R’Bonney Gabriel enjoys bibingka during visit to Legazpi Sunday Market

February 4, 2025 - 3:54 PM
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Screengrab of Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel eating bibingka at the Legazpi Sunday Market in this video posted on her TikTok on Feb. 4, 2025 (rbonneynola via TikTok)

Filipino-American Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel visited a weekend market in Makati City, where she indulged in a traditional Filipino baked rice cake.

The half-Pinay beauty queen went to the Legazpi Sunday Market where she bought local products like ginger lime drink, coconut cream cheese, and coconut kefir.

She also enjoyed some Filipino delicacies like halo-halo or a Filipino shaved ice dessert and bibingka or a baked rice cake.

“I’m at a a really cool market. It’s really big, there’s a lot of food, there’s local artisans… I’m like, so overwhelmed,” R’Bonney said in a video posted on her TikTok on Tuesday, February 4.

R’Bonney also bought fresh juice and bibingka, saying she “loves” the latter.

“I like the bibingka with the itlog na maalat, the salted egg,” the beauty queen shared.

She also shared a glimpse of how the Filipino baked rice cake is made.

“This is special, with cheese. And we’re adding the coconut,” R’Bonney said as soon as she got her bibingka from a stall.

“Ohhhhhhh… I love it, the sweet, the salty with the egg, y’all need to try it,” she exclaimed upon eating.

Bibingka is a classic Filipino Christmas treat, typically sold near churches during the holiday season. This rice cake is made with rice flour and coconut milk, then topped with grated coconut, salted eggs, and cheese

Meanwhile, true to her “plantita” nature, R’Bonney also stopped by the plant stalls twice but held herself back, saying she did not need any more plants for her house.

Last November, she went to Cartimar to shop for plants and quipped of wanting to “buy everything.”

RELATED: R’Bonney Gabriel in ‘plantita’ heaven as she goes shopping in Cartimar

At the weekend market, the beauty queen also treated herself to a large halo-halo topped with a slice of leche flan.

@rbonneynola Wish I would have got a plant though 🌱#Legazpimarket #sundaymarket #makati #manila ♬ Coffee and Chords – ya-su

R’Bonney, whose father is a Filipino, has been going in and out of the Philippines since 2024 to get in touch with her Pinoy roots and explore her heritage.

She has since ridden a traditional jeepney and hailed a motorcycle ride, eaten Pinoy street food, gone to famous Philippine beaches, cooked sinigang, and hung out in her father’s childhood home in Malate, among other things.

The beauty queen also headlined the Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2024, where she showed off her runway collection which is a mix of streetwear inspired by beachwear and her youth in Houston, USA.

ALSO READ: More R’Bonney Gabriel stories here