Have you ever been to Ilocos? If you have, then you might have heard of their famous dish locally known as Bagnet. Bagnet is an all-time Ilocano favorite, composed of a deep fried pork belly, that has the tenderness of a Lechon Kawali, and the dry crispness of a chicharon. If that sounds something you would like to try, then I have a good news for you: this dish now within your reach! no need to drive all the way to Ilocos to take a bite of their infamous meat. Manganen Bagnet House stationed in Marikina offers authentic Ilocano-inspired Bagnet made especially for you!

Manganen Bagnet House opened their doors for Ilocano food-lovers last year and has then, been featured in various publications online. Even the word “manganen” is an Ilocano word itself, closely translated to “Let’s Eat!”.  To celebrate their first anniversary, Manganen will be offering one of their house specialty for as low as Php 1! Yes, you read that right. 1 PESOS. Well, to give you a preview, here is a bit of a walk-through.

The Manganen Kare-Kare Meal – Php 188

The usual Filipino Kare-Kare is composed mainly of boiled and soften Pork hocks and vegetables, enjoyed with a set of bagoong or shrimp paste. The Manganen Kare-Kare however, mixed two Filipino favorites into a single dish, by adding a Balai Bagnet to a thick savory kare-kare peanut butter sauce. The sauce is tasty enough in itself that the need for shrimp paste is not really that necessary, except of course if you want more flavor into your meal.

Sinigang House Special Meal – Php 188

Once again Manganen incorporated their infamous Balai Bagnet into one of our usual dish – the sinigang. Sinigang is actually a dish popularized by the Tagalogs, and since then became one of the home-grown part of the Philippine cuisine. A typical tagalog-style sinigang is characterized as a stew of sour and savory pork chops, water spinach, tamarind, tomato, eggplant, radish and onion. This Special Sinigang though has a much thicker broth than the usual style. Manganen ensures that simplicity does not necessarily mean that you need to sacrifice the flavor.

Vigan Bagnet – Php 158 (NOW ONLY 1 pesos from June 15-17, 2017)

This meal is a part of their Special Bagnet Meals. Mind you, not everyone in the menu will be selling out for Php 1! This is the only dish that would be selling for the said price, for a limited time and limited date only – on a first come first serve basis. The piece of meat in this dish is classic-sourced and is proudly made in Vigan, Ilocos-Sur. The sidings offer a smooth and softer taste to complement the crispy dried Bagnet.

Ilocandia Bonding Bilao – Php 899

When a Filipino says Bilao, it only means one thing – it’s going to be a lot. This special set is good for sharing for up to 4-6 pax. The set up could be widely associated with the popular boodle fight, where people share a set of food on a piece of banana leaf, accompanied by lots and lots of White Rice, as portrayed in the photo. This particular offer includes a set of Vigan Bagnet, Laoag Longganisa, Poqui-pogui and Dinakdakan. Poqui poqui is a Filipino dish made with roasted eggplant, onions and egg. Another Ilocano delicacy is called a “dinakdakan” commonly served as an appetizer, but widely eaten as a meal. It is made with diced pork mixed with calamansi, onions and chili pepper.

Desserts – my favorite part of every meal. Since we are tapping into local culinary cuisines, it is only fair that Manganen will also present us with a set of Filipino-inspired desserts, such as Ube and Leche Flan.

Ube – Php 88

Let me begin by saying that this is by far one of the best UBE I have ever tasted. Why? It was served to us neat and warm, with a melted butter on top. The delicacy is heated to a specific degree to keep it warm, soft and yet not soggy –  a sign of expertise! The butter enhances the flavor and softness of the ube, making way for an easy and enjoyable experience for every bite!

Leche Flan – Php 78

As a part Batangena, I have always been biased with Leche Flans, as I believe that our part of the region can make the best Leche Flan in the world. Well, I have been proven wrong.A secret to a good Leche Flan, is the firmness, sweetness, and softness of its taste. It should not be too sweet, not too firm and not too soft as well. Manganen’s version of this dessert captured all of these.

To sum it up, Bagnet definitely won our hearts over diet!

This article also appeared at Catching Carla – Manganen Bagnet House

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Manganen Bagnet House

Address: 116 Lilac Street, SSS Village, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City
Contact Number:  +63 9985689109
Store Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10AM to 11PM, Closed on Mondays