My boyfriend and I spent one sunny afternoon in one of the newest foodie spots in Pasig City: Gastro Park Kapitolyo. Food parks have been popping up here and there as of late. The first one I heard about was Maginhawa’s Streat, Z Compound in Malingap Street. Both are in Teachers Village in Quezon City where restaurants of all sorts seem to bloom on a regular basis. And then recently there is…
Any restaurant that serves Bagnet and only Bagnet dishes will definitely raise my eyebrows. So when I got an invitation to try a restaurant that focuses solely on this classic Filipino pork dish at a location that I still had not visited, I gladly accepted the invite and started wondering what kind of variations you can possibly do with Bagnet.
Bagneto is a restaurant located inside the Z Compound in Malingap Street, just a few blocks away from the popular Maginhawa Street in Teacher’s Village, Quezon City which has become a foodie zone. I have heard about this Z Compound a few times before but this was the first time I have seen it. From the outside street it just looks like a small food outlet but the number of cars parked outside says something different.
Stepping inside the gates, Z Compound opens up to a surprising sight. This previous garage area has been turned into an open-air food court housing several food establishments all serving different cuisines and specialties. The ambiance is very casual and laid-back, similar to those found at Maginhawa St. where you can just go and eat in your shorts and T-shirts.
Z Compound started with just 4 original tenants last November 2013 but has now expanded to around 14 different restaurants. Each restaurant has its own specialty so as not to compete with one another. That means that diners have a wide choice of dishes to choose from.
Each establishment has its own tables and seats but the compound acts like a food court where you can cross-order from other restaurants. It tends to get a bit wet when it starts to rain since it is an open-air compound, and probably gets too hot during the summer, so make sure to dress appropriately. The main market here are students from U.P. and the neighboring colleges but a lot of families and young adults also troop here for their barkada nights. Most of the restaurants here only open starting from 5pm onwards.
Having opened just a few months ago, Bagneto has one of the more cooler looking logos in the area. It only has a few seats and tables so it easily gets packed.
I actually thought that Bagneto was pronounced similar to Cornetto. But when I saw its logo and mascot, I knew that I was mistaken. Bagneto was actually inspired from the X-Men villain Magneto, hence the pig in costume. Pigs are evil, yes I know, but I still love eating them.
There are only 5 items in the menu at Bagneto, so choosing your order is quite easy. Bagnet, or crispy fried pork belly, is quite similar to lechon kawali except that it is more crispy with a texture almost like chicharon.
I got to talk with owner Raz Resuena who started this enterprise because of his love for this porky Ilocano dish. All of the recipes for Bagneto were formulated just by himself by experimenting with various tastes and with the help of his friends.
Despite having no real culinary education, his love for bagnet had carried over into his food business. It only took 2 months from the planning to the opening of Bagneto and I could see that diners have been very receptive to this concept.
Now it was time to sample these bagnet dishes. The first dish is the traditional Bagnet (P109) with rice. I liked the cute presentation of their rice dishes with the center carved out and filled with the viands. The bagnet itself was really one of the better ones I have tasted. It was very crispy but not too hard. It is also not too oily but it still retains that tender salty flavor. Yes, there is a lot of fat, but that’s what you get from this classic dish. It’s not for the faint of heart, but the serving size is just good enough to forget your calorie restrictions for the day. It also comes with both lechon sauce and spicy vinegar.
The Bagnet Kare Kare (P129) is one dish any Filipino would love. Combining two traditional Filipino dishes results in one modern but lovable combination. This brings kare kare to a whole new level. It comes with bagoong sauce to add even more saltiness to the dish.
The Bagnet Bicol Express (P129) is the owner’s favorite dish. Having come from Bicol himself, he infused this version with memories of his home-cooked Bicol Express dishes which were usually made with a little bit of bagoong, resulting in this pinkish color. Raz says that this is the traditional way of making Bicol Express so he has applied the same cooking style here. I thought that this would be too spicy but actually it was not. There was just a mild hint of spiciness as well as a mild hint of bagoong.
The Bagnet Binagoongan (P129), on the other hand, is what you should get if you are a fan of another traditional Filipino dish, the pork binagoongan. I have to say that I do not really like binagoongan so I passed on trying this dish. But the others seemed to like it as well and finished off their portions quite easily.
Lastly, my favorite dish for the night was definitely the Bagnet Sisig (P129). I have eaten a lot of sisig before but this one stands out because of the crispiness of the bagnet bits and the overwhelming flavors of the pork. The fried egg mixed in highlights this sinful dish even more. This sisig goes well on its own or with rice. I could just eat this all night.
While the menu is quite limited for now, the owner plans on expanding his menu soon with three new bagnet dishes that sound just as appetizing. These include Bagnetsilog, Bagnet Laing, and Tokwa’t Bagnet. These new items would definitely entice more diners troop to the Z compound.
It was a satisfying albeit rainy night in Bagneto at the Z Compound. This newly discovered restaurant and foodie haven has been a delightful surprise for me and if the other establishments here are just as good as Bagneto, then I believe that the Z Compound will soon be one of the next great foodie destinations.
— The Hungry Kat
BAGNETO
Z-Compound, 33 Malingap St., East Teacher’s Village, Quezon City
