A Hole-In-One With A Hole-In-The-Wall: 8065 Bagnet
Hole-in-the-wall food finds are like unrefined gold: they glitter underneath the dirt and smudge that covers them. Behind those dilapidated facades or those rustic interiors, beyond the lack of adequate ventilation and appropriate sanitation, there exists a one-of-a-kind culinary experience, or a dish that's to-die-for. A few restaurants even ride on that "hole-in-the-wall" tag line, labeling themselves as such, when they are actually not. Apparently, there is some bucolic charm with that moniker, attracting the adventurous foodie. However, not all are true-blue, down-to-earth, neighborhood joints.
Dreaming of pork rind..
8065 Bagnet is an open secret among food bloggers and foodstagrammers. It is almost legendary, like the fabled shangri-la of yore. And like that mystical hideaway, the original branch of 8065 Bagnet is tough to find. Let's get it straight, the "Bagnet" there is not an actual street, but the "8065" is the actual lot number, along Estrella Street. Where, pray tell, is that? It's tucked clandestinely in a right-turn corner when you skim along Kamagong Street in "ghetto" Makati. Kamagong Street is like a poor-man's Timog Avenue / Katipunan / Kapitolyo / Aguirre Avenue. There are a handful of good foodie treasures just waiting to be stumbled upon. Yes, stumbled upon. For in my search for 8065 Bagnet, armed with my Google Map, I nearly missed the shop while driving slowly along the short stretch of Estrella Street. And that was in broad daylight, when the sun was at noon-time high. There was no large gleaming signage, no road sign to point you there. There was only a wooden panel and a poorly-set dark red signage with the large numbers: 8065. I had to take another look just to check if I was in the correct spot!
Luckily, it was already past the usual lunch hours, and I managed to find a parking space right out front. 8065 Bagnet is a diminutive joint with an even smaller space in the front yard for al fresco dining. When you get inside though, the atmosphere instantly changes. Dark and dank like an old Manila restaurant, deftly positioned dim lights highlight the art adorning the otherwise unimpressive walls.
Idyllic artworks decorate the dark plastered walls.
Abstract art and charcoal paintings.
The seats are simple wooden chairs and tables, the air-conditioning nearly non-existent, adding to that old-world charm. The menu book was bare and simple, consisting of laminated print-outs of their food offerings that perhaps rarely, if ever, changed. We were famished at that unholy hour, so we quickly succumbed to our heart's desire. Bagnet all the way!
For the uninitiated, bagnet is an Ilokano institution: if Korea had double-fried chicken, Ilocos had double-fried bad-ass pork rind. And the clever guys behind 8065 Bagnet practically tossed everything in with it: curry, gata, pakbet, kare-kare; the list goes on. I wouldn't be surprised if they come up with Speculoos Bagnet anytime soon.
Bagnet in Spicy Gata, P120 (solo meal)
Every version came in a solo budget meal for those saving up, and also ala carte for those with a hearty appetite (pun intended). We picked a solo meal each. Although I wanted to get the kare-kare mash-up so I could compare with my all-time favorite Pino version, I picked the spicy gata instead so the missus could have a taste of my dish.
At first sight, it was a hit. The pork was gloriously gleaming in its oily majesty. For a budget meal, the serving size of the viand was surprisingly abundant. Also, it was fairly distributed in fat and meat, although I preferred the former of course. I put my low-pork diet on hold for that day as I indulged. The skin was perfectly executed - crisp all the way through, charred in some parts to give that grilled taste, and golden brown in the rest to exude the familiar lechon kawali texture. The meat was firm yet easy to chew, flavorful in itself. The gata was a totally different story. It was obviously either straight from the can or the tetra pack. I would have preferred fresh coconut milk, and then simmered slowly in the spices of the red siling labuyo. That would have made this version immaculate. Nevertheless, the bagnet was already flawless.
Bagnet Sisig, P120 (solo meal)
She picked the sisig version with a special request of added chilis to amp up the spice level. Boy, was I envious. Chopped up chunky pieces of perfectly done bagnet sizzled in its own fat, and a hint of lechon sauce (Mang Tomas, perhaps?), with garnishings of red and green siling labuyo for color and kicks. At first bite, it was heavenly and deadly. Despite the sauce, the pork skin remained crispy throughout, and the underlying fat soft and cloying. The chopped up meat was easy to chew and digest. There was something mysteriously wonderful with the sauce that I couldn't quite make out. The dish felt like paksiw na lechon done in sisig style. Whatever it was, the bagnet sisig is to-die-for. She couldn't quite finish it because the spice kicked in sooner than expected, so we had the leftovers wrapped for home. That's just a testament on how big the serving size is, considering this is supposedly a budget meal.
Every aspect of 8065 Bagnet was bona fide hole-in-the-wall. The prices were cheap, yet they did not scrimp on the serving sizes, regardless if it was a budget meal. The place was rustic yet charming. The upper floor was a larger and brighter dining area, although more humid. I suggest the lower floor for a more romantic feel or a gastro-pub / bar aura. Don't expect kingly service from the staff though, this is practically a glorified carinderia. Nevertheless, 8065 Bagnet is worth the trip and the traffic. I envy people living in Makati for harboring such shops serving up no-nonsense honest-to-goodness food. I believe there is another branch along Leon Guinto near Benilde, for hungry budget-conscious Lasallians.
8065 Bagnet is for those hungry for sumptuous food without feeling squeamish about the place. Anyway, that's what hole-in-the-wall really means: the food is the star. So much so that Estrella Street may very well be renamed Bagnet Street in the near future.
8065 Bagnet
8065 Estrella Street, San Antonio Village
Makati City
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