Serial Tripper

At the heart of Tagaytay City some fifty miles off Manila lies a place that prides itself in lutong bahay (home-cooked food). RSM Lutong Bahay is a big restaurant with a big menu specializing in Filipino home-cooked cuisine. It sits on an awesome location overlooking Taal Volcano (situated in neighboring Batangas), thus presenting a great opportunity to sample local cuisine while enjoying a breathtaking natural view of the volcano and the lake around it. I’ve actually been to the place a few times already, but every single time I was there was always with family and friends who knew the area well, so I didn’t feel the need to remember the name of the restaurant. What I remembered well, though, were the spectacular views from the huts where we had our meals.

RSM Lutong Bahay is a Filipino restaurant serving local cuisine and nothing else, but for that security guard at the nearby Cliffhouse, it was a place for good bulalo (basically a stew with beef shanks and bone marrow). I expected a small, cheap restaurant (based on metropolitan Manila standards for hole-in-the-wall bulaluhan joints), but RSM Lutong Bahay was simply not in that category. It was spacious enough to hold wedding receptions, birthday celebrations, and other functions that need to house many guests, and the menu was an extensive list of Filipino dishes that just dares you to sample each option.

Wooden furniture is the primary theme with lights (in the form of bulbs, lamps, and LED string lights) accentuating every nook, wall, baluster, and hut at night; pottery, wheels, stones, and a few religious figures here and there complete the interior that is traditionally Filipino. Of course, the overall restaurant design wouldn’t be complete without taking advantage of the scenic Taal Lake and volcano view: an alfresco area is situated at the back where the huts are placed and wheel couches offer a very laid-back dining experience.

Of course, for us, there was something more important the alfresco area: the Bulalong Tagalog (Php 460) that we specifically visited RSM Lutong Bahay for. I personally liked the soup first, the meat second, and the vegetables last, but it was all good. It evoked childhood memories of myself digging into a huge bowl of bulalo prepared by my mom at home along with bowl after bowl of plain rice. The only difference is that at home, the soup is much saltier (we prefer it that way) and the meat was tastier (by a mile, actually; I think my mom owes it to our meat supplier who comes around every week after Sunday church to deliver a juicy supply of beef shanks and bone marrow). The one at RSM Lutong Bahay isn’t bad, mind you, and I could simulate the family recipe by adding soy sauce to the stew.

We ordered plates of Pinakbet, Inihaw na Pusit Lumot (Php 90 / 100g), and Chopsuey (Php 230), all Filipino staples including the last one, which is derived from the Chinese dish of the same name. Pinakbet is basically a meat-and-vegetable stew with either or both beef and pork, vegetables, and bagoong (a pungent seasoning made from fermented fish and brine); RSM serves theirs with shrimp. Inihaw na pusit lumot is grilled squid, and chopsuey is a mix of chopped meats and vegetables in a fairly thick sauce.

Crispy Pata (Php 450) is a local favorite pork fare (quite possibly only second to lechon) that features fried pork legs with very crispy skin meant to be dipped in soy sauce with small portions of onion. I can live with just this on my diet, if only it wasn’t so damn sinfully fattening.

The restaurant offers a variety of fruit and milk shakes, and I opted to order a Watermelon Shake (Php 98) for a nice cap to a great feast.

I didn’t feel the need to remember the name of the restaurant. What I remembered well, though, were the spectacular views from the huts where we had our meals.

Overall, RSM Lutong Bahay is a safe place to sample Filipino cuisine at a great location. Just the excellent view of Taal and the traditionally-detailed interiors of the restaurant are worth checking out, but it wouldn’t hurt to grab a few glasses of shakes (or local beer) while you’re there.

RSM Lutong Bahay
Magallanes Square, Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines