This branch is a small and cramped space in Leon Guinto. The temperature inside is warm-ish. It’s cool when the fan or the air conditioner is hitting you, but when it’s not, it’s hot. You see, ambient temperature is very important to me because I sweat like crazy. However, I am willing to sacrifice a pack of tissue paper if the food is good… and the food was good.
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| Ginataang Bagnet |
I haven’t really tried authentic bagnet. But whatever 8065 Bagnet is serving is really good. I tried the spicy ginataan, which is fried pork with a bicol express-ish sauce. The pork was great. It was seasoned very well and fried to perfection. The outside, including the skin, was crispy. As I bit into it, the crispiness gave way to the perfectly tender meat inside. I could totally eat the pork with no sauce and I think that’s how I would’ve wanted it. No sauce or with Mang Tomas…Pork, rice and Mang Tomas. The spicy ginataan was just okay. It was a bit sweet and a bit spicy. I don’t have anything much to say about it. Generic gata sauce. It was served on the same plate as the pork and rice and it overwhelmed the entire dish. I should’ve asked for it to be served separately.
The ensaladang talong was also just okay. There is really nothing much to expect from an ensaladang talong. I ordered it just to cut the porkiness that I anticipated and I’m glad I ordered it. The little bit of tartness was needed to cut the greasy goodness of the bagnet.
I tried the other varieties of the dish. The bagnet was always prepared beautifully but I was not really fond of their sauces.
The price is very budget friendly. The portions were good, enough for one hungry person. If you are going to eat like a kargador and order an extra rice or even two, then I guess the sauce would be worth it. It can really extend the dish to satisfy an enormous appetite.
I would definitely go back to this place. I would just order the original bagnet though. I don’t know if they have their own lechon sauce so I’m thinking of bringing my own Mang Tomas next time.
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| Kare-kareng Bagnet |
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| Bagnet Curry |
Dianne's Review
Bagnet 8065 is a small, unassuming place along Leon Guinto St. (near Estrada) that serves really great bagnet (insert Nicholas Cage “You don’t say?” meme here). The place is dark and decorated by assorted vintage and music-related paraphernalia. A few books sit on the shelves on the walls. The recording studio above the restaurant provides the background music.
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| Bagnet Sisig |
At around P115 per rice meal, the food is quite affordable. You can also get bigger servings (good for 2 or 3) without rice at around P180. Besides the original bagnet preparation (just perfectly crispy twice-fried pork belly served with lechon sauce), you can also enjoy bagnet sisig, bagnet kare-kare, bagnet curry, binagoongang bagnet and ginataang bagnet. I ordered the bagnet sisig. Despite loving the crispiness of the pork skin, I found the dish a tad too salty and greasy for my taste. Unfortunately, I found myself consuming greater quantities of rice to offset this. I also ordered ensaladang talong (grilled eggplant, green mango, bagoong, tomato and onion). The eggplant is nice and mushy, although I would have preferred it smokier. Eaten together with the bagnet, the ensalada offers a nice, clean contrast.
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| Ensaladang Talong |
Overall, it was a satisfying (albeit unhealthy) experience. Although next time, I’d probably stick to the original bagnet.
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