This Cebu Food Stall will make You Eat ... Rabbit! | D'Bunnychon

Rabbits are such cute pets making it difficult for most of us to cook or eat such beautiful animals.  But, there is a new restaurant in The Market by Sugbo Mercado that is hoping to convince us that we consider eating rabbit meat.  I had dinner at D'Bunnychon last week and I am somehow convinced that we should give rabbit meat a chance.

D'BunnyChon:  A Case for Eating Rabbit Meat

Before I ate at D'Bunnychonm I know rabbits are eaten in other parts of the world.  I had an Aunt who lives in France who asked me before if she can cook my pet rabbit because it is delicious as a "serious joke".  There are people who eat rabbit and they are not bad people.

To be honest, I admire the gutsiness of the owners of D'Bunnychon.  It takes a lot of courage to introduce new meat in the market and it comes from such cute creatures.   I grew up with a dad that raised chickens and I did not like eating our own "pets".  For sure, the restaurant will face some kind of resistance.

So, I asked the owner why?  I learned that this restaurant was created by accident after the owners who started raising rabbits for fertilizer (cold manure) accidentally attended a seminar on raising rabbits for meat.  Apparently, the Bureau of Animal Industry has been trying to develop the local rabbit industry. 

Rabbits were introduced in the Philippines at the end of World War 2 by the US Peace Corps to augment food supply.  It never picked up since these "local breeds" were sold as pets instead.  So, why are they trying to promote eating rabbits?

5 Reasons to Eat Rabbit Meat

1. High in Protein - Pound for pound, Rabbit meat has higher protein than beef and chicken.  Rabbit meat is 20.9% Protein (Chicken is at 20%, Beef at 16.3%, Pork at 11.9%).   This meat is an awesome protein source making it great for athletes and dieters.

2. Low in Saturated Fat and Calories - At 10.25% fat compared to 11% of chicken and 28% of beef, this meat is "healthier" than the more popular choices.  Rabbit meat has also the lowest calorie per pound. 

3. Rich in Minerals - Rabbit meat is rich in potassium, phosphorus, selenium, Omega 3, Vitamin B3 and B12. 

4. Organic - Rabbits are fed with grass and water.  Unlike commercially-bred meat where raisers give hormones to induce growth or antibiotics to combat diseases,  rabbits are raised by backyard breeders who do not use or need the medicines.

5. Sustainable - For the same amount of feeds and water, rabbits can produce 6 times the amount of meat compared to cows.  Rabbits are also prolific breeders which makes it easy to raise them for meat.

D'Bunnychon Review

After a quick Rabbit Meat 101, it was time to try the dishes at D'Bunnychon.  Here are the dishes that we tried out that night:

This is the Bunny  Boodle that is perfect for a group of 4-6 people.  It is a perfect sampler for all D'Bunnychon specialties.

D'Bunnychon also has Bunnychon (Roasted Rabbit) value meals.  One variant is the regular roasted rabbit while the other one is the fried Bunnychon.   These meals are priced at 125 pesos each.

Cebu's First Rabbit Restaurant also serves rabbit meat versions of some of our favorites like lumpia, bola-bola, caldereta, and sisig.  You can try rabbit dishes for as low as 55 pesos (lumpia) or 65 pesos (bola-bola).

D'Bunnychon also offers different types of sauces as dipping.

Aside from these rabbit dishes, D'Bunnychon also serves some amazing drinks like the Blue Tea that is made of blue ternate leaves.

Overall, it was not as weird as imagined it to be.  If people did not tell me that I was eating rabbit, I would not really have noticed.   Flavor-wise, it was not as strange or as gamey as I expected.  Among their dishes, I enjoyed most the BunnyChon or Roasted Rabbit, sisig, and bola-bola.  I really liked the way they seasoned their food at D'Bunnychon.  

I also love their camote and black rice.   For spicy food lovers, their chili sauce is a must.  In the end, I would say that eating at D'Bunnychon changed my views on rabbits.   I still find them cute but now, I also find them delicious. ;)

To try out rabbit meat, you may visit D'Bunnychon at The Market by Sugbo Mercado, Mantawe Drive, Mandaue City.