RAINY days, Mondays and down days thankfully perk up at the whiff of the much-loved, fondly-remembered food of our growing-up years, visiting with grandparents or enjoying dinner and conversation with family and friends. At Petra & Pilar, relive those moments with great food you would want to go back to—again and again.

Located at the ground floor, JAKA Center Building, Export Avenue corner Pasong Tamo, Makati City, Petra & Pilar is the newest venture of world foodie Katrina Ponce Enrile, president and CEO of the JAKA Group of Companies. She pays homage to the food of her parents’ youth, inspiring her to unearth her grandmothers’ recipes and recreate it. Between the down-home simplicity of Ilocano cooking learned from the Ponce-Enrile matriarch Petra, and the extravagantly rich flavors of a proper Spanish degustacion from the Castañer matriarch Pilar—hence, Petra & Pilar—Katrina came to appreciate the nuances of food cooked in just the right way. The world foodie, who would travel near or far in search of the best of the best, found herself very much enamored with home-style cookery and all the familial, familiar associations it evokes—one she gladly shares with Petra & Pilar’s clientele.

“There are many restaurants that offer high-end food with a high-price tag. I wanted a very affordable place, short of a turo-turo but three or four notches higher quality-wise.  I also want something simple na babalik-balikan mo, enjoyed family-style, which is very important,” said Ponce-Enrile.

Unstinting quality is also a Petra & Pilar mantra. From Osso Bucco to Kare-Kare to signature desserts, Petra & Pilar may have a carinderia style setup but the flavors remain true to taste. The restaurant’s brand of simplicity translates to making it easy for people to enjoy food they do not have time, much less the inclination, to cook. 

Petra & Pilar is also home to 21, a reservations-only function room-cum-chef’s table where clients can customize menus for seven-course meals for six or 21, with beautiful flatware, its own private bar and restroom, and a fine selection of wines. With its own butler service, 21 is a well-appointed venue for even the most exacting of tastes. 

In addition, JAKA Foods’ Delimondo Specialty Food Products line of specialty sausages, prepared sauces and other deli items finally has its own showcase at the restaurant for the convenience of discriminating foodies who love real food but have no time to cook.

Indeed, Petra & Pilar combines home-cooking and high style to perfection. “We offer our clients utmost convenience and enjoyment on so many levels—all under one roof. I don’t think anything can beat that,” said Katrina. 

Petra & Pilar is open from 11 am to 10 pm weekdays. For inquiries: 887-5168, 893-5531, locals 480 or 481.

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