RSM Lutong Bahay in Tagaytay City is a Filipino restaurant that serves dozens of authentic and familiar dishes that are close to Pinoys’ hearts. It serves a la carte, reminds me of the house I grew up in the province – all wood, with wide windows adorned with Capiz shells, and sweeping staircases. To add to the Pinoy flavor, there is a band of haranistas (serenaders) that goes from one table to another to sing popular songs and is willing to render any song the diner requests. Of course, the pièce de résistance is the stunning view of the Taal Volcano and the Taal Lake that diners can bask in whether having their meal indoors (especially in the second floor) or al fresco.
Juan and I arrived in RSM Lutong Bahay around 2pm after we had wandered around Fantasy World, so we were famished. 10 minutes before this, I thought my brain cells stopped working and regurgitated more nonsense than I could remember. I must have said something like, “let’s just eat in a fastfood restaurant” upon seeing the non-moving vehicles in the intersection near the restaurant.
Imagine my happiness when we were seated right away (most of the lunch crowd was finished by this time), were able to gaze at Taal Volcano and Taal Lake as we waited for our food, and devoured said food in record time (we had a scheduled dinner in Quezon City that same day).
The waitstaff was friendly but was not as attentive as I would want them to be. We had to catch the attention of the waiters at least twice to ask for water. Having the haranistas was a good touch, but by 230pm, they must have been tired and played their instruments mechanically without a hint of mirth on their faces. The singer (female) remained engaging though.
I blame my ravenousness for the lack of photos of the interior and menu.
Here are some of the photos taken in RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay:
The façade of RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay
The view of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake from the second floor dining area of RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay.
Taal Volcano and Taal Lake. Photo by Juan
TR and TJ enjoying the cool Tagaytay breeze. Photo by Juan
TR’s and TJ’s humans taking in the view of Taal
Bulalong Tagalog, P685.00 (US $13.70). This could have fed at least 4 people. It was piping hot when it reached the table. It had several huge chunks of meat and a bone marrow, but the soup itself was lacking in flavor.
Ginataang Kohol, P280.00 (US $5.60). I liked this one, maybe because I am always half in love with dishes with gata (coconut cream). All the greens, the onion and the sili complemented each other and made the dish richer. It was not so difficult to take the meat inside the shell (thank goodness! My famished self is never patient), and every bite of the kohol (snail) was Allelujah!
Kanin sa Dahon, P45.00 each (US $0.90). It looked cute and more Pinoy but tasted like any ordinary white rice.
The four of us before we enjoyed our meal
For more details and the complete menu of RSM Lutong Bahay, please visit their website at www.smesguerragroup.com/rsmlutongbahay.
RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay Operating Hours:
9am to 11pm daily
RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay Contact Numbers for Reservations:
(046) 860 – 2287 and 0932 – 8689531
RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay Email Address:
rsmlutongbahay_tagaytaycity@yahoo.com
RSM Lutong Bahay Tagaytay Address:
Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, Tagaytay City