Why this specialty grocery store chain is a fave of cooks, gourmands
To have a grocery that sells fine ingredients is a gourmand’s dream. At Dough and Grocer (D&G), that dream is a reality.
What first started as an online shop in July 2020 in the middle of the lockdown, is now one of the fastest-growing specialty grocery stores.
According to Alyanna Uy of Dough and Grocer, D&G was a company that imported ingredients for the family’s many restaurant ventures.
Since they imported other items to sell, building a physical store to sell the items was the logical next step. That outlet was in fact under construction at Estancia when the pandemic struck.
At that time, frozen, ready-to-heat food became a craze. To keep their existing eateries afloat, the Uys joined the bandwagon and prepared all-time favorites from all their restaurants. Along with the curated ingredients and specialty food items that were imported for Estancia, the online shop was born.
D&G’s focus was, and continues to be, to bring premium food products from all over the world for all to enjoy.
I was pleasantly surprised when Alyanna said that the online sales of D&G continue to thrive even when things are back to normal.
Weekly deliveries
With the opening of their grocery stores, D&G has earned a reputation as the place where cooks and food aficionados can hunt for kitchen needs and hard-to-find ingredients.
The Uys keep customers curious with the weekly arrival of airflown fresh and chilled items that range from fresh truffles, fresh oysters, and chilled meat to seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, and many more.
D&G makes it a point to introduce new and exciting brands to their offerings so patrons will keep coming back. Some of the products customers can’t get enough of include hard-to-find olive oils and vinegars, French butters and meat, and unique finds from Japan.
There’s more that makes going to D&G and pressing the “add to cart” button worthwhile.
Their chefs whip up food, pastries, cookies, and breads, too. The in-house bakers and pastry chefs are very good at creating their own renditions of the classics.
I absolutely love their sourdough, which is chewy on the outside but ultrasoft on the inside. With their assorted collection of French butters, D&G’s sourdough is a delight.
I am equally enamored with their Echiré Butter Scones that are so rich, tasty, and simply perfect when warmed and topped with English clotted cream that can be bought from the store. It is a dream in every bite when the scones are slathered with even more Echiré butter, cream, and jam. In my opinion, it is worth every calorie.
Unique offerings
Sometime ago, I featured Epilogue’s cookies that were five inches in diameter, weighing 180 grams each! The cookies that are baked fresh throughout the day are a visual delight and now available at D&G. The Chocolate Walnut, Chocolate Cashew, Valrhona Dulce, Valrhona Reese’s, Cranberry Oatmeal, Matcha White Choco Almond, and Dark Choco Sea Salt Cookies variants are smaller but nonetheless hearty. Each cookie has its own distinct look, taste, flavor, and texture.
Visiting each and every D&G branch is a unique experience for the shopper.
A trip to Estancia will allow you to savor different kinds of sushi made from fresh, flown-in Japanese seafood. Oshi Sushi is a favorite, pressed aburi sushi with miso-glazed salmon and jalapeño. Deli sandwiches with housemade salmon are Estancia highlights, too.
At the Westgate branch, one can enjoy all-day, café-inspired dishes. The newly opened Alabang store serves dishes that use ingredients sold at the store, giving clients the opportunity to sample the product prior to buying it. A must-try is their Japanese Sardines and Fennel Spaghetti—Wakasa Marukai Japanese sardines in oil, fennel, roasted tomato, pine nuts, raisins, dill, mint, Italian parsley, and arugula.
The Tomas Morato branch is always well stocked, as it primarily serves all the online orders.
I am most excited about the opening of D&G Greenhills, which will feature more food options. The establishment will include a Japanese deli offering rice bowls, sushi, and udon. The mezzanine will house a Wagyu Omakase counter seating 14 people. The store opens in May—something to look forward to.
Every time I stroll through Dough and Grocer, I know in my heart that the Uys have kept their promise to provide distinct food and dining experiences for us to relish.
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