We Traveled 4 Hours For This!

Last Saturday was a busy Saturday for me. It was a flurry of reunions, not that I'm complaining! I spent the whole morning with former officemates catching up on our lives after our stint in the publishing world. Then, it was time to embark on a roadtrip with my BFFs.

Left my car at the Mall of Asia, and BFF Trency passed by for me. We heard traffic along SLEX was hell-on-earth, so we decided to go through Cavite. But first we had to pass by Miya (whom we met at Coastal Mall) and Gladys (whom we picked up at Sucat). Traffic was horrible even inside BF in Parañaque so it was a ROADTRIP in the making.

At first we were supposed to go to Marcia Adams' famed restaurant, but when we found out about the cover charge (which we had NO IDEA of), we decided to switch to a cheaper food haunt.

Off we went to RSM Restaurant to eat BULALO (beef and bone marrow in vegetable soup). Perfect for the winter weather feel in Tagaytay.

The restaurant was very cozy and very spacious. It had native Filipino decorations with heavy wooden tables in the dining area. I'm guessing it could accommodate 30-50 families all at once.


We were famished after that 4 hour drive in freagen traffic. So we couldn't wait to order. Of course, you all know we had bulalo.


It was served in this huge and tall metal pot with a wick at the bottom, supposedly to keep the broth hot to prevent the fat from the meat from hardening. It was served piping hot complete with smoke effect. It smelled so good! The meat was tender, you didn't even need the knife to help you cut it up in small pieces. It was my first time to try it, and I was completely sold!

We also ordered Bangus Kare-Kare

This was a bit disappointing. I love kare-kare, and for me what's really important in this dish is the peanut sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce had a watery consistency and did not really taste peanut-y. They had few bangus pieces, and those pieces we had were tiny. The vegetables, especially the Baguio beans were tough. I've recently had two kare-kare dishes over the holidays (read this and this), both of which were really, really GOOD! So I was really heartbroken with this one.

Lastly, we had Liempo.

Again, very sinful! But being with meat-eater friends, you just gotta go with the flow. I liked this one, but Gladys and Trency weren't really convinced. They said it was kinda sweet, probably from their marinade sauce.

All-in-all, the food was good except for the kare-kare. But what really DESTROYED this restaurant is their AWFUL SERVICE. The restaurant was massive, and we noticed they only had a few servers. We had a BITCH OF A TIME getting their attention, and when you finally get them to your table they look woeful. I remember telling the three, "Parang hindi sila masaya!" (It's like they're not happy.)

And since there were only a few servers, tables with used plates, glasses, utensils, and even the soda cans and beer bottles were left on the table for quite some time.



Good thing I was with the BFFs or else I would've thrown a fit. It was quite an experience since it was my first time in this restaurant. I just feel bad that you have to give them really bad feedback, and express it online. But this is just a heads-up in case you all want to eat here. The food's ok, it's just that you have to be a bit creative to get their attention. :)

But hey! The girlfriends and I were happy! We seldom get to be complete in a road trip and we finally had one early this year! We have to repeat! Love you girls!! :))



RSM Lutong Bahay Restaurant
Maharlika East, Tagaytay City, Cavite
Tel. No. (046) 860-2297
Mobile No. 0917-2761863 and 0917-9661358
Directions: Go past the rotonda going towards the direction of Batangas City. It's along the rows of restaurants after The Boutique Hotel. It's very near Starbucks and Leslie's.