Rural Kitchen of Liliw Laguna Has Reopened, And It's as Good As We Remember It

Rural Kitchen of Liliw Laguna
Ibabang San Roque, Liliw, Laguna
Open for Friday to Sunday reservations

Visit their Instagram for more information

(SPOT.ph) If you’re the type who often seeks out really well-made, just honest-to-goodness home-style Filipino food, you will likely remember Rural Kitchen of Liliw Laguna from back in the day. First of all, how can you forget that name—grounded and romantic at the same time, inspiring images of meals cooked over wood fire, in a kitchen that looks out to rice fields and coconut trees? And then there’s the food—familiar flavors in outstanding interpretations of dishes close to our hearts.

The good news is that it’s back in business, after closing its two outlets during the pandemic—in Poblacion and Rada Street, Makati. The rather unappealing part of this news, at least for city folk like us, is that it’s chosen to reopen in Liliw, Laguna itself, which is around a two-hour drive from Manila. But, you know what? Good things come to those who travel far, and we assure you a ton of good things await those who will make the trip to Ibabang San Roque in Liliw for Rural Kitchen of Liliw Laguna version 2.

Although Justin Sarabia isn’t exactly cooking over wood fire here. (Or is he? We didn’t check.) But there’s definitely a farm and there are coconut trees. The chef has chosen to revive the recipes of his grandmother Fidelidad but this time in the family property, a portion of his parents’ vacation home, a spacious bungalow with a modern tropical design and a 1960s touch. In the dining room where he serves guests, there is a cocktail bar, art, and lots of natural light—all thanks to glass walls that also offer views of the abovementioned trees and greenery.

“We’ve always wanted to reopen the restaurant and we actually had the idea to open in Liliw during the quarantine when everyone was looking to explore places outside of Metro Manila,” says Chef Justin, sporting a striped apron and a cap, shy and unassuming, welcoming us with the warmth of a cousin we haven’t seen in a very long time. “Given that we couldn’t find the perfect space in the city, we took it as a sign to open at home instead.”

Fans of the old Rural Kitchen can still expect the same nostalgic home cooked meals when they visit Liliw: the really nutty Oxtail Kare-Kare (P980) made with the house peanut butter sauce and stewed with annatto oil. This has the perfect touch of sweetness and quite a generous amount of oxtail meat—at least compared to those served in stingy Manila restos who drown their little morsels in sauce. Here, we were a table of five and there was enough beautifully tender meat to go around.

Of course we also ordered a lot: well, two appetizers, five mains and two desserts. That’s how excited we were to eat here again; and how much faith we have in Chef Justin’s kitchen. We were asked to send in our orders days before, just so chef can prepare and do his marketing in advance.

Our lunch started with house-made Pandesal and soft and buttery bonete bread, anchoring our meal in the locale right off the bat, bonete being a popular snack in Liliw and called thus because of its bonnet shape. The breads came with two kinds of butter and a dip that’s a cross between salsa and chimichurri. We had Pako Salad (P390) afterwards and Ukoy (P550)—seven flat and rectangular pieces, crispy thin and delicious, with a classic Filipino table sawsawan of toyo, suka, and minced onion.

We loved the Laing with Kuhol (P410)—the extract of the taro leaves coloring the coconut liquid, and the escargot giving it a deeper, more savory flavor. We enjoyed the crispy Fried Chicken (P420); the very simple yet very satisfying Lamb Kaldereta (P780); the Pork Binagoongan (P610)—tender and juicy pork shoulder cooked with tomatoes, chilis and shrimp paste made in house. Nothing was in excess, everything was just right—from the amount served, the composition of the dishes, to the presentation. Uncluttered and unapologetic in their simplicity and straightforwardness. It’s like tasting familiar things and being surprised. The kind of surprise brought about by getting exactly what you expected and maybe just a little more.  

The chef counts the Pork Binagoongan as one of his personal favorites, along with the Beef Mechado and Lamb Kaldereta. “But I would also have to mention the Pork Adobo, which reminds me most of my Lola and my childhood since this was often my baon for school,” adds Chef Justin who is turning 40 this year, already a father of two young daughters, still looks like a baon-toting school boy. A college school boy but still.

Time away from the city has clearly done him a lot of good. He says he spent most of the days after closing his restaurants back in the family’s home kitchen, cooking again, “revisiting old recipes, tweaking dishes, and thinking about how we wanted Rural Kitchen to come back.” He opened a little snack bar called Rural Bites, too, parked across the street from Rural Kitchen, where he got to be a little more creative with the food and have fun with menu—without being far from home and family.

“We’ll always have our Lolo and Lola’s house, but this felt special in a different way and honestly made us really proud of them,” Chef Justin says about the house his parents built, where the new Rural Kitchen is stationed. “The whole thing slowly came together during Covid with everyone in the family involved in some way, constantly sending ideas, photos, and updates across different time zones. It was fun, exhausting, chaotic at times, but looking back now, it became such a big part of how this new chapter of Rural Kitchen came to life.”

And maybe that's what really what makes dining in this new address a different experience—even as Chef Justin serves the same nostalgic dishes, in the same relaxed homey setting. One feels closer to that feeling of family—even if it’s not one’s own. “Unlike in our previous locations that were located in the heart of the city, [here] you get to experience the meals as our family did, as part of our new home.”