Planet Grapes: Where Wine Meets Street Food

When it comes to booze and spirits, I’m a hard drink kinda-gal. I never liked beer because I always feel full and my tummy acts weird with all the fizzle it gives. Vodka, tequila and wine- now these are my alcohol trifecta. While I find vodka and tequila one and the same, it is different when it comes to wine. It’s got more than a handful of variants to choose from. This I don’t mind, as Mr. GJG & I make it appoint to enjoy wine from time to time. It’s our way of distressing after a long week or our way of celebrating even the mundane moments that need recognition.

Don’t get me wrong, we ain’t the fancy schmancy type who’d go to a fancy restaurant to have a good wine, we like it simple and most of the time we like it at home. We find it intimidating choosing a wine when we’re too overwhelmed on what to try. But with Planet Grapes,  it was the exact opposite.

Over the long weekend that is Labor Day, we spent our Fridate-despite it being a Thursdate at Planet Grapes. It was our first time at their newly opened Shangri La branch and we were pretty excited to try it.

We felt at ease the moment we walked in. The wine display was the first thing that caught my eye and the staff were warm & took time to talk us through.

The entrance opens to the glass enclosed kitchen on the first floor.

I like the industrial vibe of the place. It makes the wine-friendly ambiance ideal for the uninhibited (and uninitiated) people like me to feel more comfortable as we start our journey to discover the world of wine.

The second floor is where they store the wine that you can buy per bottle.

The man behind Bad Boy, Bad Girl and Baby Bad Boy wines had his own way of fermenting grapes to create his line. He didn’t follow the standards but still managed to product delicious wines. The names of his wines somewhat reminded him of how much of a bad boy he is when it comes to producing his wines. He is truly the bad boy of wine making.

Upcycled wine bottles and wine corks as part of the decor. Nice!

The selection of wines at Planet Grapes are not only limited from old world but they also offer new world wines. These include premium wine producing regions such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, North America, and South America.  It’s really about discovering wine, one grape at a time.

Everyone, meet the Enomatic Machine. It’s a wine serving technology that dispenses wine in three different settings.

It can dispense wine in three sizes: sip, half and full glass. That’s 38ml, 75ml, and 125 ml.

They change the wines in the Enomatic machine on a monthly basis. So if you’ve tried all eight this May, come back June to try a different set.

They’ve got white and red wine and both vary on kind and origin.

I like how they added the tasting notes in the info card. Planet Grapes really is for the beginner wine enthusiast. The staff welcomes questions about the wines and I was impressed on how knowledgable they are.

Of course I didn’t miss the opportunity to try the Enomatic machine.

Isn’t it obvious how giddy I was? 😀

You can purchase an Enomatic card for yourself. It’s actually Planet Grapes’ privilege card. It’s a reloadable card that you can use to dispense wine from the Enomatic machine every time you go to Planet Grapes.  For a minima of  P1,000 reload, you’ll get your own privilege card. It’s a cool tool that lets you discover one grape at a time without really committing to a whole bottle of wine. It’s the perfect gift for wine-loving friends or relatives. I’m adding this to my wish list! 😉

Mr. GJG also tried the Enomatic machine for himself.

First glass for me is white, while it’s red for Mr. GJG.

The restaurant portion of Planet Grapes encourages diners to try wine with traditional pairings as well as local comfort food, sometimes, even street food. Planet Grapes is where street food meets wine in Manila.

Here’s their food and drink menu.

Chicaron with Tinapa Dip P215

Balut P40

At first it felt weird pairing wine with these local street food, but as I munch and sip as we wait for our main course, I realize the food pairs well together. I never thought street food would go well with wine until I’ve tried it at Planet Grapes.

The balut is caused my troubled face! I was trying to sip the sauce but fail miserably. The struggle is real. It didn’t come out until it had enough poking from me.

The only part of balut that I eat. The rest, I let Mr. GJG have.

Grilled Trio Prawn with Chorizo and Salted Egg Rice P495

I enjoyed this dish as the prawns were fresh and it was perfectly paired with the chorizo rice. I wished I ordered another cup of rice though. Heehee.

Kitayama Rib-Eye Steak with Chorizo and Salted Egg Rice P1,195

This is what Mr. GJG ordered. It delicious but the centre part was a tad bit dry.

 Choco Collision P225

Even though I was already full, I couldn’t pass on dessert. Anything chocolate, I eat. This is basically molten choco lava cake with vanilla ice cream on top. I enjoyed this dessert, even Mr. GJG who isn’t a fan of chocolate loved this.

Turon Trilogy P165

Deep fried banana fritters glazed with ube and langka (jackfruit). Again, we loved it. But as a turon expert- I dub myself, I wish it was glazed in caramelised sugar to make it more sweet and delicious. 🙂

Overall, we loved our Planet Grapes experience. It’s now part of our Fridate places to go and we can’t wait to come back and try more wines, hopefully next time with friends. If you want to start your journey discovering wine, one grape at a time then you should start at Planet Grapes. They house the Enomatic machine that can save you the trouble of getting a bottle when you just want a sip! It’s definiltey a good place to start your love affair with wine without the drama.

PLANET GRAPES

www.planetgrapes.com.ph

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