the store can identify it if you ask what they served Myrna Segismundo for her television show segment… :)
WOW!I need to double up on my retirement contributions.Lifestyle in the Philippines is not going to be cheap after all.MM thanks for the info
can you give me your exact address? i want to visit ur store
hello, do they carry waterstones as well to sharpen those exquisite knives? would love to go there, so powerplant is there biggest branch i presume?
I can;t believe I missed this post! I am very much interested in their Valrhona chocolates. Will visit next time I’m home.
i need the phone numbers of your establishment for my inquiry regarding cocoa powder product.