Dinner at Petra and Pilar

A month ago, a colleague from Belgium arrived here in Manila. I have worked with him personally in Istanbul and so, when he visited us, we were more than glad to welcome him. Our team took him out for dinner and decided to give him a taste of Filipino cuisine.

We brought him at Petra and Pilar located at Chino Roces in Makati. The place is owned by Katrina Ponce-Enrile and the place is named after her two grandmothers. The concept of this place is a fancy carienderia. You can order whichever dish you want at the counter and it will be served at your table. They have an array of food choices in display so you can choose whichever looks enticing.

Generally, the place is nice and cozy. They have a big place where the kitchen and the food selection counter sits on the far back of the place. Tables can sit a large group of people and you can opt to stay inside the air conditioned area or outside where you can smoke and enjoy a drink. I also saw that they have an enclosed function room where you can have some private party. On the far corner is a stage area. They sometimes have someone playing live there for the guests to chill and relax.

At the frony

Interior with the mini store at the corner

Aside from the dining area, they have a small store where they sell different gourmet food that you can buy and serve at home. I didn't get to check out the products they have there but there are a lot to choose from. Maybe I'll drop by sometime to check them out.

meet Petra and Pilar

The dishes they serve there are gourmet Spanish and Filipino food and most of the ones we ordered are superb. Of course, we chose something that we think our Belgian friend haven't tasted before. He was really game as long as there was no Balut involved. He really didn't like even the mention of it. LOL! ;P

We ordered Creamy Sinigang, Diningding sa Kangkong at Sili, Garlic Crispy Pata and the yummy Kare-Kare sa Kasoy.

As we were served with the yummy dishes, we dig in and enjoyed the familiar yet unique taste of the food in front of us.

Diningding sa Kangkong a Sili (PHP120)

The Diningding sa Kangkong at Sili is an Ilocano vegetable dish. It is composed primarily of kangkong and chili. It is similar to Pinakbet with all the vegetables in it.

Garlic Crispy Pata (PHP480)

Their Garlic Crispy Pata is to die for. The crispy pork leg that was deep fried to perfection and paired with a really yummy dipping sauce is one of the dishes you should taste there. I like that it has perfectly crispy skin and tender juicy meat inside. It is really good paired with beer, which you can also order there. Just be careful for this is really an unhealthy indulgence, but surely, you'll love this dish.

Creamy Sinigang (PHP220)

The Creamy Sinigang is one of those I liked. It is the traditional pork belly slices in tamarind broth with vegetables that we all know but has a mix of pureed taro and cream making the soup creamy and yummy. The soup itself is satisfying.

Kare-kare sa Kasoy (PHP280)

Kare-Kare sa Kasoy was the yummiest dish I tasted that night. I recommend you get to order it when you try out this place. It is the traditional Beef shank stew in peanut sauce. However, the peanut sauce was very yummy thanks to the kasoy that was used for it which gives it a unique taste. I like that it has a mix of sweetness in it and with the shrimp paste that comes with it, it was a winning dish.

Everything we had that night was really yummy and belly filling. And, our colleague really liked all of it. I just hope I could get to see the carinderia style in the morning because in the evening, the place is more of a restaurant where you'll be served with the waiters. It's a nice chill out place and yummy food too, which is perfect for after office dinner and drinks.


Petra and Pilar

JAKA Center, 

2311 Exportbank Dr

Legazpi Village, 

Makati(02) 887-5168
http://www.facebook.com/PetraAndPilar