I blame most of my weight gain to that time in college when I was busy working on my thesis and I would be so tired that I wouldn't discriminate on what I shoveled into my trap. It was also around this time when I spent most of my waking hours near school (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Taft Avenue, Manila) to be close to the library. Though one is hardly pressed for dining choices in Taft, I would find myself stress eating all the time at 8065 Bagnet. Up to this day, I still remember the strong smell of cabbage and beer that seem to alway stink up the place, but not enough for it to become off-putting (I think it even gave the place some character).
The food is your typical bagnet, but at a more student-friendly price. For a little over a hundred pesos, you will get a good-sized serving of bagnet in bite-sized pieces with a cup of rice, some soup, a side of green mango and bagoong. You can also kick it up a notch and enjoy the bagnet kare-kare style, as if you needed another excuse to consume even more rich heart-stopping and artery-clogging pork swimming in peanut sauce. Other permutations of the beloved Ilokano favorite are sisig (a bit too sweet for my taste, but is still creamy and crunchy) and dinuguan (brilliant and very delicious). They also have other dishes that go well with the bagnet, such as grilled eggplant salad and steamed fish in cream sauce.
I love this place. I have since moved on from consuming copious amounts of pork, but this place still makes me wish I hadn't made the choice to "eat healthier". I have moved to the other side of Metro Manila, yet I still long for that stale cabbage smell and the promise of crunchy and crackling pork skin with juicy meat dunked in Mang Tomas, and washed down with liberal amounts of Red Horse. Upstairs is a rehearsal space that is often used by budding musicians and even by the owner, who is no less than Kitchie Nadal. Her artwork is also hung around the place. I think it's the nostalgia and the memories, but I love this branch more than I love the one in Estrella which seems a little bit too dank and depressing for me. read more