Hate cooking at home? New Makati grocerant offers premium 'paluto'

MANILA, Philippines — A full day's schedule of presentations and meetings can be tiring, and one just wants to have a filling lunch or cap the day with a delicious and satisfying meal. 

A newly opened grocerant in Glorietta on the ground floor of Rustans Makati opened last July that hopes to cater to a market that is on-the-go yet is looking forward to spend for quality ingredients or a meal. 

Joel's Place is run by the same family as Rustans and it is the second location after the Rockwell grocerant opened in 2023. 

The Makati grocerant is slightly smaller at 500-square-meter compared to the Rockwell location at 800. 

Upon entering, shoppers and diners are immediately treated to a visual overload of imported and artisanal products neatly displayed in stations that are simply called The Grocer, The Baker, The Sommelier, The Fishmonger, The Dairy, The Deli, The Charcutier, and The Gelateria, etc. 

A grocerant is a hybrid of a grocery and a sit-down restaurant, where shoppers can immediately eat their purchase. 

Donnie Tantoco, Chief Executive Officer and President, said that they try to be the extension of their diners' homes. 

"We're bringing the premium-ness together and you can shift from eating to shopping. You don't have to delay gratification and you can have it immediately.

"Like if you're in our meat section and you said, 'I wanna eat, buy this meat, but I want to eat part of it and have it with a glass of wine right now'," Tantoco said.

"When they're already there, then they see the paluto, then they say, 'Oh, this wasn't my plan... We prepare it for them and prepare the way they want and they're doing it in the comfort and the surrounding of our store," he added. 

While the Rockwell store has a more laidback vibe because of its location, which has more residential buildings surrounding it, the Glorietta location is nestled in the heart of Makati's premiere shopping district. 

It is more fast-paced and located in a strategic location that can immediately be seen by anyone passing by or on their way to the Glorietta circular driveway by the entrance near Ascott Makati. 

"We think it's going to be about convenience and speed, but responding to convenience