The menu listed a grand total of 20 food items, six of which are bagnet main dishes and another six as bagnet budget meals. It takes a lot of gumption to offer just about only one thing in your restaurant and build the menu around it. Braver still to name your restaurant after it. But 8065 Bagnet does not disappoint.
Lagal[og] says: The small restaurant sits around 50 max, elbow-to-elbow, including the outside dining cum drinking area. Located in a residential area in San Antonio Village in Makati, it’s easy to miss the place but don’t fret as even the tricycle drivers who ply the Mayapis-San Antonio area as well as the residents in the surrounding environs know where it is so you wouldn’t get lost. Gives you a good idea of how the news of good food really travels fast. The prices are cheap enough for everyday dining (you can share one dish and split the bill) though the cholesterol content means this is an every once-in-a-long-while indulgence.
Ironwulf says: The place won’t win any interior design awards with its loose/eclectic furnishing, grungy freedom walls and dim lighting but these make it less intimidating and accessible to everyone. Owned and operated by the brother of the famed rock artist Kitchie Nadal, the place does exude an atmosphere akin to small cafe and bars with intimate acoustic or rock performances. The small pool with a swimming turtle, a few fishes and Kermit the frog chilling out makes the entrance a perfect place to cool off your heels.
Lagal[og] says: A friend recommended this to me and I didn’t know how to close to home the place is until now. I should’ve come months earlier but what the hey, the proximity gives me an incentive to visit again and taste the other bagnet items. For this visit, I ordered the Binagoongang Bagnet (Deep fried and refried pork belly in shrimp sauce) as I love anything binagoongan. The dish sat for around 10-15 minutes because we were busy shooting all our orders but surprisingly, the bagnet skin was still crunchy. I like the fact that the sauce wasn’t too salty and had a hint of spiciness. The dish could stand to have a bit less sauce though as the bagnet was literally swimming in sauce. But the bagnet was superb in itself. Our friendly server, Karen, said that they source it from Ilocos which was no surprise at all.
Ironwulf says: I never thought bagnet, eaten outside the realm of Ilocos could ever be good. But this little place called 8065 Bagnet had my fork repeatedly piercing the saucy bagnet meat and go flying from plate to mouth again and again. How can I resist that crispy and crunchy bagnet skin and the very tender meat? Having tasted bagnet several times in Ilocos, this one is comparable if not better than the ones being offered there. And 8065 have several flavor variations in the menu, and the first I tried was the Binagoongang Bagnet. The sauce has really strong flavor and was acceptably spicy, I enjoyed this one immensely.
Lagal[og] says: At first, I found the Ginataang Bagnet (Deep fried and refried pork belly in creamy coconut sauce) a bit too creamy to my taste but it slowly grew on me. Just hot enough to tickle the palate. It’s no surprise it’s a favorite among those who make the place a watering hole instead of an eating place. We paired off our bagnet orders with Ensaladang Talong (Eggplant salad) and Okra with Bagoong (Okra with shrimp sauce) — no surprise here that they’re perfect matches with the bagnet as the tomatoes, mangoes, eggplant and okra provide a perfect foil to the fatty taste and crunchy texture.
Ironwulf says: I was a bit wary about the Ginataang Bagnet as I found it too creamy. The bagnet is still equally good but I’d prefer a stronger coconut flavor which I’m accustomed to. It’s a good thing their Binagoongan Rice was also good choice to pair off with the bagnet. There are also hints of spice there in the creamy sauce. The Ensaladang Talong is a fresh breaker for the really meaty dishes and the bagoong they use is also good not being too salty. And a cool way to wash it all off is the refreshing and cold Frozen Buko Pandan (Frozen coconut dessert laced with aromatic screwpine) in a tall halo-halo glass.
Lagal[og] says: It’s not in the menu but the Frozen Buko Pandan is a nice way to freshen up your palate and on a hot summer day like when we went there, a really fine way to cool off. A bit weird to be served frozen chunks of Buko Pandan but when the mercury hits the 30s, you’ll really appreciate it.
Bagnet 8065
8065 Estrella St., San Antonio Village, Makati City
Tel. No. 5081807 • Open Mon-Thu, Sat: 11am – 12mn; Fri & Sun: 11am – 1am
gosh, been craving for ensaladang talong and anything pork 🙂
What actually is a bagnet? Is it a term to mean pork belly?
I may be the only Ilocana not to fall for binagoongan 😀 That talong dish looks appetizing.
yay we were here last week! hello to cholesterol ang mga pagkain. note to self: must blog soon hehe 😛
disregarding the cholesterol content, bagnet is pure happiness, LOL! 😀
Nina, eto ang worth suspending your diet for 😀
Photocache, bagnet is dried and fried pork belly, a specialty of the Ilocanos. To prepare it, you have to refry it again.
Dyanie, hello again cholesterol nga 😀
Docgelo, kung pwede lang nga mas madalas ito
definitely one of the places i am eating at when i get back home
I’m so excited to try this place. Hello Cholesterol! I’m coming soon. =)
i’ll be trying the manila branch tomorrow. I hope that the food will be great!