They say working with your friends can be a total dream come true; in the case of Rabbit Room’s innovative culinary team, it’s precisely what it is throughout. 

They were conceptualized with streaks of creativity and passion from a group of passionate mates who all live and breathe for the food and beverage industry. Their friendship began after meeting each other after they graduated from university. El Poco Cantina’s Richard Ramirez, Rommel Gutierrez, Denise Liao, Purple Yam’s  Rafael “Rap” Cristobal, and Osteria Mozza’s John David Ty finally came together after years of honing their craft and rising to the high-calibre demands of their respective careers. 

‘For years, we’ve been discussing working on a new project together, and in 2020, that finally came true with unbelievably perfect timing.’ Gutierrez said. I'm the one who told them we should put up a restaurant here.’ Like the beginning of every great idea, it was about asking the questions that came to mind about what the designated roles were for each person. 

Ampalaya Smash, Summer Bodega and others | Image courtesy of The Rabbit Room

Since everyone brings a certain skillset to the table, their union led to a great start, and when it came to creating their menu, they agreed to utilize one of the most unconventional and, at the moment, controversial proteins (in the Philippines) as the central star of their menu –- rabbit. 

Wild rabbits are consumed in Europe and the United Kingdom in the form of pies, paella, ragus, stews, and roasts. However, in the Philippines, it’s not common to have this as a staple on the dining table, despite it being commonly eaten in Pangasinan, a province north of Metro Manila. Unbeknownst to others, it has many health benefits and is an excellent substitute for red meat and poultry. 

Rabbit Ragout with Brioche Bread, Tuna Crudo, and Mussels | Image courtesy of The Rabbit Room

Richard states,‘ It’s a better option, generally as a protein choice, mainly because of its versatility. Wild rabbits are lean. They also like grass for their natural diet. Currently, there is an overconsumption of the general choices we get from the market, which we are addressing through Rabbit Room’s innovative menu.

Etag Carbonara, Puttanesca

As a duo, Cristobal and Ty bring dynamic magic into the kitchen with their extensive experience, combining Filipino and Italian flavour profiles with local ingredients. Their menu contains crowd-pleasers such as their Rabbit Ragout with brioche rolls, Etag Carbonara, Pendatun Chicken with Adlai Fry, and Ampalaya Smash Basil Cocktail. Both serve as head chefs, creating delightful dishes that invigorate the palate in new ways. 

Like most creatives, they do collide with each other from time to time. ‘ Don’t get us wrong, we mostly do a rapid-fire between how we want to present our ideas.’ Gutierrez says, While they all come from different perspectives, make no mistake that anything that they do isn’t a simple excursion, especially if you’re introducing a new food campaign that hasn’t been done before. 

We all know new ideas can be met with derision or gob-smacked awe, but Rabbit Room keeps hitting the right notes at the beginning of their culinary journey. In their efforts to not be trendy, in some ways, they are heading in the right direction as they are at the threshold of change in Filipino cuisine. 

White Rabbit Cocktail

What we see now is entirely different from 10-15 years ago, with new restaurants popping up by equally talented chefs who are out there. Rabbit Room is a concept that’s turning heads for great reasons altogether. From a marketing perspective, it looks prosperous, Denise explains. ‘We are very much aware that plenty of trendy concepts are happening not just in the Philippines but worldwide. In our case, it was about normalizing something stigmatized by plenty since we now know the psychology behind people’s mindset around food, and it wasn’t us trying to be just trendy.’

‘At some point, we want to make things like rabbit adobo and for people to start making it for themselves,’ Ty says. With how things are going, it’s not a long shot. Rabbit Room’s accomplishments in its first run have been receiving positive reviews, and with their goal of destigmatizing ideas surrounding food and being part of the journey of having Filipino food finally have its place on the global stage. 

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Cyan Dacasin is a lifestyle journalist and editor with bylines in LA Weekly, Vingt Sept Magazine, The Los Angeles Tribune and more. She held the position of Managing Editor of Mr Warburton Media under media personality, Derek Warburton. Aside from that, she was the lifestyle editor for British Thoughts Magazine under photographer Zainea Alexandrou.