For the love of fat - 8065 Bagnet House

I am not even a food critic. I just love to eat and try different places.  So when we passed by Estrella St in San Antonio Village Makati and saw 8065 Bagnet house, I got interested. I became even more convinced to try it out when my friend Felix told us food is great. (I trusted Felix on this one as we always look forward to eating his baon of bagnet that his mom makes :P)

So try it out I did on the weekend that followed.

Okay. I have never been to Ilocos (although I always plan on going) so I have never tasted the bagnets the place is so famous for.  I have tried here and there within the Metro but I don’t know if what I tasted was authentic or not.

I am not a bagnet expert, period. What I know is, Bagnet House did not disappoint me.

The place is more like a carinderia than a restaurant. We ate inside and the place seemed more for artists than regular corporate people. Tables and walls have graffiti, it almost begs you to leave your mark and write “I was here”.

On one wall are paintings and artworks while one side of the wall has books. Good thing the place is dark as I don’t know how it would look like with bright lighting. Don’t get me wrong, the place is interesting. While waiting for our food I can’t help but look around and check out all the doodles people have left on the wall.

Price is a little higher than a carinderia but well worth it. Side dishes and drinks are so affordable. They offer budget meals worth P105.00 and you can choose from a bagnet kare-kare, original, spicy ginataan, binagoongan and curry. This comes with rice and soup.

You can order the same bagnet ala carte, ranging from P170 to P200. According to the menu, this is good for 2 to 3 persons.

We decided to try the curry and ginataan so we can compare. Side dishes are also available and we settled to try the okra with bagoong costing us an additional P35. Drinks are available for just P25.00.

Let us just say that Felix was right. Their bagnet was great! It has the right crispiness, I was thinking I don’t want anything to go to waste. Instead of removing the skin and fat, I consumed everything – from the fat, to the meat, to the skin – up to the garnishing on my curry.

I was not able to take a picture of the okra with bagoong as we were stuffing our mouth when it arrived that we do not want to lose the momentum. The okra was steamed, about 6 to 8 pieces, while the bagoong was sweet. A perfect side dish to the fat of the bagnet, it made us feel less guilty about the fat we were consuming so fast. 

We  ended our meal with 2 pastillas each valued at P10.00 in total. Yummy and taste home-made.

Happy tummy for the price of P315! I will definitely go back. =)

The al fresco area...

yummy pastillas!!!

8065 Bagnet House is located at Estrella St., San Antonio Village Makati. From Edsa, turn left to Pasong Tamo (Chino Roces), then left at Estrella St. It is on the left side. It is usually open from lunch until 12mn.