Home of the 72-hour bagnet and Iberian chicken
The Arroz Ecija branch we had lunch at was located at Greenhills. It has a Fil-Hispanic menu and prides itself as the home of the 72-hour bagnet and Iberian chicken. The place was very Filipino too. The staff would take orders and converse in deep Tagalog (which we don’t often hear nowadays since we’re very much used to speaking Taglish).
The place was okay but I wouldn’t say it’s Instagram-worthy on every corner. It had a nice touch of old Manila but the portraits that hung on the walls seemed a bit out of place. Nonetheless, it still gave a bit of that vibe from our Vigan trip. It’s named "Arroz Ecija" after all.
We ordered Bistek Tagalog with Garlic Basmati Rice (P285) and of course, their specialty, the 72-hour Bagnet with Pinakbet and Jasponica Rice (P289). You can actually choose between the 72-hour bagnet or their bagnet Ilocos but we wanted to know what’s so special about this “72-hour bagnet”. We also had Sago Gulaman (P75) to cool our heads from the short but intense walk under the sun.
While waiting for our order, the staff served us with a generous bowl of Chinese chicharon or chicharap as we like to call it (credits to Chowking). A little later, they gave us some homemade puto. We appreciated the gesture and enjoyed the freebie.
The Sago Gulaman was served first, I loved how chewy the pearls were. The sweetness was okay but I must say, the extract used was too strong. A lesser essence would’ve let me tag it as the most nostalgic sago’t gulaman but so far, the best sago’t gulaman still goes to my Nanay’s.
The Bistek Tagalog came in next. We couldn’t wait for the Bagnet and Pinakbet so we immediately dug in. Arroz Ecija’s Bistek was my type of Bistek because it had the right tanginess. The meat was tender and the rice itself tasted delicious thanks to the garlic bits sprinkled on top.
Despite not being a fan of veggies, Gepoy said he liked the Pinakbet which definitely paired well with the Bagoong Rice. Finally, I was going to taste the 72-hour Bagnet. It came together with two different sauces – a soy and vinegar sauce and lechon sauce – and a side of KBL (kamatis, bagoong, and lasona). The skin was crunchy and the pork had the right amount of fat but it tasted quite bland. A little more salt would’ve done the trick but it was good overall.
The waitresses in this branch were really accommodating so I found the place homey despite the Bagnet not meeting my expectations. Surely, I’ll come back for the Bistek and maybe I could give their Iberian chicken a try some time.
End!