MANILA -- Wine and spirits distributor Don Revy has upgraded The Bevvy, its boozy little corner of Chino Roces Avenue, into a full-service restaurant and wine bar.

For many patrons, the Don Revy showroom has been a nice, quiet hidden gem of a bar where one can get bottles at retail price, open it, and have a casual no-fuss drink. But there was always something missing from the experience -- food.

Jojo Vega, owner and proprietor of Don Revy, recalled the hassle of customers needing to order food from the outside with some even interrupting their sessions to coordinate with third-party delivery riders and stepping outside to get their food.

After closing the showroom for a month for renovations, The Bevvy has now reopened its doors to regular and new guests alike. While the interiors are still comfortably familiar for those who’ve had a tipple here in the past, there are several welcome changes to the space.

Veteran bartender Lennon Aguilar is now in charge of the bar where one can order a glass or bottle of the wines or spirits Don Revy has in its expansive catalog. But do check out the mixed drinks like the Chino By Night – mixed with Dead Man’s Fingers Coffee Rum which tastes like a sweet Black Forest cake imagined as a cocktail.

So, where’s the food?

The ante room has been remodeled into a full-blown kitchen where the team of chef consultant JayJay Sycip of Tagaytay’s The Fatted Calf cooked up the menu of premium bar entrees that pair with The Bevvy’s selection of wines and spirits still sold at retail prices.

In the past, the most the Don Revy showroom could offer was a cheese and cold cuts platter. It did get tiring to get this day after day, especially for repeat patrons. With the new menu, one can come over every day for a week and not have the same thing.

Cheese and cold cuts platter Jeeves de Veyra

Chicken pate. Jeeves de Veyra

Salpicao (with the Shrimp a la Plancha in the background). Jeeves de Veyra

Shrimp a la Plancha with Lemongrass Chimichurri. Jeeves de Veyra

Pan-roasted Rib-Eye. Jeeves de Veyra

Banana Sticky Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Walnut Brownies. Jeeves de Veyra

Sycip’s menu changes all that. Come for his Chicken Liver Pate that is so rich you’ll probably need more bread on one day, then nibble on the Salpicao or the Shrimp a la Plancha with Lemongrass Chimichurri on another.

They’ve also added mains to the menu for bigger appetites such as the Pan-roasted Rib-Eye which goes really well with a glass (or bottle) of red wine.

Chef Rhea Sycip, Jay-Jay’s wife, even has a contribution by way of Flour Pot’s Banana Sticky Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Walnut Brownies a la mode in the fnale section.

Moving forward, Vega has more in store for this new space. Watch out for wine dinners and special sessions such as wine appreciation classes and mixology classes which will be announced in the near future.

Overall, The Bevvy is a nice progression into Don Revy’s vision of making wine and spirits something that’s more casual and down to earth. Bevvies that can be sipped unpretentiously while wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

Just expect the T-shirt and jeans to be a little bit tighter after trying out the new menu.

The Bevvy is located at the UPRC III Building, 2289 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati and is open every day from 4 p.m. to 12 midnight from Monday to Saturday.